Searching for the narrative voice of contemporary Chinese novel : a case studies of Geliang

Abstract

This dissertation presents a comparative study of contemporary novels within the context of a literature voice rooted in the May Fourth tradition, with a particular focus on the post-seventies writer Ge Liang’s Paper Hawk. Through a closing reading of Paper Hawk, this research examines the impact of note-form fictions and the use of allusions in reviving an intellectual voice that resonates with May Fourth humanistic ideals with a discourse of enlighteners. Paper Hawk adopts this discourse of enlighteners, embodying an elegant language style crafting a sense of “present” and infused with an elite consciousness that seeks to achieve aesthetic excellence in contemporary literature. However, in this pursuit, the voice of the masses is inadvertently suppressed, their language rendered unutterable, and non-intellectual characters are reduced to mere symbols representing the ideal qualities of intellectuals within the reimagined setting of modern China. By delving into Ge Liang’s interviews and exploring his literary aesthetics and historical sentiments, this research defines a contemporary voice in the novel. While it is rooted in the culture of May Fourth, it exhibits an expanded subjectivity grown from the humanistic concern of May Fourth, as it endeavors to develop an exclusive language of intellectuals, striving for a distinct and refined aesthetics. This pursuit of a "present" language for self-expression and the demonstration of a writer’s creative strength, however, comes at the cost of mobilizing history as resources.