A Post-Colonial Inquiry of Pearl S. Buck's Narratives

Abstract

: Pearl S. Buck, a famous cross-cultural female writer, during the past century has appealed to both domestic and foreign scholars, as her works are remarkably distinguishable from other Western writers. This article investigates the comprehensive narrative features of Pearl S. Buck, by taking the perspective of post-colonialism. The reasonability of applying the theory to the research of Pearl Buck’s works lies in two aspects. Firstly, the historical background of post-colonial criticism is similar to that of Pearl Buck’s works, namely, to break the grand narrative of Western World and to make the voice of the Orient be heard. Secondly, the core concepts of both are consistent ─ the relationship between “knowledge” and “power” and how to promise sovereignty in intercultural communication. The findings are summarized features in perspective, character and language use of Pearl S. Buck’s stories, which carries a significance to the narrative techniques.