从先锋到传统--论余华小说创作的转型(1987-1995) = From avant-garde to tradition - On the transformation of Yu Hua's novels

Abstract

Focusing on Yu Huaa??s novels, this thesis will analyze the characteristics and differences of his writings before and after the critical transformation in his career. By taking into consideration the writera??s own personal experience and other avant-garde writersa?? general tendency, I set out to analyze the social background in which Yu Hua was situated, his personal intention in this transformation, and investigate his ultimate spiritual concern and cultural identity beyond the text, in an attempt to explore the general trends and features of Chinese avant-garde literature and their significance. As a leading writer of Chinese avant-garde literature, Yu Huaa??s novelettes in 1980s represent the distinct features of avant-garde, such as pursuing modernity, denying tradition, breaking traditional criteria of novel writing, and depicting vicious father images. But his saga novels in the 90a??s such as To Live and Chronicle of a Blood Merchant, which concentrate on traditional virtues and virtuous fathers, provide a different perspective. Such transformations demonstrate the writera??s changes in his own philosophy and writing concepts.