Ideological Modernization of the Chinese Gentry in Bette Bao Lord's Spring Moon
Keywords:
Spring Moon; Bette Bao Lord; the gentry; ideological modernization; cultural transformationAbstract
Chinese American writer Bette Bao Lord, drawing on her own family history, fictionalizes the Zhang family in her novel Spring Moon. Set against the backdrop of modern Chinese society, the novel traces the transformation of the Zhang family from the late Qing Dynasty onward. As portrayed in the text, the Zhang family serves as a representative example of the traditional gentry class, a distinctive social group in modern China. The ideological transformation of this class played a significant role in shaping China's path toward modernization. This thesis examines the ideological evolution of the gentry as represented by the Zhang family in Spring Moon, focusing on four key dimensions: economy, politics, education, and ethics. It further interprets this transformation as a broader process of ideological modernization. Through a close analysis of the novel, the study explores both the causes and the consequences of this shift. In particular, it highlights the novel's generally positive stance toward the ideological modernization of the gentry, while also revealing its endorsement of traditional ethical values, especially those emphasizing the importance of family.
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