An Influence Study Of Maxine Hong Kingston’s China Men

China Men, published in1980, was the second best seller of Maxine Hong Kingston afterthe Women Warrior. Although Women Warrior made Kingston famous and was loved by agreat many readers, China Men, however, was better as for Kingston, since this work hadmuch of her genuine spirit. Containing a great many of adaptation and rewriting of Chineseliterature and culture, China Men is highly valued by scholars of comparative literature study.This thesis discusses the influence of Chinese literature on Chinese American literature.The method being used mainly is comparative study, which analyzes how and to what extant awork by a certain author is influenced by other works and other writers. What’s more, theinfluence study is to discover how that writer extracts and distillates from the original workand relative materials in order to bring out his or her unique ideas and works.This paper will make a detailed comparison between the traditional Chinese literary textswith those Chinese stories, fairy tales and events in Chinese history depicted in China Men.The influences of the original Chinese literary texts on Kingston’s work and Kingston’sadapting and rewriting of the original texts are analyzed, thus the writing purpose of Kingstonand the implication of China Men can be uncovered. The main body of this thesis consists ofseven parts：The first chapter is an introduction part, in which the work China Men and its author havebeen introduced, and the main methods used in analyzing this thesis have been presented.The second chapter elaborates the analysis of “On Discovery”, the first part in China Men，and the relation between Tang Ao in this traditional Chinese story and the forefathers fromChina. The third chapter is an influence study on “The Ghostmate”, the second Chineselegend in that book of Kingston. The purpose of this tale of marvels used by Kingston inChina Men will be exposed. The fourth chapter analyzes in detail the third Chinese tale in“On Mortality” as well as the western mythology in “On Mortality Again”. The similaritiesand differences between Tu Tzu-chun and Chinese forefathers and the intention of Kingstonchoosing them will be elaborated. The fifth chapter is a catalytical illustration of “TheAdventures of Lo Bun Sun”. The origin of Lo Bun Sun and his connection with Chineseforefathers will be discussed. The sixth chapter explains the connotation in “The Li Sao: AnElegy” and implication of the life story of Qu Yuan. The seventh chapter is a conclusion of thewriting purpose and significance of this thesis.