vases谭恩美简介

2021年1月19日发(作者：mtmit)
A
MY
T
AN


T
WO
KINDS


I.

B
IOGRAPHIC
S
KETCH


A.

F
AMILY
B
ACKGROUND
AND
E
DUCATION


A
MY
T
AN
WAS
BORN
ON
F
EBRUARY
19,

1952,

TO
J
OHN
AND
D
AISY
T
AN
WHO
IMMIGRATED
TO
U
NITED
S
TATES
TO
ESCAPE
FROM
THE
C
HINESE
CIVIL
WAR
IN
1949,

WHEN
THE
COMMUNIST
TOOK
OVER
THE
COUNTRY
.

B
ORN
IN

O
AKLAND
,

C
ALIFORNIA
,

T
AN
LIVED
AND
MOVED
SEVERAL
TIMES
WITH
HER
FATHER
,

WHO
WAS
AN
ELECTRONIC
ENGINEER
AND
A
B
APTIST
MINISTER
,

AND

HER
MOTHER
,

A
VOCATIONAL
NURSE
.

W
HEN
SHE
WAS
MERELY
FOURTEEN
,

T
AN
AND
HER
BROTHER
P
ETER
MOVED
TO
S
WITZERLAND
WITH
M
RS
.

T
AN
AF
TER
J
OHN
T
AN
AND
THE
ELDEST
SON
OF
THE
FAMILY
DIED
OF
BRAIN
TUMOR
S
.

T
HERE
IN
S
WITZERLAND
,

T
AN
MANAGED
TO
GRADUATE
FROM
HIGH
SCHO
OL
AS
A
FOREIGNER
,

STRIVING
TO
LIVE
WITH
HER
MOTHER
THROUGH
ARGUM
ENTS
AND
FAMILY
TURMOIL
.

I
N
1969,

THE
FAMILY
MOVED
BACK
TO
S
TATES
AND
SETTLED
DOWN
IN
S
ANTA
C
LARA
,

C
ALIFORNIA
.

T
HE
CONSTANT
CONFLIC
T
BETWEEN
T
AN
AND
HER
MOTHER
LASTED
FOR
SOME
TIME
SO
THAT
THEY
DID
NOT
CONTACT
NOR
COMMUNICATE
WITH
EACH
OTHER
FOR
HALF
OF
A
Y
EAR
.


L
IKE
MANY
C
HINESE
PARENTS
'

EXPECTATION
OF
WANTING
THEIR
OFFSPR
ING
TO
BECOME
MEDICAL
DOCTORS
,

T
AN
'
S
MOTHER
WAS
NO
EXCEPTION
.

M
RS
.

T
AN
HAS
HIGH
EXPECTATION
ON
T
AN
AND
HENCE
SHE
SENT
HER
OFF
TO

L
INFIELD
C
OLLEGE
IN
M
C
M
INNVILLE
,

O
REGON
,

FOR
HER
MEDICAL
EDUCATI
ON
.

D
ESPITE
FAITHFULLY
COMMITTING
TO
HER
MOTHER
'
S
WISH
,

T
AN
MET
L
OU
D
E
M
ATTEI
AND
FOLLOWED
HIM
TO
S
AN
J
OSE
C
ITY
C
OLLEGE
TO
CONTIN
UE
HER
STUDY
.

S
HE
CHANGED
HER
STUDY
SUBJECT
TO
LINGUISTICS
AND
GRA
DUATED
AS
A
DOUBLE
MAJOR
:

BA

OF
LINGUISTICS
AND
E
NGLISH
.

S
AN
J
OSE
S
TATE
U
NIVERSITY
GRANTED
HER
A
MASTER
DEGREE
IN
LINGUISTICS
IN
1973
,

AND
AFTER
THAT
,

SHE
WAS
ADMITTED
AS
A
DOCTORAL
STUDENT
IN
LINGUI
STICS
WITH
FELLOWSHIP
IN
U
NIVERSITY
OF
C
ALIFORNIA
AT
B
ERKELEY
.

Y
ET
,

S

HE
DECIDED
TO
QUIT
THE
PROGRAM
AFTER
ONE
YEAR
AND
BEGAN
TO
WORK

AS
A
LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
CONSULTANT
.

B
Y
THEN
,

SHE
HAS
BECOME
M
RS
.

D
E
M
ATTEI
,

AND
THE
FAMILY
WAS
PROSPEROUS
WITH
L
OU
'
S
TAX
LAW
BUSINESS
AND
HER
OWN
CAREER
OF
HELPING
DISABLED
CHILDREN
.

T
HE
JOB
LATER
GOT
HER
A
POSITION
OF
EDITING
A
MEDICAL
JOURNAL
.

B
UT
AFTER
1
983,

T
AN
SWITCHED
TO
BE
A
BUSINESS
/
TECHNICAL
WRITER
.


