Travel Writing And Exotic Representation In Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s Travels To China

Based on the theory of "writing",this paper studies the text generation mechanism of Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s travel to China,discusses the writing strategy of the text and the view of China represented in this work.My thesis is divided into four chapters.In the introduction part,the author introduces the domestic research status of China’s travels,the theoretical methods applied in this paper,and evaluates the problems and value of the existing Chinese versions of China’s travels.The first chapter of this paper investigates the relationship between the traveler and the place of travel,which is the relationship between Akutagawa Ryunosuke and China under the specific cultural background.Akutagawa Ryunosuke traveled to China in the 1920 s.During this period,the idea that Japan was stronger than China spread in Japanese society.Under the influence of this ideological trend,Akutagawa Ryunosuke expressed his dissatisfaction with many Chinese cultural phenomena that he could not stand.Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s own feelings of Chinese classical culture make him praise many things with classical charm in China infinitely.When Eastern and Western civilizations collide,Akutagawa pays more attention to the value of Eastern civilization,which is an important feature of Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s view of Chinese culture.The content of the second chapter is the impact of travel,the process of spatial movement,on travel writing.This paper explores how the travel route,travel planning,travel experience and other factors of Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s China Travel affect Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s China writing.The content of this part echoes the dynamic narrative process of travel,which is a necessary research field of travel writing.The third chapter explores the representation strategies used by Akutagawa Ryunosuke in shaping China’s image,as well as the representation effect of these representation strategies.With his unique novelist’s perspective,Akutagawa Ryunosuke writes about Shanghai in the horizontal comparison between Japan and Shanghai,highlights the sadness of China’s ancient prosperity and present decline in the comparison between ancient and modern scenic spots,attracts readers’ interest in reading anecdotes,and enhances China’s exotic customs in the description of "Southern beauty".Many scholars affirm Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s ability as a journalist,and think Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s description of China is objective.From the perspective of "writing",the author thinks that all representations are social,cultural and political.Writing implies the writer’s mode of thinking,value judgment and attitude tendency.Writing is not a neutral record.Travel writing is a combination of contents selected by the writer subjectively in the specific social situation of the travel place.Therefore,Akutagawa Ryunosuke’s description of China Writing is not objective.