1 Introduction

Raymond Williams is an important figure in British cultural studies, whose novel writing and theoretical works complement each other, enhancing his depth of thought. Among his six novels, the "Welsh Trilogy" is particularly prominent, with research both domestically and internationally focusing on concepts such as boundaries and Welsh sexuality, as well as exploring them from a community perspective. Williams' community theory has undergone a transformation from the concept of "cognitive community" to a more complex concept of "community", emphasizing that the construction of modern communities cannot simply imitate early patterns, but should confront past forms of communities and create new positive factors. The Welsh Trilogy, as an empirical expression of theory, deepened Williams' thinking on the crisis and possibility of community. Williams attempts to find a form in his novel creation that depicts both the internal visibility of the working class community and the movement of people moving out of the community under family and political connections, emphasizing the observation of the mobility of the working class community. The working class community in the "Welsh Trilogy" is mixed, consisting of both workers and farmers, forming a border village community where workers and farmers unite. The three works respectively depict the history, crisis, and future exploration of the Welsh Border Village Community from past, present, and future tense structures, exposing the difficulties faced by the Welsh nation and working class under English rule and capitalist mode of production, while exploring the significance and challenges of rebuilding the community.

The Value of the Welsh Border Village Community

Explored Raymond Williams' complex portrayal of the value of Welsh village communities in his "Welsh Trilogy". The Welsh Border Village Community is located on the border between Wales and England, with a unique cultural and historical background. This region has been Anglicized in terms of language and has historically been a battleground. Residents have a non local view of both Wales and England. Williams portrayed the Welsh village community in the early 20th century, particularly characters such as Harry Price and Morgan Rother, through the novel 'The Edge Village'. The novel is set in the fictional Grimmar and reflects the author's birthplace in the Pandy and Abogavenny regions. During the 1926 strike, the border village community demonstrated a spirit of unity and mutual assistance, such as Morgan's centralized purchase of agricultural products to support coal miners, and villagers assisting striking railway workers. The novel also depicts the spirit of mutual assistance in the border village community at the time of Harry's death, reflecting the effective continuation of the rural community and the working class community. The border village community inherits the value tradition of "being good to neighbors" in rural communities, and transforms into a class consciousness of "solidarity" among the working class in the transformation of industrial society, becoming a tool for resisting the capitalist mode of production.

Crisis of the Welsh Border Village Community

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Welsh Border Village Community faced a crisis under the impact of the capitalist mode of production, manifested as the loss of agricultural land, a decrease in rural population, failed strikes, and a low tide of socialist revolution. Raymond Williams explores the conflicts within the working class and with intellectuals through his novel 'The Second Generation'. The conflict between Harold, his wife Kate, and brother Gwen reflects the different views of the working class on the struggle line. Kate symbolically betrayed the working class, while Harold advocated negotiating with the management. Gwen returned to her family and refused to participate in broader activities. The conflict between the second-generation working-class intellectual Peter and his parents and uncle reflects their incompatibility with working-class culture. Peter attempted to reconnect through work, but was rejected by his father. The cracks in the community are comprehensive in both space and time. With the development of capitalism, crises exist in both rural and urban spaces, and deepen with the passage of time. During the creation of the "Welsh Trilogy," Williams explored the future of the community through the characters in the novel.

Exploration of the Welsh Border Village Community

Explored Raymond Williams' crisis and exploration of Welsh village communities in his "Welsh Trilogy". In 'Border Village', the protagonist Matthew attempts to discover positive factors to bridge intergenerational rifts by studying the history and changes of Wales. Peter in "The Second Generation" shows a sense of disillusionment with the community, and his exploration is more based on political and intellectual beliefs. In 'Fight for Manold', Matthew and Peter explore the possibility of transforming the community, and they show different reactions to government plans and land transaction networks. Williams believes that community building involves technical, economic, cultural, and political issues, and Matthew and Peter's actions reflect different understandings and responses to these issues. The debate over the Manold project and Matthew's conflicting emotions in the novel reveal the complexity of community building. Williams' pessimistic mood was related to the social and personal situation at that time, reflecting his profound reflection on political corruption and the current political predicament.

5 Conclusion

Williams explored cultural complexity in Marxism and Literature, believing that it is reflected in the dynamic relationships between historical changing factors. He applied this thinking to the writing of the Welsh village community in the "Welsh Trilogy", aiming to create an emerging community and culture for the British working class and farmers. However, he showed a contradictory attitude when dealing with the traditional and dominant cultural relationships between emerging and residual communities. As a second-generation intellectual of the working class, Williams portrays the conflict between the first and second generations of the working class in terms of "sensory structure" in his novels, which makes him appear passive in envisioning the emerging community and unable to propose positive solutions.