A Study Of Animal Images In New Period Minority Literature

This thesis is a project research on animal images in literature of new period Chinese minority, which attempts to discover the common characteristics of animal novels from representative Chinese minority authors. By macroscopically classifying, this thesis aims at analyzing the profound meaning and contemporary relevance of animal images in these animal novels. In addition, this thesis tries to help people understand minority culture better and get more respect for nature and reverence for life.The thesis falls into three parts: introduction, main body and epilogue. The introduction part mainly explains the reason and meaning of choosing animal images as writing object. Firstly, this part analyses the research meaning of animal images from perspective of theory value and realistic meaning. Secondly, this part sums up the academic research on animal novels from minority authors, and found out that the study of animal images is merged into the scope of the study of ecological literature. In other words, the study of animal images is short of systematic and comprehensive text analysis at present. Lastly, this part is a brief summary of the research goal and the mentality of this paper.The main body includes three chapters. In chapter one, it mainly introduces the animal images closely related to minority culture from the perspective of national culture. Firstly, the author introduces totem culture of minorities, and with reference to texts, the author presents the connection between minority writer's animal novels and totems, such as the wolf totem of the Mongolian nationality, the tiger totem of the Tujia nationality, the bear totem of the Ewenki nationality. Secondly, it analyses how deer, camel and dog influence the spirits of the Ewenki nationality, the Mongolian nationality, and the Tujia nationality respectively.In chapter two, from the perspective of ecological culture,it unravels the ecological implications in animal images of minority authors. Four kinds of animal images have been analyzed. Firstly, some animals are attributed to be ecological "destroyer", such as the gerbil and the wild boar. The authors appeal to human to realize the ecological significance of these animals. Secondly, beneficial animal such as corsac and red jackal can help human to maintain the balance of the ecological system. Thirdly, animals like snake and musk deer can provide valuable resources for human. However, owing to increasingly greedy need from human, they have to face survival predicament nowadays. Fourthly, by exposing the contradiction between human and tiger, minority writers give a warning that because of expanding the scope of activities, destroying the natural environment of human and animals, and squeezing animals' living space, human have forced some animal to be homeless and then attack human.In chapter three, from the perspective of life value, it discusses the unique life value of some animals, such as panda, monkey, wolf and fish. They are either lovely, respectful or grateful, having dignity of life as human. These animals make us realize that each species on earth, is worthy of being respected and protected. Human should set up the whole view of ecology and say goodbye to anthropocentrism, thus being in harmony with various creatures in nature.The epilogue shows an overall contemplation of new period writers on animal images. Their writing purpose is not only to appeal to protect the national culture, but also to concern animals' destiny, contemplate the relationship between people, nature and animals, and achieve both literary research value and ecological value.