T
HE
BLOOMING
FINANCIAL
ENVIRONMENT
,

HOWEVER
,

DID
NOT
BRING
A
LONG
HAPPINESS
FOR
T
AN
.

S
HE
WAS
MENTALLY
TROUBLED
AND
HENCE
BEGA
N
TO
SEEK
FOR
PROFESSIONAL
PSYCHOLOGICAL
HELP
.

A
FTER
A
FAILURE
OF
PS
YCHOLOGICAL
COUNSELING
SESSION
,

T
AN
SET
HER
HEART
TO
WRITING
FOR
C
URING
HERSELF
.

S
HE
THEN
STARTED
TO
WRITE
TO
SHARE
AND
TO
CURE
.



B.

S
IGNIFICANT INFLUENCE ON
T
AN AND HER WORK


I
T
IS
THE
CONSTANT
CONFLICT
WITH
D
AISY
T
AN
,

HER
MOTHER
,

AND
THE
EM
OTIONAL
TURMOIL
THAT
D
AISY
HAS
BESTOWED
ON
HER
THAT
HAVE
MADE
T
A
N
DISCOVER
THE
RESOURCES
OF
SCHEMING
HER
SUCCESSFUL
NOVELS
.

D
AISY
T
AN
'
S
EARLY
LIFE
AND
BIOGRAPHICAL
STORIES
WERE
LEGENDS
THEMSELVES
.

G
REW
UP
IN
AN
OLD
ESTEEMED
FAMILY
IN
S
HANGHAI
,

SHE
WITNESSED
HER
M
OTHER
'
S
TRAGIC
LIFE
.

A
FTER
HER
SCHOLAR
HUSBAND
'
S
DEATH
,

J
INGMEI
,

T
AN
'
S
MATERNAL
GRANDMOTHER
,

WAS
RAPED
AND
TAKEN
AS
A
LOW
-
RANKED
CO
NCUBINE
BY
A
WEALTHY
INDUSTRIALIST
.

S
HE
BROUGHT
D
AISY
WITH
HER
TO
L
IVE
IN
THE
WEALTHY
FAMILY
IN
S
HANGHAI
AND
CONFIDED
HER
DILEMMATIC
SUFFERING
WITH
HER
DAUGHTER
BEFORE
SHE
COMMITTED
SUICIDE
.

D
AISY
GR
EW
UP
WITH
PAINFUL
LOSS
OF
HER
MOTHER
AND
GOT
MARRIED
EARLY
,

BUT
SHE
DID
NOT
LIVE
A
HAPPY
LIFE
AFTERWARD
;

INSTEAD
,

D
AISY
WAS
MALTREA
TED
BY
HER
VIOLENT
AND
ABUSIVE
CHAUVINIST
HUSBAND
W
ANG
Z
O
THAT
L
ATER
TOOK
AWAY
HER
RIGHT
OF
VISITING
HER
THREE
DAUGHTERS
,

AND
FURT
HER
HAD
HER
PERSECUTED
TO
PRISON
FOR
TWO
YEARS
AFTER
SHE
ESCAPED

DIVORCED
HIM
.

D
URING
THE
S
INO
-J
APANESE
W
AR
,

SHE
FLEW
WITH
J
O
AND
HN
T
AN
,

A
BRILLIANT
STUDENT
WHO
REJECTED
MIT'
S
OFFER
BUT
ATTENDED

B
ERKELEY
B
APTIST
D
IVINITY
S
CHOOL
,

AND
THEREAFTER
,

THEY
IMMIGRATED
TO
S
TATES
.


T
AN
'
S
FIRST
TWO
AND
THE
MOST
WELL
KNOWN
WORKS
PUT
ONE
THE
ME
CENTER
-
STAGED
–

THE
RELATIONSHIP
OF
THE
TRADITIONAL
IMMIGRANT
MOTHER
AND
THE
SECOND
GENERATION
C
HINESE
-A
MERICAN
DAUGHTER
.

I
N
ACCORDANCE
WITH
D
AISY
'
S
STORIES
AND
T
AN
'
S
OWN
CHILDHOOD
HARDSHIP
,

GROWING
UP
UNDER
SEVERE
SUPERVISION
AND
WITH
HIGH
STANDARDS
FOR

EVERYTHING
,

SHE
SCHEMATICALLY
TELLS
THE
STORY
OF
HER
MOTHER
,

HER
G
RANDMOTHER
AND
OTHER
FEMALE
RELATED
OR
UNRELATED
ACQUAINTANCE
,

ALONG
WITH
THE
AIDS
OF
THE
ANCIENT
FOLKLORES
,

STORIES
AND
LEGENDS
T
HAT
SHE
LEARNED
FROM
HER
FATHER
WHEN
SHE
WAS
A
CHILD
.

