Gentry Transformation And Social Transformation: Rereading Li Jieren's "Dahe Novels"

Li Jieren and his "Roman-fleuve"——"Ripples Across Stagnant Water",,Before the Storm" and "Huge Wave" are recognized by many important critics in the history of modern Chinese literature.But because of the dislocation of the research direction and the intention of the social history of the work,the solid and powerful analysis in the specific research is still insufficient.This paper draws on the research horizon of social history,focuses on the changes of the gentry class in Li Jieren's"Roman-fleuve",and taking it as the central clue,combing the changes of social structure and various manifestations of social transformation at that time,revealing the more intrinsic relationship between the writer's characterization and the description of historical events.This paper focuses on the transformation of the gentry and the social transformation.On the one hand,it is based on the textual facts that "semi-official and half-gentry","Learn gentry","Merchant gentleman" characters shuttle through the whole novel in the "Roman-fleuve".On the other hand,from the perspective of social history,gentlemen occupy a pivotal position in the traditional "official gentry and people" structure of China,the change of this stratum affects the overall situation,and is really the central link in the study of social change.The first thing we see in the"Ripples Across Stagnant Water" is the complex social space of villages and towns where the gentry figures are invisible.The local social forces represented by the Pao Ge leader are headed for the front,and the power of relying on foreign religions also has increasing influence,which highlights the change of social power at the grass-roots level in this period.With the second part of the "Roman-fleuve","Before the Storm",the space enters the provincial capital from the township.The typical character of the bureaucrats,Hao Dasan,is more stable and prestigious in Chengdu.The children of the gentry family are like Hao Yousan,You Tiemin,Su Xinghuang and others,under the influence of new ideas,gradually changed and divided into intellectuals,revolutionaries,and international students,which concentrated on the many aspects of the gentry's modern changes.The great turmoil and revolutionary wave of the state and society in the late Qing Dynasty was pushed to a climax in the,Big Wave".The novel vividly reproduces the intensification of the social contradictions of "official gentry and people" and various classes in "the Railway Project Crisis".The gentry class relied on the expansion of their modern power and the local influence of the mobilization of the people,and fought against the Qing court and defended their own interests.Local officials must not only implement national policies but also stabilize the people's hearts,they are in a dilemma of retreating.The people have exerted great enthusiasm and strength under the encouragement of newspapers and magazines and lectures.But out of the mass image in class discourse,we can still see the true side of the people's simplicity and herd.Li Jieren's "Roman-fleuve" trilogy not only describes the transformation and differentiation of the gentry class in Sichuan Province on the time axis,but also shows the signs of changes and transformation of the social space of the gentry.In the process of going from the teahouses and mansions in the traditional space to the venues and schools in the emerging space,they realized the transformation and transformation of the class.Based on the research horizon of social history,this paper systematically sorts out the clues of the evolution of the gentry class of Li Jieren's "Roman-fleuve" trilogy,and outlines the deep veins of social history and transformation and transformation reflected by the trilogy.Moreover,this research perspective is in line with the author's own consciousness of social history creation.Li wrote this social history picture with the activities of the gentry class and the transformation into the center.The long-lived vitality,literary history significance and research value of Li Jieren's "Roman-fleuve"are also based on Li Jieren's conscious social history creation consciousness.He reflects the concrete,vivid and rich social transformation process by class change and not just class perspective.The novel has written a number of typical characters in modern social life,and has created many characters with original vitality and rich personality.