China And Chinese Images In American Literature In The New Age

In American literature, there have been abundant works which described some images of China or Chinese, while the diversity of the image of China is formed with the development of American national literature. Currently, the researches into the image of China and Chinese people in American literature are plentiful, most of which are focused on typical writers and their works concentrate upon nineteenth and twentieth century, for instance, Pearl Buck, Overseas Chinese writers or Dr. Fu Manchu or Charlie Chan series, etc. Based on the theoretical framework of image studies of comparative literature, post-colonialism and orientalism, this thesis takes the literary works of American native writers in the New Age. Through illuminating the definition of China image, Chinese image, Self and Others, Orientalism and Self-orientalism, analyzing the manifestation and evolution process of "the Other" of image of China and Chinese people, the reason and status of development of Self Orientalism of China image as well as the form of co-construction built in the process of interaction between China and America, this thesis enumerates the specific causes of the evolution and its significance on the development of Chinese literature as well as the positive influence on self-cognition and self-construction of China and Chinese image.This dissertation is composed of five parts which includs a foreword and four chapters:The part of foreword illustrates the fundamental problems in image studies of comparative literature, issues of "the Other" in the research of imagology and the relationship with the image of China.Chapter One briefly introduces the image of China and typical Chinese people in the works of some American writers before the New Age, for example, Bret Harte, Mark Twain, Pearl Buck and so on. Then, classify the types of Chinese image in American literature before twenty-first century which lay a foundation of Chinese image in the New Age and illustrate the meaning of "Others" and Chinese image.Chapter two analyzes the images of China and Chinese people in the works written by American writers and focuses on three fictions related with image of Chinese people. Besides, theoretical knowledge that used in this part like the relation between literature and historical memory, literary envision and metaphorical "others" are provide a relevant references for the next elaboration of Chinese images, thus illustrating the stable state and change of image of China under the circumstance of historical accumulation and temporal change.Chapter three presents the image of China in American travel notes which takes "Chinese trilogy" written by Peter Heisler as analytical object. This part describes both old and new image of China in the New Age, through observing and studying image of China and Chinese people in documentary travel note, this part elaborates the inter-conversion of the "others" and self, and state of bi-direction of pattern of self-image construction based on the form of self-reference of others.Chapter Four analyzes the source, reason and significance of the transition of images of China in American literature in the new century. Based on theoretical framework, it discusses the influence of history, ideology and science and technology on the evolution of image of China. Chapter Four also enumerates the specific causes of the evolution and its significance on the development of China and Chinese literature.Since this study is specifically discussed, it is far from complete. Due to the limitations in the introduction, translation and quantity of reading of American literature in the new century, the collection of writing and conclusion of phenomenon in literature are not comprehensive. As a result, only general status quo, rather than universal conclusions can be drawn through the analysis of some works. Therefore, some issues about Chinese images in the new-century American literature should be further discussed.