The Recurrence of the Traditional Chinese Features In the Joy Luck ..

論文編號:YY755  論文字數:7422

摘要

 作為當代華裔美國文壇的一位先驅，譚恩美絕對有理由受到該領域研究的關注和重視。她的處女作，《喜福會》一經出版，蜚聲文壇，大獲成功，享有世界級的美譽。該作品從一個暫新的角度，探索中國文學中的傳統主題—母女關系。在看似其樂融融、快樂祥和的家庭生活的描述背后，是新一代移民與老一代移民之間迥然不同的生活觀念，從而傳達出文化沖突和斗爭的深刻內涵。母女關系的認同跨越了時間、空間、國別和文化的界限，代表著小說主題中的最強音。對于在種族和異國文化中夾縫生存的母女，沖突、融合以及相互認同不僅表現在血緣關系中，同時也體現在性別、種族和文化的建構上。在精神傳承和沖突的背后，折射出的是文化的繼承與沖撞。在很大程度上，母親的形象其實就是中華民族文化的隱喻，而女兒的形象，確實美國文化的縮影。
  《喜福會》中描繪了許多具有濃郁中國特色的文化元素，譬如說麻將、“五行”、生肖以及風水等等，都通過不同人物的經歷和敘述生動地描摹出來，同時，這些元素的描述也進一步推動了情節的發展和人物的塑造。這篇論文將充分結合愛德華-賽義德的“東方主義”理論和傳統中國文化的精髓來展開論述。本文主要分為五大部分。第一部分是作者和作品簡介。第二部分詳細介紹小說中的麻將、風水、五行、占卜等元素，以及各自在推動情節、塑造人物方面的作用。之后，將介紹愛德華-賽義德的“東方主義”理論，并以此構建文章的整體基調。第四部分結合賽義德的理論和真正的中國文化，分析母女關系的沖突和碰撞。基于以上分析，第五部分將做出結論，并向讀者闡釋譚恩美精湛的藝術表現力以及其對華裔美國文學的突出貢獻。

關鍵詞：喜福會，傳統中國元素，東方主義,文化沖突與碰撞

The Recurrence of the Traditional Chinese Features In the Joy Luck Club

Contents
Acknowledgements i
Abstract in English ii
Abstract in Chinese iii

Ⅰ.  Introduction 1
 1.1  Introduction to Amy Tan 1
 1.2  Introduction to the Joy Luck Club 2
 1.2.1  Mother-Daughter Relationship 2
 1.2.2  Potential Misinterpretation of the Novel 2

 Ⅱ.  The Traditional Chinese Elements in the Joy Luck Club and Their Functions 4
 2.1  The Joy Luck Club: Bringing Hope and Joy to Life 4
 2.2  A Horse in the Chinese Zodiac: Wrestling with Destiny 5
 2.3  A Traditional Chinese Woman: Being Immersed in Feng Shui Beliefs 7
 2.4  The Five Elements Theory: Creating the Characters 9

Ⅲ.  Recurrent Chinese Culture through the Theories of Orientalism 11
 3.1  The Theories of Edward Said’s Orientalism 11
 3.2  Chinese Culture Presented through Orientalism 12

Ⅳ.  The Reasons behind the Conflicts between Mothers and Daughters 14
 4.1  Fragile Language and Easy Misunderstanding 14
 4.2  Different Mode of Thoughts and Mentality 15

Ⅴ.  Conclusion 16

Bibliography 17

 
Abstract

 Amy Tan is a pioneer in the field of contemporary Chinese American Literature, and has a legitimate claim for special attention in the relevant research. Her maiden work, the Joy Luck Club, made a great coup once published and enjoyed worldwide prestige. It explored the traditional theme of mother-daughter relationship in the Chinese literature, yet from a brand-new perspective. Behind the seemingly impersonal description of the harmonious and pleasant family life lay the totally dissimilar views toward living in America of the new immigrants and their predecessors and conveyed the in-depth message of cultural conflicts and clashes. Theme of Mother and daughter transcended time, space, the boundaries of countries and culture, symbolizing the ictus of the theme in the novel. As for those mothers and daughters cracked in the crevice of races and cultures, clashes manifested themselves not merely in their blood relationship, but in the construction of gender, race and culture. In the depth of the spiritual inheritage and conflicts lay the succession and confrontation of culture. To a great extent, the image of mothers presented the metaphor of our Chinese culture; the image of daughters, the epitome of American culture. 
 
 Many Chinese elements in the Joy Luck Club, such as mahjong, the Five Elements, Chinese Zodiac and Feng Shui are vividly depicted through various stories of the characters and give impetus to the development of the plot as well as characterization.  In my thesis, I would like to take advantage of the theories of Edward Said’s Orientalism and the quintessence in the traditional Chinese culture to elaborate on my viewpoint. The thesis consists of five parts, starting from a brief introduction of the author, Amy Tan and the novel concerned. Following the introduction come the detailed descriptions of the Joy Luck Club, Feng Shui, the Five Elements, the Chinese Zodiac in the novel, and the functions of them to give impetus to the story and create the major characters. Later the theories of Edward Said’s Orientalism will be introduced to give the readers a global picture of the theoretical foundation upon which the thesis is based. With the combination of his theories and those elements in the real Chinese context, the fourth part makes an attempt to reveal the reasons lying behind the clashes and conflicts between those mothers and daughters. Based on the aforementioned analysis, the fifth part will arrive at a conclusion and give the readers a clear picture of the excellent story-telling capability of Amy Tan and her remarkable contribution to the Asian American Literature. 
 Key Words: the Joy Luck Club; traditional Chinese elements; orientalism; cultural conflicts and clashes; mothers and daughters