Similarities and Differences of the Narrative Structure of Western and Chinese Short Narratives

Yujun Liu

doi:10.18533/journal.v6i4.1141

Abstract

<p>The author chooses both Chinese and English short narratives as samples to analyze their narrative structures so as to testify one presupposition that Chinese people and western people are different in ways of thinking that can be reflected in the narrative structures of their writing. Twelve Chinese short narratives and ten English short narratives are listed from ancient to modern time in their chronological order. The author divides each sample into narrative units in the light of the theory of structuralist narratology and defines the relations between narrative units with different relation definitions according to the Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST). On this theoretical basis, the author illustrates all the diagrams of 22 samples with marked relation definitions, which are sorted out and rated so as to compare and contrast the logical relations in those Chinese and western narrative frameworks. The conclusion proves that the narrative frameworks of both English and Chinese short narratives are generally similar to each other in structure from ancient times except for a few differences in modern times. English short narratives tend to emphasize originality and individuality, as well as logical reasoning and linear order for westerners tend to be increasingly thinking for clarity and logical consistency since Socrates and Aristotle. Meanwhile, Chinese people tend to be thinking and writing in a spiral and complete circle echoing the traditional yin-and-yang principle and five-element principle until the “May 4th of 1918”, during which Chinese opened their mind to accept westerner’s science and democracy. </p>

Highlights

1.1 A Presupposition:The mode of thinking of the English and the Chinese, different or similar?Liu Xie, an ancient Chinese scholar, is a good spokesman for Chinese culture
The sun, moon, rivers, plants, animals and human beings, which are depicted in literary works are in accord with the common logos (Logos is believed to be the transcendent reason or the rational principle expressed in words and things), each has its specific characteristics
Mr Chen concludes that 79% of literary works have broken through the traditional mode of narration

Summary

Introduction

1.1 A Presupposition:The mode of thinking of the English and the Chinese, different or similar?. This metaphor shows that the modes of thinking between westerners and Chinese are different It follows that westerners’ sense of culture tends to seek for linear development. By omitting the starting coda or abstract, the author kindle the readers’ fancy and interest This may contribute to the similarities and differences between the English and Chinese modes of thinking. It follows that the creation of Chinese fiction has been greatly influenced by the west since the 1920’s Enlightened by these reference books, we found it is feasible to choose short narratives as examples to analyze their structure, and have a comparison of both the English and Chinese people’s mode of thinking?. All the features of human thinking can be reflected

The adopted theoretical frameworks

The determination of narrative units

Theories to illustrate the diagrams of each sample

Findings

Conclusion