현대 중국의 傷痕文學의 성격에 대한 재검토

Abstract

Shanghenwenxue is a body of literature that symbolically marks both the end of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and the opening of a new era. Contemporary assessments of Shanghenwenxue, however, have largely been negativesome writers have articulated their criticisms in the most caustic of terms. Shanghenwenxue's relatively low standing and lack of a platform among the literati and publishing world is curious, considering that a majority of the genre's writers are still living. The debates surrounding Shanghenwenxue have been ceaseless since its inception. The term Shanghenwenxue in fact carries with it a negative meaning, which it lacks sophistication as a literary form. On the other hand, it is undeniable that Shanghenwenxue was recognized as a voice that signaled the opening of a new era after the Cultural Revolution. Rather than producing heroes that lived-out predictable social norms, Shanghenwenxue placed the lives and fates of ordinary people at center stage, previewing features of the literature that was to flourish in the new era. Though its criticism has been extremely divided and controversial, there has not been a substantial study of Shanghenwenxue. An accurate assessment of this literature can only be made after thorough study and analysis. Some of the primary objectives of this essay are to examine the relationships between Shanghenwenxue and contemporary Chinese literature, and to address the issues of memory represented in Shanghenwenxue. Additionally, this essay discusses the discourse of humanism that shaped the ideological framework of Shanghenwenxue. By closely engaging these issues, this essay also shows how the narrative in Shanghenwenxue transformed into an ideology over time; going from modern Chinese literature and contemporary Chinese literature to the literature of the new era. If this argument can be proven valid, perhaps the merciless criticism against Shanghenwenxue may be proven unjust after all.