T
HROUGH
H
ER
SKILLFUL
WRITING
TECHNIQUES
AND
BRILLIANT
STORY
-
TELLING
,

T
AN
'
S
FIRST

PUBLICATION
OF
THE
FIRST
NOVEL
SWEPT
THE
WORLD
AND
HER
NAME
HAS

THE
BECOME
A
HOUSEHOLD
ONE
.




II.

H
ER
W
ORKS


R
AISED
BY
A
DETERMINED
MOTHER
WHOSE
LEGENDARY
BIOGRAPHICAL
STORIES
A
RE
ALREADY
FASCINATING
,

A
MY
T
AN
EXPLICITLY
EXPRESSED
HER
LOVE
-
HATE
RELATI
ONSHIP
WITH
HER
STRICT
MOTHER
WHO
HAD
ONE
TIME
MENTALLY
TORMENTED
HER
WITH
OVERLOADED
EXPECTATION
AND
EMOTIONAL
DRAMATIC
REACTIONS
.

F
E
D
WITH
ANCIENT
C
HINESE
LEGENDS
,

FOLK
STORIES
,

TRADITIONS
AND
SUPERSTITIO
US
BELIEFS
,

T
AN
GREW
UP
IN
A
BICULTURAL
ENVIRONMENT
,

FEELING
THE
COMPL
EXITY
AND
DIFFICULTY
IN
HER
LIFE
,

JUST
LIKE
MANY
SECOND
-
GENERATION
C
HINES
E
-A
MERICANS
.



A.

J
OY
L
UCK
C
LUB


T
HIS
FIRST
NOVEL
OF
T
AN
'
S
WAS
NOT
MEANT
TO
BE
A
NOVEL
,

ORIGINALLY
;

YET
AFTER
HER
STORY
APPEARED
IN
SEVERAL
MAJOR
MAGAZINES
,

AN
AGENT
CAME
TO
HER
AND
ENCOURAGED
HER
TO
COMPILE
ALL
THOSE
INTERESTING
S
HORT
STORIES
INTO
A
NOVEL
THAT
IS
ADDRESSING
TO
THE
COMMUNITY
.

T
AN

ACCEPTED
THE
IDEA
AND
INITIATED
HER
WRITINGS
AVIDLY
.

F
URTHERMORE
,

T
HERE
WAS
D
AISY
'
S
DEPRESSION
AND
HEART
ATTACK
THAT
ALMOST
TOOK
AWA
Y
HER
LIFE
;

ALL
OF
THE
MISFORTUNES
BROUGHT
T
AN
CLEAR
ACKNOWLEDGE
MENT
OF
THE
FEAR
OF
LOSING
HER
MOTHER
AND
THE
FULFILLMENT
OF
HER

MOTHER
'
S
WISHES
.

T
HE
SHORT
STORIES
WERE
HENCE
ARRANGED
,

ORGANIZE
D
AND
PUBLISHED
AS
A
NOVEL
WITH
THE
PLOT
INTERWOVEN
WITH
FOUR
PAI
RS
OF
MOTHER
-
DAUGHTER
RELATIONSHIPS
.



W
ITHIN
EACH
FEMALE
CHARACTER
IN
J
OY
L
UCK
C
LUB
,

THERE
ARE
SHA
DOWS
OF
D
AISY
T
AN
,

D
AISY
'
S
MOTHER
AND
T
AN
.

T
AN
DEPICTS
THE
CONFLIC
TS
,

LOVE
,

UPHEAVAL
,

ENTANGLED
AND
THE
DILEMMATIC
SITUATIONS
BETWEEN

THE
ELDER
GENERATION
AND
THE
YOUNGER
ONE
.

T
HE
CONVENTIONAL
C
HIN
ESE
MOTHERS
AND
THEIR
C
HINESE
-A
MERICAN
DAUGHTERS
LEARN
FROM
EACH

OTHER
THROUGH
THE
PIVOTAL
EVENTS
AND
ISSUES
SUCH
AS
RIVALRY
,

FEMAL
E
DEFIANT
POSITION
AGAINST
THE
PATRIARCHY
,

FAMILY
SECRETS
,

RACISM
,

THE

SEARCH
OF
SELF
AND
IDENTITY
AND
THE
SILENCE
WHICH
IS
USUALLY
THE
U
NDERTONE
OF
SUFFERING
,

ANGER
,

ACQUIESCE
OR
SUBMISSION
.


D
ESPITE
THAT
SOME
CRITICS
REGARD
T
AN
'
S
OVERALL
MANIPULATION
IN

J
OY
L
UCK
C
LUB
,

THE
NOVEL
TURNS
T
AN
'
S
NAME
A
WORLDWIDE
WELL
-
KNO
WN
ONE
.

T
HE
NOVEL
IS
TRANSLATED
TO
MORE
THAN
TWENTY
LANGUAGES
A
ND
ENDORSED
BY
MAJOR
AWARDS
.

