| Summary: | This M.A. thesis is a critical study of two contemporary Chinese
novels: Jia Pingwa’s Turbulence and Zhang Wei’s The Old Boat. The
purpose of this study is to demonstrate the two novels’
achievements and limitations in portraying the images of Chinese
peasants in the reform era. Chapter One provides the synopses of
these works and discusses their repercussions in China. It also gives
a brief account of the authors’ backgrounds and the two novels’
social and literary milieu. Chapter Two discusses the thematic
similarities and differences of these works, with an emphasis on the
ideological breakthroughs demonstrated in the themes. Chapter
Three and Chapter Four analyse four groups of characters, mainly
from the social and historical perspective. The first group consists of
the protagonists. Discussion concentrates on the characteristics of
these protagonists as educated peasants and the conflicts between
the opposing desires and values within their respective
temperaments. The second group is made up of two characters who
believe in “combating evil with evil”. The complexities of their
personalities and the meanings of their failures are explored. The
third group comprises the villains. Attention is focused on the
negative aspect of the peasant revolution and the influence of the
clan system. The fourth group includes a few supporting characters.
Chapter Five deals with the artistic techniques employed by the
authors in characterization. It examines how the two authors
present the personalities and feelings of the characters by the
reproduction of their speech and movement, or through the
descriptions of the physical settings. This chapter also probes the
functions of the symbols used in these works. Chapter Six draws
some conclusions based on the above discussion. It points out the
meanings of these works in the context of modern Chinese literature. === Arts, Faculty of === Asian Studies, Department of === Graduate
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