A Study On The Sense Of Wandering In V.S. Naipaul's Fictions

V.S.Naipaul(1932-2018)is a well-known intercultural writer in contemporary times.Wandering is the keynote of Naipaul's life,and his personal diaspora as well as the changing world has become the material and source of his creation.His writing about wandering often cut from the individual's survival experience.Furthermore,the cultural relics of colonial activities,the modern tide of immigration and the integration of globalization become the background of works,or constitute the elements of his works' main plot.This thesis focuses on the sense of wandering in Naipaul's fictions.It begins with tracing the origin of the sense of wandering and follows with analyzing the time and space presentation,and then goes deep into the spiritual field for text analysis.On this basis,it finally tells the value and connotation of the sense of wandering out of Naipaul's fictions.The thesis consists of six parts.The introduction mainly tells Naipaul's life and works,as well as the current situation of Naipaul's research at home and abroad.It also expounds the ideas and significance of the thesis,and more importantly,it defines the sense of wandering in Naipaul's fictions.Chapter 1 focuses on the origin of the sense of wandering in Naipaul's fictions,tracing the unique background of the sense of wandering from three angles: the personal experience,the context of the times and the literary horizon.Chapter 2 focuses on the rootless feelings revealed in the space environment and time narrative in Naipaul's fictions,and displays the textual presentation of the sense of wandering from the perspective of time and space.The “dark state” which is impoverished and disordered,and the “free state” which is strange and alienated make people feel difficult to settle,while the time's traversal,interruption and repetition make people fall into the trap of time helplessly.Chapter 3 goes deep into the spiritual realm,describing the absurd imitation toward the strong culture in the marginal situation,the sense of identity loss in wandering life,and the transcendence or epiphany of human existence in frustration and confusion.It not only reveals the rootless experience of wandering but also explores the positive spiritual connotation of wandering.Chapter 4 is based on the front two chapters,trying to explore the deep value and connotation of the sense of wandering in Naipaul's fictions.As a contemporary new immigration writer,Naipaul has an open horizon.His cosmopolitan vision breaks through the narrow nationalist barriers,penetrating into various fields of individual emotional life,and exploring the metaphysical significance of human existence.Wandering is the common state of human existence in today's global world,which is more obvious in Naipaul's fictions.From the perspective of cosmopolitanism,he pays attention to multiple contemporary issues,such as colonialism,otherness,identity,society,political power,and culture,but he surpasses the traditional immigration literature's identification with either one or the other,and concerns the spiritual loss of individuals in cultural collision,pursues the common ideal of happiness for mankind and injects transcendental spiritual power into wandering,which make the wandering become a meaningful journey of exploration.