Marginal literature, the overseas Chinese writers' self-images in exile

grantor: University of TorontoOverseas Chinese literature, a form of marginal literature, has emerged under these circumstances: the exile's complex state of mind, the ambiguity of modern Chinese nationness, and the influences of Western imperialism. It is the literature at margin that is both neglected by Chinese conventions and unrecognized in the foreign host country. Its struggles for recognition and identity are often reflected in the overseas writers' self-images in exile. The main focus of my thesis is therefore on the tragic sense of marginal writers' self-images in their work while in exile will be emphasized. I will concentrate on the continuity of the ancient exiled poet, Qu Yuan, whose tragic sense of life is projected in the self-images of two contemporary overseas writers, Zhang Cuo and Wang Dingjun. It is presented as a case study in the overseas Chinese writers' search for meaning and identity enclosed in their tragic yet heroic self-image of exile.M.A