Portraying the pattern of life : exploring the interrelationships between Eileen Chang's educational agenda and literary construction

Abstract

It has been argued that amongst the history of modern Chinese fiction, Eileen Chang is the most splendid writer (Hsia, 1999). This study intends to interpret the interrelationships between Eileen Chang掇 educational agenda and literary construction. Grounded in sociological theories of education as well as literary theories and criticism, this study aims to address the following research question: What are the interrelationships between Eileen Chang掇 educational agenda and literary construction? Taking a lens of sociology of education and textual-psychoanalytic approach of literature, this research explores key concepts of three propositions of symbolic violence, three modes of pedagogic action, feminist criticism of literature, and psychoanalytic criticism of literature. Specifically, theories of sociology of education establish educational agendas to analyze Eileen Chang掇 educational background, while feminism investigates literary features by textual approach. Psychoanalytic criticism of literature typically bridges the two fields of sociology of education and literary theories, examining the interrelationships between Eileen Chang掇 educational agenda and literary construction. In particular, theories regarding sociology of education and literature also establish the framework of the interrelationship among education, the author, and literature.

In general, this study adopts content and textual analysis as methodology, and engages documentation as the research method for data collection. Specifically, documentation covers assorted contents, natures, and languages.

The findings from the analysis provide useful insights into the study of Eileen Chang. First, engaging the conceptualization of cultural, economic, and social resource, the pedagogic work of a number of pedagogic authorities in her family, diffuse, and institutionalized education have been discussed. Accordingly, the family, diffuse, and institutionalized education shape the primary and secondary habitus of Eileen Chang. Second, this research discusses the literary construction of Eileen Chang from textual approach, exploring imagery, characters, and theme. Particularly, Chang foregrounds the image of 烑ook and look back via mirror,?and extends the symbol of mirror to many other objects. Further, Eileen Chang presents the juxtaposition and comparison of the married and unmarried heroines, displaying her distinctive tragic view, delicate layered humanity of characters, and compassion for human beings. Third, several mechanisms have been involved between literature and reality (Freud, 1988), and Eileen Chang adopts three mechanisms of dream work to transform her real life footage into literary materials: transference, displacement, and condensation. The research examines transference between Chang掇 family education and imagery, family education and characters, habitus and theme; analyzes displacement between her family education and imagery. The research also discusses condensation between Chang掇 family education and characters, family education and theme, institutionalized education and theme. And the study examines condensation between Chang掇 family education and theme, along with her diffuse education and theme. Therefore, this study draws both theoretical and practical implications for the study of Eileen Chang and the interdisciplinary research concerning literary authors. Specifically, the research and the framework abridge the discipline of education and literature, and suggest that perspective studies might concentrate on the interrelationships between authors?respective pedagogic elements and literary features.