A Study Of Historical Fiction By Left-wing Writers Of The 1930s

The 1930 s,the second decade of the new literature,was a period of prosperity for the modern Chinese historical novel,which,as a new literary genre,moved from naivety to maturity during this period.The historical novels of Lu Xun,Guo Moruo and Mao Dun became the classics of the period,while a number of new writers of historical novels also emerged,making the historical novel a period of initial prosperity.This period was also an active period for left-wing writers in literary history,and the second decade of the new literature was once called the ’Left-Wing Decade’.Lu Xun,Guo Moruo and Mao Dun were not only important writers in the creation of historical novels,but also fighters in the left-wing literary camp,and a large proportion of other writers who wrote historical novels during this period were also left-wing writers,such as Meng Chao,Feng Nai Chao,Yu Dafu and Li Junmin,etc.About sixty historical novels were written in the 1930 s,while more than forty historical novels are included in this study,which shows that the historical novels written by left-wing writers It is clear that the historical novels written by left-wing writers had an important place in the creation of historical novels in the 1930 s.It can be said that left-wing writers were a force to be reckoned with in the creation of modern Chinese historical novels in the 1930 s,and played an important role in the prosperity of modern Chinese historical novels.However,for a long time,research on the famous historical novels by left-wing writers has been more active,while the rest of the historical novels by left-wing writers have not been taken seriously,or have even been in a state of neglect,a research situation that is inconsistent with the contribution and actual historical value of the historical novels by left-wing writers.The overall focus on the historical novels of left-wing writers can,to a certain extent,fill the gaps in the study of modern historical novels and the study of left-wing literature,and is of some academic value.The thesis is presented in five main sections.The introductory section aims to explain the value and significance of the selected topic,define the scope of the research object,and sort out the current status of domestic and international research on historical novels by left-wing writers in the 1930 s.Chapter 1 explores the historical outlook of left-wing writers and the basic types of historical fiction.In the context of social change and the spread of the materialist view of history,the unique historical outlook of left-wing writers is clarified,and the potential influence of the literary and historical traditions on left-wing writers is explored in the context of the "history of China" stream,as well as the modern literary transformation of the Historical Records by left-wing writers in an intertextual context.Through the analysis of their historical novels,we can see that the left-wing writers’ thinking on social structure and historical issues after placing society at the centre of historical novels under the guidance of the materialistic view of history,and further clarify the uniqueness of the left-wing writers’ view of history.The second chapter analyzes the rhetorical mechanisms of left-wing writers’ historical novels.With the help of theories related to the rhetoric of fiction and narrative,we adopt a close reading of the text to explore the rhetorical choices made by left-wing writers to make their historical novels play a realistic role from the following three aspects: first,left-wing writers coincidentally choose historical novels to write history in subjects with realistic orientation and political tendencies;second,the length of left-wing writers’ historical novels is short and medium,and there is a lack of long stories.Thirdly,left-wing writers use rhetorical devices such as intervention,irony,and distance control to accomplish "complicity and cooperation" with readers in the complex and changing relationship between the author,narrator,characters,and readers.What and how to tell the story of historical novels by left-wing writers,and how to realize the communication and cooperation between the author and the readers are all carefully chosen by the writers.Chapter 3 assesses the cracks and tensions in the historical novels of left-wing writers.When the historical novels of left-wing writers are examined in the specific political and cultural context of the 1930 s,the paradigm of left-wing discourse generated in the intersection of literature and politics causes a rupture in the texts of left-wing historical novels,while left-wing writers identify with left-wing ideology,but their personal literary interests still show a certain tendency to deviate from the discourse of power,resulting in a tension in the historical novels of left-wing writers,i.e.the left-wing position of writers and literary The tension between the writer’s left-wing stance and his literary interests is both confrontational and inseparable.In a "new kind of historical novel" full of cracks and tensions,left-wing writers construct a new relationship between human beings and history.The left-wing writers’ historical novels under the political regime have both gains and losses,but the overall gains outweigh the losses.The concluding section summarises the work done and the thesis’ s ideas,and briefly reviews the influence of the historical novels of left-wing writers in the 1930 s on the creation of later historical novels.The genre of the historical novel was inherited by the historical novels of the 1940 s and revived and developed in the 1990 s after years of silence;the sense of self-subjectivity continued into the historical novels of the new period,further affirming the historical value and literary-historical significance of the historical novels of left-wing writers.