Y
ET
,

WHILE
MOST
READERS
AND
CRITICS
RECEIVED
THE
WRITER
AS
A
POWERFUL
AND
MARVELOUS
STORY
TELLER
,

H
UN
TLEY
POINTED
OUT
THAT

AN
CONTENDS
THAT
A
SIAN
A
MERICAN
ISSUES
–

PARTICULARY
C
HINESE
A
MERICAN
LIFE
–

ARE
NOT
THE
PRIMARY
DRIVING
FO
RCE
BEHIND
HER
WRITNG


(38)

WHEN
SHE
FACES
THE
LABEL
THAT
CATEGORI
ZES
HER
AS
AN

SIAN
A
MERICAN
WRITER
.

H
UNTLEY
CONSIDERS
HER
WOR
KS
REVEALING
UNIVERSAL
CONCERNS
AND
THEMES
,

BUT
REGARDS
HER
VOICE
AS
ONE
THAT
SPEAKS
OUT
FOR

A
DISTINCTIVE
DIASPORA
CULTURE


AND
FO
R
THE
ETHNIC
MINORITY
OF
HER
KIND
.

B.

T
HE
K
ITCHEN
G
OD
'
S
W
IFE


I
N
ADDITION
TO
THE
FAMILY
HISTORY
AS
THE
MAIN
SCHEME
FOR
HER
SECON
D
NOVEL
,

T
AN
CONTINUES
THE
DISCUSSION
OF
THE
MOTHER
-
DAUGHTER
DYAD

BETWEEN
TWO
GENERATIONS
AND
FURTHER
WEAVES
IN
THE
ISSUES
OF
MAR
RIAGE
,

GENDER
EQUALITY
,

IDENTITY
-
DEVELOPMENT
,

FRIENDSHIP
AND
CULTURAL

DISLOCATION
.

W
HAT
'
S
WORTH
MENTIONING
IS
THAT
T
AN
TAKES
HER
FATHER

AS
THE
MODEL
FOR
THE
CHARACTER
OF
J
IMMY
L
OUIE
,

WHOSE
STORIES
AN
D
HISTORY
HAVE
STRONG
IMPACT
ON
W
EILI
,

THE
PROTAGONIST
.


C.

T
HE
H
UNDRED
S
ECRET
S
ENSES

T
AN
'
S
THIRD
NOVEL
FURTHER
COMPLICATES
MOTHER
-
DAUGHTER
DYAD
B
Y
JUXTAPOSING
THE
BINARY
OPPOSITIONAL
EXPERIENCE
OF
THE
ANCIENT
ORIE
NT
AND
THE
MODERN
OCCIDENT
.

T
HE
HALF
SISTERS
OF
O
LIVIA
,

THE
A
MERIC
AN
GAL
,

AND
K
WAN
,

THE
C
HINESE
YOUNG
WOMAN
,

ADDING
UP
S
IMON
,

O
L
IVIA
'
S
HUSBAND
,

GO
ON
A
TRIP
TO
C
HINA
.

T
HE
BUSINESS
TRIP
MAKES
THE
COUPLE
OF
O
LIVIA
AND
S
IMON
FACE
THE
PROBLEM
OF
THEIR
MARRIAGE
IN
THE
EYE
,

AND
WITH
K
WAN
'
S
ROLE
OF
REPLACING
THE
ABSENT
MOTHER
,

O
LI
VIA
EXPERIENCES
THE
MYTH
OF
REINCARNATION
.




I
N
TERMS
OF
THE
BOOK
REVIEWS
,

ON
THE
ONE
HAND
,

CRITICS
LIKE
S
T
EPHEN
S
OURIS
DEEMS
T
HE
J
OY
L
UCK
C
LUB
EDUCATIONAL
AND
OPULENT
,

AN
D
M
ALINI
J
OHAR
S
CHUELLER
STRESSES
THE
SIGNIFICANCE
OF
T
AN
'
S
DEALING
WITH
THE
ISSUE
OF
REPRESENTATION
AND
IDENTITIES
WITH
THE
LANGUAGE
(
X
U
370).

O
N
THE
OTHER
HAND
,

P
IN
-
CHIA
F
ENG
FINDS
THE
MYSTICISM
IN
T
HE
H
UNDRED
S
ECRET
S
ENSES
UNCONVINCING
AND
THE
SCENARIOS
OF
REIN
CARNATIONS
SOMEWHAT
OVERDONE
.

A
LTHOUGH
THERE
ARE
CONTROVERSIES
OVER
T
AN
'
S
SCHEMATIC
WRITINGS
THAT
SHE
ENDEAVORS
TO
DO
THE
SUPPRES
SED
C
HINESE
WOMEN
JUSTICE
,

AND
THERE
ARE
DOUBTS
ON
HER
PROBLEMAT