문화적 징후로서의 80허우(80後) — 장웨란(張悅然) 장편소설 ≪고치(繭)≫ 연구

Abstract

The Cocoon is a novel by post-80s generation author Zhang Yueran, which was published in 2016. Zhang Yueran is a winner of 2001 New Concept Writing Competition organised by Mengya. She is well known as a writer who reflects the sensitivity of the new generation with outstanding literary. Zhang Yueran’s The Cocoon contains the social and psychological changes of the post-80s generation. When the post-80s generation first came into light, they were known as a ‘social rebellion’ generation; but after ten years, they were more recognized as a ‘generation who got lost’. They became a neglected generation between the upper generation and the lower generation without being properly established in a competitive society. On the other hand, the post-80s generation had been in their 30s and were able to have a broader view of China's winding history. And even now, they are searching for their roots somewhere in this history. Zhang Yueran’s The Cocoon is a self-confession of post-80s generation with this complex psychology. This paper examines the complex psychology of post-80s generation, as well as their unique historical view, and the process of finding their identity through The Cocoon.