Fang, Cheng

Fang, Cheng. Genre study of New England trilogy : The scarlet letter, The house of the seven gables, and the Blithedale romance. [ID D35037].
Fang Cheng's study is the most profound piece of genre research in China, investigating the Hawthornesque romance. He argues that the romance is not merely a genre classification or the writer's personal preference. It is the product of the author's constant self-fashioning in his arduous negotiation with 'literary fame' and 'political emolument', as well as the harsh conditions necessary for survival in the nascent American market. Fang examines genre formation in relation to literary self-fashioning in The scarlet letter, explores ideological self-fashionin in The house of the seven gables, and finally deals with the literary marketplace in The Blithedale romance.