The Transformation of Texts an Analysis of Intertextuality in The Woman Warrior.docx

The Transformation of Texts an Analysis of Intertextuality in The Woman Warrior.docx

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TheTransformationofTextsanAnalysisofIntertextualityinTheWomanWarrior

文本的转换：

《女勇士》互文性研究

摘要：

《女勇士》作为华裔女作家汤亭亭的代表作之一，自1975年发表以来就备受关注。

作为美国后现代小说之一，《女勇士》包含了很多后现代的写作技巧。

对这些技巧的研究有利于我们更深入的了解《女勇士》以及《女勇士》背后的写作意义。

本文依据德国学者普莱特的互文性理论着重分析《女勇士》中的互文本转化现象，从文本替换，文本添加，文本简化，文本重排以及文本复化等五个方面对《女勇士》中的互文性进行较为全面的分析，并揭示这些形式技巧背后的主题意义，从而推进对《女勇士》更加全面的理解。

关键词：

汤亭亭；《女勇士》；互文性；

TheTransformationofTextsanAnalysisofIntertextualityinTheWomanWarrior

Abstract:

TheWomanWarriorasoneofthemasterpiecesofMaxineHongKingston,anAmerican-bornChinese,hasbeenpaidmuchattentionsince1975.AsoneofthepostmodernnovelinAmerican,TheWomanWarriorcontainsanumberofpostmodernwritingskills.ThestudyofthoseskillshelpsustohaveafurtherunderstandingaboutTheWomanWarriorandthesignificantmotifmeaningbehindthefiction.BasedonthetheoryofintertextualityofPlett,focusedonanalysisofthemutualtransformationoftext,suchassubstitution,addition,subtraction,permutationandcomplexities,adeepcomprehensionandafurtherunderstandingofthewritingpurposewillbeachieved.

KeyWords:

MaxineHongKinston;TheWomanWarrior;intertextuality;

CONTENTS

1.Introduction………………………1

1.1.MaxineHongKingstonandTheWomanWarrior………………………1

1.2.LiteratureReview………………………2

1.3.TheResearchDirectionofThisPaper………………………7

2.OverviewofIntertextuality………………………9

2.1.IntertextualityTheoryinLiteraryStudy………………………9

2.2.Plett’sTransformationTheory………………………10

3.AdditionandSubtraction………………………11

3.1.DefinitionandApplicationofAdditiveTransformation………………………11

3.2.DefinitionandApplicationofSubtractiveTransformation………………………12

3.3.TheSimilaritybetweenAdditiveTransformationandSubtractiveTransformation………………………13

4.SubstitutionandComplexities………………………14

4.1.DefinitionandApplicationofSubstitutiveTransformation………………………14

4.2.DefinitionandApplicationofComplexityTransformation………………………15

4.3.TheSimilaritybetweenSubstitutionTransformationandComplexities………………………17

5.Permutation………………………18

6.Conclusion………………………20

References………………………21

TheTransformationofTexts:

AnAnalysisofIntertextualityinTheWomanWarrior

1.Introduction

1.1.MaxineHongKingstonandTheWomanWarrior

MaxineHongKingston,theauthorofTheWomanWarriorofaGirlhoodAmongGhostsandChineseAmericanauthorandProfessorEmeritaattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,haswrittenthreenovelsandseveralworksofnon-fictionabouttheexperiencesofChineseimmigrants’livingconditioninAmerica.TheWomanWarriorishermasterpiecediscussingaboutgenderandethnicity,inwhichKingstonblendsviews,memoryandChinesefolktaletogether.Throughoutthewholestory,KingstonmixesherrealisticlifewitholdChinesefolktales,atechniquethatcreatesacomplexdescriptionofthe20thcenturylivingconditionofChinese-Americans—livingintheshadowofU.S.AfterTheWomanWarriorwaspublished,itraisedheateddiscussionsandbecameoneofthemostpopularbooksforagenerationinAmerica.Besides,ithasbeenstudiedinseveralambitssuchasAmericanliterature,anthropology,Asianstudies,composition,education,psychology,sociology,andwomanstudy.In1970'sKingstonwontheNationalBookCriticsCircleAwardandthebookwasnamedoneofthetopnonfictionbooksbyTimeMagazine.TheuniquecharacteristicofTheWomanwarrior,writtenbyaChinese-Americangirl,gainsmoreattentionfromdomesticandforeignscholars.

