Zhang Jiong - Literature and Literary Theory in Contemporary China

Marxism initiated a new era not only for people to fight for socialist future, but also for each discipline of sciences to witness profound changes. In such a context, literature, which has always been closely related to politics, will inevitably move toward a new direction.

This book is composed of two parts. elucidates the authors insights into major issues concerning literary theories (e.g., the relationship between literature and people, literature and reality, perception and rationality in literary creation, etc.). This book will appeal to scholars and students of literary aesthetics and Chinese literary and cultural studies. People who are interested in history of contemporary Chinese literature will also benefit from this book.

Zhang Jiong is the director of the Institute of Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and a famous Chinese literary theorist and historian. He has studied Chinese literary theories and history for more than 60 years.

The China Perspectives series focuses on translating and publishing works by leading Chinese scholars, writing about both global topics and China-related themes. It covers Humanities & Social Sciences, Education, Media and Psychology, as well as many interdisciplinary themes.

This is the first time any of these books have been published in English for international readers. The series aims to put forward a Chinese perspective, give insights into cutting-edge academic thinking in China, and inspire researchers globally.

For more information, please visit https://www.routledge.com/series/CPH

Existing titles:

Beyond the Iron House

Lu Xun and the modern Chinese literary field

Sun Saiyin

Literature and Literary Criticism in Contemporary China

Zhang Jiong

Literature and Literary Theory in Contemporary China

Zhang Jiong

Forthcoming titles:

An Outline of Chinese Literature I

Yuan Xingpei

An Outline of Chinese Literature II

Yuan Xingpei

Seven Lectures on Wang Guoweis Renjian Cihua

Florence Chia-Ying Yeh

Zhang Jiong

This book is published with financial support from Innovation Project of CASS
Translated by Yang Limeng and Wu Yisheng

First published 2017
by Routledge
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2017 Zhang Jiong

The right of Zhang Jiong to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Zhang, Jiong, 1933 author. | Yang, Limeng, translator. | Wu, Yisheng (Translator), translator.

Title: Literature and literary theory in contemporary China / Zhang Jiong ; translated by Yang Limeng and Wu Yisheng.

Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York : Routledge, 2017. | Series: China perspectives series | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016056767 | ISBN 9781138898745 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781315708409 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Chinese literature20th centuryHistory and criticismTheory, etc. | Socialism and literatureChina. | Chinese literatureAesthetics. | Literature and societyChinaHistory 20th century.

Classification: LCC PL2303 .Z421647 2017 | DDC 895.109/005dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016056767

ISBN: 978-1-138-89874-5 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-70840-9 (ebk)

Typeset in Times New Roman
by Apex CoVantage, LLC

In China, literature theory can trace its history back to the ancient times, to some sections of the ancient book Shang Shu (The Book of History) and to some of Confucius teachings. The period from the Wei-Jin Dynasties (220420) to the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420589) is recognized as the era of literary self-consciousness. Classical works of literary theories in this period include the Dianlun Lunwen (Historical Allusions and Essays) by Cao Pi, Wen Fu (A Poetic Exposition on Literature) by Lu Chi, Wen Xin Diao Long (The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons) by Liu Xie and Shi Pin (Critique of Poetry) by Zhong Rong. In particular, Wen Xin Diao Long presented a systematic exposition of the stylistic features and literary creation thinking, as well as the laws of artistic expression in literary works, and was therefore viewed by subsequent literary theorists as comparable with the Poetics by Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher, though they discussed different topics. After the Tang and Song dynasties (618907 and 9601279), there were fragmented brilliant opinions in notes on poets and poetry and relevant works, as well as in novel comments by Jin Shengtan, but most of them were based on sentimental perceptions rather than on systematic theories. In the late Ming dynasty (13681644) and early Qing dynasty (16441911), the system of dramatic theories was established by Li Yu in his Health Preserving and Cultivating in Feelings Jotted Down Occasionally. In the late Qing dynasty and early Republic of China (19121949) period, new ideas were put forward by Liang Qichao and Wang Guowei in their works of literary theories, most of which were single works instead of systematic monographs.

After the rise of the New Culture Movement (around the time of the May 4th Movement in 1919), the Western thoughts of scientism and humanism came into China in a new formidable manner. Ever since then the May 4th New Culture Movement had pressed forward in China under the banner of science and democracy. In the meantime, Marxism was also introduced into China after the October Revolution of 1917 broke out in Russia. The aforesaid thoughts therefore constituted the ideological and theoretical background for birth and development of Chinese new literature theories. At that time, however, there were more translated and introductory than systematic works in the circles of literary theory and criticism. It was in 1928 that Pan Zinians Introduction to Literature came out. In the transition from literary revolution to revolutionary literature and during the left-wing literatures debates against its oppositions, many writers had contributed much to the development of new literary theories, including Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Hu Shi, Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Qu Qiubai, Wen Yiduo, Liang Shiqiu, Hu Feng and Zhou Yang, some of whom were oriented to Marxism but some others to scientism and humanism. The