The Writing Motivation Of Wang Shuo After 1999

Wang Shuo’s works characterize the transition of the society in China from the 80s to the 90s. In 1992, after finishing five novellas such as You are not a mediocre person, Die after satisfying a craving, Wang Shuo stopped working as a novelist. It was not until 1999, he published Little Red Flowers, and subsequently came up with works such as My Millennium, New madman diary, The book for my daughter. Prior to 1999, the most striking features of his work are the language and irony. The remarks from Wang Yichuan suggest Wang’s work as a kind of "linguistic legend" His unique new Beijing style language as well as the frequent usage of conversations that help the narrative were very popular. His works during that time were also characterized by the vulgarization of bureaucratic wording, achieving the carnival effect, while reflecting the "mistrust of the integration of meanings". Huang Pin thinks of this ironic-type rebellion as the "typical aesthetics of the skepticism age" After seven years, Wang’s work changed with time, as is reflected from his work Little Red Flowers. The difference of his new works from previous ones is language as well. He did no longer fight against the trend and decompose the meanings with unconstrained attitude, and let go of his typical irony. Little Red Flowers tells the story of the youngsters growing up in the during the Cultural Revolution age with soft and warm words. Wang attempted to discover the being of himself, namely "why am I like this?", with the clues from his own experience. Thereafter, the collection of stories My Millennium was published, starting his interrogation on the metaphysical thinking. Zhang Yiwu’s comments on My Millennium point out that during the drastic transition of the society, Wang has turned from a trouble shooter wandering along the edge of urban life to a real philosopher that ponder the being of universe and human being. If we assume that prior to 1999, Wang was decomposing the meanings, after 1999, he has been picking up the concepts that he used to ridicule, as a way to resolve the struggles of both writing and his own life. Wang Shuo were then confused by the universal and ultimate questions of life such as death, life, and reality. His perspective also switched from reality to the obsession with religions, theoretical physics, etc.Wang’s recent works are of less attentions. His early works such as the "Trouble Shooter" series, particularly the style of language and the irony within them, are still the main focal points of current researches. Therefore the goal of this thesis is to analyze and discuss the mentality and motivation of Wang himself and his later works. By analyzing the attitudes expressed and the characteristics of his later works, the author attempts to understand and reconstruct his plight in writing and spiritual life. The pain that Wang felt, is not unique to himself. It is the mood and doubts of the public as well.In the first chapter of this thesis, the author makes contrast and analyze the difference between his works before and after 1999, discussing his focus on the questions such as "seeking" and "reality". Little Red Flowers is the inflection of his work, the "trouble shooters" in urban life were no longer of his interest, and a new space that is very familiar with Wang, "compound", is introduced and used as the starting point of his writing. In his later works, Wang has been consistently looking for his own expression, and the presence of himself. In New madman diary and My Millennium, he tried to resolve his plight through religions, finding himself in the metaphysical world. However, each time the seeking was ended by the tremendous sense of emptiness. Wang Shuo, together with his coeval artists, such as Cui jian and Feng Xiaogang, has lost in a collective dilemma of creativity. After the 90s, their rebellion, shouting, and irony have become insignificant.In Wang’s later works,compound, the place he grew up, was mentioned repeatedly. From Little Red Flowers and The book for my daughter, he stressed the impact of revolutionary culture and compound on his life. In the second chapter, the author discusses the influence of compound on people. The hierarchical system of compound brought the value of authority and class to the youngsters growing up there and made them subject to nation and revolution. From the subordinate of authority in childhood to the rebellion and irony as Wang grew up, his relation with "revolutionary culture" and "Compound" is inseparable, which is the "root" in his life.In the third chapter, the author discusses the impact of the tag "riffraff literature" on Wang’s later work, which was defined in 1993 by the "discussion on humanistic spirit" and disappointed Wang Shuo seriously. As he grew up in the Compound, he values status and authority, and it is hard for him to resolve this "defamation" with the novelist and filmmaker communities. From 1999, he intends to be more serious in his works, with the expectation of gaining attention from academia. In the early 90s, he scoffs the expression as a philosopher and the ideas of religions. However, in the late 90s, he started to act as an authentic philosopher. Wang Shuo gradually lost his voice while he was having a hard time to please either the populous or the academia.Wang Shuo and his coeval artists have lost creativity after their glorious days in the 80s. The change of the society has passivate their sharpness and uniqueness. The world that Wang Shuo used to tease and deconstruct cannot guide him to find himself. When all the meanings eliminate, all that left is emptiness and void.