Zhang Xianliang's Research On Traumatic Narrative

Since the reappearance in 1979,Zhang Xianliang,has become a controversial writer in contemporary literary arena for his bold depiction of Libido daring to break through conventional boundary of composition.Therefore,most of his fictions have evoked towering waves and been disputed by critics whose reactions are mixed since their publication.Most of previous studies are limited in analyzing erotic depiction,characterization or creating psychology in a single work,while after intensive reading of his fictions,we may find that there is extreme suffering complex in his fiction composition where he has been addicted to narrate traumatic experience.Traumatic can be considered as a life imprint of Zhang,of which he could never get rid all his life.And we can never separate the trauma narrative,which he takes seriously,from his twenty-year purgatorial life experience.However,rather than giving vent to his feelings in suffering he narrates traumatic events to pacify his mind and his soul and then gets the spirit power to overcome traumatic memories and surmounts these sufferings to console wounded hearts.This thesis focuses on Zhang’s life experiences and traumatic experiences of the intellectuals in his fictions to discuss the value of trauma narrative in fiction composition in four chapters.In the first chapter,“Motives of trauma narrative in Zhang’s fictions”,the author tries to conclude concrete expressing forms of trauma in his fictions,that is,motives of trauma narrative,which include sufferings from starvation and lust,fear of death and spiritual predicament.The second chapter,“Trauma narrative strategies in Zhang’s fictions”,the author explores how does Zhang pursue the beauty of human nature consciously to console his own wounded mind and twisted soul by analyzing characters in fictions who console poor heroes in trouble by their kindness,simplicity and tenderness,from which,we could find Zhang had endeavored to find a way to surmount sufferings.In the third chapter,“Significance of trauma narrative in Zhang’s fictions”,the focus of this study turns to devices applied by Zhang to achieve his spiritual breakthrough by self-reflection,sincere confession and reconstruction of the identity of male intellectuals.The last part discusses psychological contradiction to make a defense for himself in Zhang’s narration by excusing himself for his hypocritical and despicable behavior,which results in dispelling confession and trauma,concealing trauma experiences in composition of reasonable lust,and then produce the effect of betray of his self-identity in a paradoxical name of self-surpass.