Nostalgia, Place, and Home: On the First-Generation Mainlanders’ Taiwanese Modern Poetry
Author: Liao, Jian-Jyun
Advisor: Chen, Chang-Ming
Department of Chinese Literature, College of Liberal Arts.
SUMMARY
This thesis examines ‘home’ imagery as the core theme, and explores how the ‘home’ imagery went from ruin to reconstruction which was created by the first-generation mainlanders’ poets. This thesis employing aspects of the ‘constructionism approach’ as a method, rather than identity of essentialism and nostalgia research that was used approach way. Through the lens to figure out how the poets rebuild their living world, getting rid of past memory turn consciousness to the moment in life and future, settle down the mind and finding happiness.
For intensifying discussion, this study used cultural theorist whose concepts and ideas, for example, poetic space of Gaston Bachelard, sense of place in human geography, and meaning of home in social psychology.
In the progress of analysis, it expands a ‘home’ identity spectrum between ‘family of orientation’ and ‘family of procreation’. Especially, it focuses on 11 poets, including 8 males and 3 females. I found that some poets stared at their homeland for all lifetime, some poets transformed Taiwan space into a new homey place, and some poets wandering between two sites.
As a result of conducting this research, I revise that approach of mainlanders’ nostalgia discourse, supplementing ‘home’ imagery of their everyday life scene in this island Taiwan. Finally, I promoted a new research framework for understanding their life stories.
Key words: First-generation mainlanders, meaning of home, sense of place, nostalgia, modern Taiwanese poetry.
INTRODUCTION
In the period of the middle 20th century, the KMT(國民黨) government retreated to Taiwan because of the Chinese Civil War. This ethnic group about 2 million people, who were called ‘mainlanders’ by fellow researchers. Different from previous research perspectives, known as nostalgic, Chinese nationalism, diaspora, and rootless. This thesis connects the two parts of their life with the image of ‘home’. This study selects 11 poets of ‘mainlanders’: jhong ding wun(鍾鼎文), yang huan(楊喚), ji sian(紀弦), ya sian(瘂弦), shang cin(商禽), guan guan(管管), yu guang jhong(余光中), wang ci jiang(汪啟疆), rong zih(蓉子), hu pin cing(胡品清), jhang siang hua(張香華). Through examines their works, and explain his and her existent feeling of everyday life experience, to know the emotion and collective consciousness that they shared.
This study aims to explore the following questions: when they have been forced to leave their hometown to escape war, persecution, how do they reflect or transform reality experience into their poetry, especially ‘home’ imagery will be recovered or not? Secondly, with time goes away, they have more experience and social networks in their living world, so how would they sense of their place, turn the environment to a homey place? And, when they develop new relationships by making friends, works, and get married. How do they represent their familiarity, intimacy, and attachment to the new home place?
Third, after the period of Martial Law in Taiwan (1949-1987), ‘mainlanders’ can go back to mainland home and visits their family. Between these two ‘home’, how do they think about the concept of identity and the real living world? As the position of humanism, would they possibly constructed a new identity with a new place? Furthermore, concern about the balance of gender, the thesis selected 3 poetesses to observe their ‘home’ imagery. When they facing the consciousness of ethnic and Chinese traditional family discipline, how would they negotiate with it and maintain herself consciousness of the female gender?
MATERIALS AND METHODS
For intensifying discussion, this study uses some theorist whose concepts and ideas, for example, poetic space of Gaston Bachelard, sense of place in human geography, and meaning of home in social psychology. These discourses all about ‘home’ research, some focus on the representation of safe and happy in poetry, and some focus on real housework and social network practice. In this thesis, no matter how the ‘home’ imagery illusionary or realistic, it will be adopted and figure out profound meanings with suitable theories.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In the progress of analysis, it expands a ‘home’ identity spectrum between ‘family of orientation’ and ‘family of procreation’. Via discusses 11 cases of the ‘mainlanders’, including 8 poets and 3 poetesses. Classified them in 4 main chapters, I found that some poets’ works stared at their homeland for all lifetime; some poets’ works transform Taiwan space into a new homey place, and some poets wandering between two ‘home’ sites. It’s all authentic situation of their own life, that broke the imagination of the first-generation ‘mainlanders’ identity and previous research. This thesis figure out that there were many differences in this community depends on social class, gender, and family life cycle.
CONCLUSION
As a result of conducting this research, I revise that approach of mainlanders’ nostalgia discourse; reveal many ‘home’ imagery of their everyday life scene in this island Taiwan. Finally, I promote a new research framework for understanding their life stories.