Other Image And Self-Quest-An Imagological Study On Pearl S.Buck's East Wind:West Wind And Pavilion Of Women

Pearl Sydenstricker Buck,as the first American female writer awarded the Nobel Prize in literature,is renowned for her vivid literary description of China.East Wind:West Wind and Pavilion of Women are Buck's two representative works respectively created in the early and the late stages of her prolific writing career.The novels portray the rich details of the Chinese prestigious family life in the early 20th century,and reveal the collisions between traditional Chinese culture and western modern civilization,but present entirely different Chinese images.According to imagology,the image of the other is a way of self-expression Therefore Buck's construction of the Chinese other images reflects her perception of the American self.Based on the theory of imagology,this thesis analyses Buck's portrayal of different Chinese other images in East Wind:West Wind and Pavilion of Women.In fact,the shifts in the Chinese other images result from Buck's changing cognition of the American self and present her reflection of cultural communicationThis thesis is divided into five parts.The Introduction reviews the previous discussions of Buck and her works,introduces the development and the basic theoretical concerns of imagology and elaborates the structure of this thesis.Chapter One offers the imagological research basis of Pearl S.Buck and her Chinese images The first part discusses Buck's cultural background and American perspective so as to identify "the Chinese other" and "the American self" within the theoretical framework Meanwhile,a comparison between the Chinese images in the western mainstream society and those in Buck's two novels is made to classify the two kinds of Chinese other images:Buck's Chinese image in East Wind;West Wind corresponds with the western collective imagination,which is called the "ideological other" in imagology;however.Pavilion of Women provides a Chinese image that deviates from the w estern collective imagination,so it can be regarded as a ''utopian othe." Chapter Two provides a detailed interpretation of the two types of Chinese other images and analyzes their differences in terms of family relationship,Chinese people and Chinese customs.From the imagological perspective,the change of Chinese other images results from the writer's shifting perception of the American self.The third chapter presents a textual analysis of the process of Buck's inspection and exploration of the American self:East Wind:West Wind presents Buck's glittering illusions about her homeland in her formative days;Pavilion of Women shows her disappointment with the realistic self in the second half of her life;besides,Buck reconstructs an ideal self image to show her expectation of her home country.Finally,this thesis concludes that the changed Chinese images by Pearl S.Buck not only represent her self-quest as an American,but also indicate her reflection on the cultural communication between the East and the West.By eliminating prejudice,seeking common grounds and reserving differences,an equal dialogue can be achieved between cultures,which is of great practical significance for cross-cultural communication.