Transcendence and Wandering

Shen Congwen and Thomas Hardy are both known for their regional novels,Hardy for his "Wessex" novels,and Shen Congwen for his "World of Xiangxi" .Both writers display a sense of transcendence and wandering in their female characters.Both Xiao Xiao in Shen Congwen' s Xiao Xiao and Eustacia in Hardy' s The Return of the Native transcend the traditions and customs of their times,and experience a consequent wandering.But the ways of the two writers in presenting their heroines is quite different.While Xiao Xiao was mentally active but did nothing except follow the traditional system,Eustacia' s thought was followed by her own words and actions.