Shanghai - Hong Kong - United States: Three Books, Eighteen Springs

Just as it is true to say that Shanghai and Hong Kong set the background for Eileen Chang's literature works in the 1940s, so it is true to say that the three places, Shanghai, Hong Kong and America, have their impressive imprints on her works created after 1949. This project will research into Eileen Chang's fiction created in the 1950s and 1960s in a comprehensive way. It mainly probes into Eileen Chang's three novel-writing stages when she was in Shanghai, Hong Kong and America in 1950s～1960s. By comparative reading of her six influential novels in that specific period, we are managing to trace her down literally, to ask why and how she changed in her artistic pursuit, and, to show how the three places left their impressive mark in Eileen's novels.Researchers in mainland China and researchers overseas differ greatly in their evaluation of the following two-group works of Eileen Chang: Eighteen Springs, Xiao At and The Rice-Sprout Song, The Naked Earth. Researchers overseas hold that the former is written out of pressure for life maintenance, while the latter reveals Eileen Chang's real mind. However, researchers in mainland think the other way around. In this project, it is suggested that we should analyze these works in a matter-of-fact attitude and try all the possible ways to avoid the potential political biases. Through the comparative reading of Eileen Chang's controversial works of fiction and her rewritten ones, more understanding to her life and artistic pursuit would be achieved. And the comparative readings could reflect the changes of her literary style distinctly.The increasingly heated research into Eileen Chang has been one of the most prominent research fields at present. The application of theoretical approaches of cultural study has greatly extended the depth and width of Eileen Chang Studies. Meanwhile, we have to be concerned about the threat posing to literary study, which may disintegrate the...