ISSN : 1229-9618(Print)
ISSN : 2671-7506(Online)
ISSN : 2671-7506(Online)
Chinese Studies Vol.55 pp.259-278
DOI : https://doi.org/10.14378/KACS.2016.55.55.14
DOI : https://doi.org/10.14378/KACS.2016.55.55.14
The Study on Meanings of Death in Shen Congwen's Novels
Abstract
This paper aims to study meanings of death in most parts of Shen Congwen's novel creation by combining a diachronic perspective on his life and writings with a synchronic perspective on the writer's aesthetics of life.
Firstly, this study looked at aspects of the death described in his novels by creation time and the life aesthetics of the writer. Results show that the death in Shen Congwen's novels are associated with God(神), love, and beauty by period. Secondly, this study investigated the death associated with God which appears in the first period. The death in his novels written in this period are all the death of others which awakens the role of the survivor. This forms a consistent theme of Shen Congwen's novels, which is "The dead are the deceased and the survivor should live on".
Thirdly, this paper looked into the death in the second period, which is associated with love. In this period's novels, love is eroticism as an inner experience and its role is to stare at "his own death". Facing up to his own death, Shen Congwen tried to overcome his mortal life from the perspective of ipeon(立言). In the process, his artistically remarkable work such asByeonseong: The Border Town could be created.
Lastly, this paper studied the third period's death related to beauty. In this period, Shen Congwen associated death with beauty from a religious and artistic perspective. This shows that he contemplated over "death of others", "death of himself" and even "death of everything". In addition, in the process of contemplating over "death of everything", Shen Congwen's world of creation moved over to an abstract and philosophical phase of "pursuit of life with a complete form", perfecting Shen Congwen's unique world of life aesthetics.
In conclusion, as Shen Congwen's contemplation over death developed into an imaginal thinking that is a unique feature of literary creation, he could go deeper into the meaning of death than any one else. As a result, he was able to form a distinctive world of life aesthetics. This might be the meaning of death in Shen Congwen's novels.
Firstly, this study looked at aspects of the death described in his novels by creation time and the life aesthetics of the writer. Results show that the death in Shen Congwen's novels are associated with God(神), love, and beauty by period. Secondly, this study investigated the death associated with God which appears in the first period. The death in his novels written in this period are all the death of others which awakens the role of the survivor. This forms a consistent theme of Shen Congwen's novels, which is "The dead are the deceased and the survivor should live on".
Thirdly, this paper looked into the death in the second period, which is associated with love. In this period's novels, love is eroticism as an inner experience and its role is to stare at "his own death". Facing up to his own death, Shen Congwen tried to overcome his mortal life from the perspective of ipeon(立言). In the process, his artistically remarkable work such asByeonseong: The Border Town could be created.
Lastly, this paper studied the third period's death related to beauty. In this period, Shen Congwen associated death with beauty from a religious and artistic perspective. This shows that he contemplated over "death of others", "death of himself" and even "death of everything". In addition, in the process of contemplating over "death of everything", Shen Congwen's world of creation moved over to an abstract and philosophical phase of "pursuit of life with a complete form", perfecting Shen Congwen's unique world of life aesthetics.
In conclusion, as Shen Congwen's contemplation over death developed into an imaginal thinking that is a unique feature of literary creation, he could go deeper into the meaning of death than any one else. As a result, he was able to form a distinctive world of life aesthetics. This might be the meaning of death in Shen Congwen's novels.