Thenovelconsistsoffivepartsorstories.“NoNameWoman”isastoryfromBraveOrchidabouther“no-name”sister-in-law.Shebecamepregnantafterherhusbandleftforseveralmonths.Allvillagers,includingherfamilies,thoughtshewasa“ghost”.Shebetrayedherhusband.Onenightwhenshewasgoingtogivebirthtoababy,theoutragedvillagersbrokeintoherhouseanddestroyedeverythingthere.Thenextmorning,shewasfoundinfamilywellwithhernew-bornchild.“WhiteTigers”isaboutapowerfulwomanwarriornamedFaMuLan.Whenshewasseven,shewasluredbyabirdtoamountaintopwhereshemettwoelderpeoplewhotaughttrainedhertobeawarrior.Thenshereturnedhome,joiningthearmyinsteadofherfather.Shewonthebattleandbecamethewarrior.Attheendofthestory,thenarratorexpressesherwishthatshewantstobeawarrioraswell.“Shaman”isthestoryofBraveOrchid.BeforeBraveOrchidwentaboardduringtheSecondWorldWar,shehadstudiedinHackettMedicalCollegeandthenbacktoherhomevillagebecameadoctoraftertwoyearsofstudy.Shewasarenowneddoctortravellingallaroundtodeliverbabies.Notwithstanding,shecouldnevergobacktoChina.Whenherdaughtervisitedher,afterseveralyearslater,shefinallyunderstoodherdaughter.“AttheWesternPalace”beganwithBraveOrchidintheairportpickinguphersister,MoonOrchid.BraveOrchidwantedhersistertoconfrontherhusbandandtoclaimherrightinLosangles.However,Moon’shusbandtoldherthathewantednothingtodowithher.AfterthatMoonOrchidwentcrazyanddiedtwoyearslater.“ASongforaBarbarianReedPipe”revealedthatnarrator’smothercuthertonguetobeabletospeakanylanguage.Butinschoolshekeptsilentforthreeyearsandcoveredallpaintingsinblack.Aftershecouldspeak,shebulliedagirlwhodidn’tspeak.Onenight,thenarratorletoutallthesecretsshehaskeptfromhermother.Shewouldnotmarrythementallyretardedboyandshewantedtobealumberjackandanewspaperreporter.Buthermotheronlyshoutedback,“HoChiKuei”,andthenleft.Thefinalpartof“ASongforaBarbarianReedPipe”wasastoryofYs’aiYen.ApoetcapturedbySouthernHsiung-nubarbarians,broughthersongbackfrombarbarianlandandlyricstranslatedwell.

1.2.LiteratureReview

ThereisnodoubtthatMaxineHongKingston,aChinese-Americanwriter,gainsagreatreputationfromherworkTheWomanWarrior.Inadditiontowinningpraisefrompublic,atthattime,everyyoungAmericanwoulduseasentenceinherbook.MaxineHongKingstonfocusesonthestudyofthemeandculture.TheypresentuswithdifferentcomprehensionsaboutKingston’smasterpieceandtheirstudiescanbedividedintotwoaspects.

WhenaskedaboutthereasonwhythisbookissofashionableamongyounggenerationinAmericansin1990s,Kingstonherselfputsitdowntoherexcellentabilityofweavingmorethan20“howto”experiencesintoonebook:

“howtolive”“howtobealive,”“hownottogiveup,”“howtounderstandoneanother,”“howtocutthroughsilences,”“howtobreakthroughblocksinpeoplesothatwecantrulycommunicatewithoneanother,”“howtokeepthefamilytogether（Xu,2006:

112）.ZhangMin（2007）,inanotheraspect,deemsthatalthoughTheWomanWarriorwasprevalentin20thcenturyandturnedanewpagefortheChinese-Americanliterature,itisjustapileofwords.KingstonjustputsallChinesestoriessheknowstogether.Inthechapterof“Shaman”,Kingston'smotherwantstobuyagirlintheslavemarket.However,theslavesmarketsdepictedinthebookaremoresimilartothatmarketinAmericanhistorythantobethemarketinancientChina.ZhangbelievesthatinChinaatthattimeKingston'smotherwouldnotbuyaservantinthatway.ItisallKingston'sstereotypeofChineseculture.KingstonwasborninAmericaandallherChineseculturecamefromhermother'sfragmentedmemories,themoviesofHongKongandTaiwanandtheHollywoodmovies.BoththemoviesofHongKongandtheHollywoodmoviesformanunrealandprejudicedChinaimageanddistortedChineseculture.ThatisthereasonwhyKingstoncanhardlybreakthemisunderstandingofChineseculture.Notwithstanding,basedonsomeevidences—bydescribingFaMuLangivingbirthtoasonwhenshejoinedthearmy,meetingwesternpeople'sneedforromanticfeelings,byblendingthestoryofFaMuLanwithRomanceoftheThreeKingdomsandWaterMargin,satisfyingthecuriosityofwesternpeopleaboutChinesecultureandbydepictingthesituationthatafterthewarMuLantookoffherarmorandpromisedtoserveherfather-in-lawandmother-in-law,lettingwesternreadersconsideringalltheirimagesofChinaarecorrect,themisunderstandingmaybeanintentionalone.TheauthoraddssomeinterestingcontenttosatisfyWesternpeople'sdesire（Cao&Liu,2009）.

Moreover,Jin（2011）standsagainsttheconceptofmisunderstanding,believingthatthemasterpieceofKingstonisnotaworkofculturalmisunderstandingbutaconsciousexplorationoftheraceandethnicitybetweenChinaandAmerica.ForChin'scritiquethat“KingstonisawriterwhousesherpersonalexperiencetoflatterAmericanmainstreamculturebyplayingdownChinesecultureandthecharacteristicofChinese-American”（qtd.inChin,1991）,Jin（2011）usesthestoryofthe“WhiteTigers”asanexampletoprovethatKingstoninthischapternotonlysimplyempowersAsian-AmericanwomenbutalsointertwinestheracereligionsinColdWarAmerica.Besides,KingstoneffortlesslyputsWaterMargin,RomanceoftheThreeKingdomsandthestoryofMaoTse-tungtogether,thus,makingthestoryofFaMuLanappealingandpowerful（He,2005）.

Yan（2013）pointoutthatTheWomanWarriorhasthestrongculturalconflictandmarginalizationwhicharebetterdefinedas“TheThirdSpaces".Thetermof"TheThirdSpace"isanin-betweenspacewherethepoliticalconstructionisneithertheonenortheother（qtd.inBhabha,1994:

25）.ByusingthetheoryofBhabha,Yan（2013）believesthatKingstonistorturedbydualdiscriminationfromboththemisogynisticChinesecultureandthehegemonicAmericanculture.Theoldsayings,“girlsaremaggotsintherice”and“itismoreprofitabletoraisegeesethandaughters,”alwaysbotheredherwhenshewa