A Study On The Influence And Intertextuality Of Maupassant’s And Chen Zhongshi’s Novels

This thesis makes a comprehensive use of influence study and intertextuality study in research methods.Taking empirical evidence as the starting point,through comparative reading and close reading,this thesis attempts to explore the Maupassant’s influence on the creation of Chen Zhongshi’s medium-length novels and short stories.In addition,this thesis also analyzes the deviation and reconstruction of the text in Maupassant’s works by Chen Zhongshi as the recipient.In the first chapter,taking into account the translation of Maupassant’s works and Chen’s relevant remarks,this thesis reviews and explores the influence of Maupassant on Chen’s literary creation.After the turmoil that lasted for ten years,Chen urgently needed to break away from the previous rigid writing methods,which was also his initial motivation for studying Maupassant.Due to the lack of key evidence and the complexity of the translations,it is no longer possible to directly verify the specific Chinese translation of Maupassant’s works that Chen Zhongshi had read.Nevertheless,according to the existing materials,this translation issue could also be clarified and reasonably reasoned to some extent.Based on the above,the second chapter continues to analyze the intertextuality between the works of Maupassant and Chen Zhongshi.This chapter is divided into two parts.The first part selects Chen’s three works,goes deeper into the text,and analyzes Chen Zhongshi’s overall imitation of Maupassant’s novels.This kind of imitation includes not only imitation of specific languages,but also the application of plots.Of course,the imitation of Chen is not a complete copy,which leads to the content of the second part,that is,Chen’s transformation of Maupassant’s works with Chinese cultural characteristics.For Maupassant’s Mont-Oriol and Boule de Suif,Chen Zhongshi obviously borrowed and transformed them in his creation.Although there is a high degree of similarity in the text,under different cultural contexts and the clever combination of Chen,a deviation in the sense of the text had also occurred.For the intertextuality between these two writers’ works,in addition to the above analysis from a theoretical level,it is also necessary to explore the causes behind the differences.This is the main problem discussed in Chapter three.The first thing to mention is the issue of cultural filtering.As the important translators of Maupassant’s works,Li Qingya and Zhao Shaohou were both participants and witnesses of the May 4th Movement.Their translation works were also inextricably linked to this cultural innovation.Therefore,the Chinese translation of Maupassant’s works that Chen has seen is undoubtedly full of the spirit of the May Fourth Movement.Secondly,Maupassant’s "negative influence" also prompted Chen to constantly reflect on himself.In the end,Chen Zhongshi based on traditional culture,found a balance between reality and modernity,and completed the construction of his unique style.