Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.3, 2021

 

A New Sample of Family Literature in the New Century: A Review of Teng Xiaolan’s Novel Heart’s Dwelling

(Abstract)

 

Wang Zheng

 

Set in Shanghai,Teng Xiaolan’s novel Heart’s Dwelling (Xinju) starts from the new heated social topic of housing, portraying a realistic and vivid picture of today’s family from the perspectives of housing, family relationship and marriage. Through a careful examination of material, spiritual and social spaces, the novel represents the changes of Chinese family life and strives to explore a new artistic path in family literature. This work not only inherits the traditional Chinese family culture and the narrative style of family literature, but also distills a new family spirit from change in society and family, innovating the narrative strategy of family literature.