For almost half a century,scholars,editors,translators,and university professors did not pay much attention to William Faulkner,the world-famous American novelist .Faulkner was first introduced to Chinese readers by Modern Times Magazine in the1930s,which,however,did not stir up much interest .In 1950,when Faulkner won the Nobel Prize for literature,some Chinese scholars became interested .Unfortunately,political campaigns,especially the Cultural Revolution,interrupted further study of Faulkner .The neglect of Faulkner in the early years after the founding of the People's Republic of China was no surprise as translations and discussions of the former Soviet Union and East-European literature dominated the field of foreign literature studies .It was not until the late1970s that a new wave of Faulkner scholarship was initiated .The decade of1979 1989 witnessed Faulkner's growing popularity among Chinese readers,writers as well as scholars .Young writers likeZhao Mei,Mo Yan and Zhang Kangkang all acknowledged his influence .Focusing on The Sound and the Fury and″A Rose for Emily″,literary critics mainly discussed the characters and themes of his novels,and his use of stream of consciousness and other modernist techniques .The study of Faulkner in China reached its height during the1990s,accompanied by large-scale translation and readings of Faulkner's novels and Faulkner studies in the West .Critical studies on Faulkner in this period focused on introducing his life and art,but with increasing comprehensiveness and sophistication .Remarkably,there is a lasting interest in Faulkner's reflections on women and race among literary critics at home and abroad .An examination of the essays publishedin China in the1990s demonstrates that Chinese scholars have engaged in a dialogue with their Western counterparts sharing in-depth views on research topics and methods .Faulkner studies in China have made rapid progress since the beginning of the new century,featured by the involvement of an increasing number of young scholars,a broadening interest in Faulkner's works besides TheSound and the Fury and″A Rose for Emily″,a diversification of research approaches,and a gradual increase in academic papers and books in terms of comparative criticism .On the whole,Faulkner studies began rather late in China but have developed fast since the late 1970s .Chinese scholars of Faulkner have made great achievements in spite of some overlapping and repetitive discussions around such topics as race,gender,the fictional kingdom,and the function of time .Further studies on Faulkner's later works and his use of realist techniques are therefore recommended .
陶洁. 新中国六十年福克纳研究之考察与分析[J]. 浙江大学学报(人文社会科学版), 2012, 42(1): 148-156.
Tao Jie. Review and Analysis of William Faulkner Studies in China over the Past 60 Years. , 2012, 42(1): 148-156.