Abstract: This paper takes Qian Zhongwen's book Literary Theory: Explorations and Reflections as its research subject, and surveys his reflections and debates since the turn of the century on some important issues in literary ontology. The issues include: Dose literature have its own "essence"? Does anti-essentialism mean the cancellation of research on "essence"? If the research on literary "essence" cannot be cancelled, what is the "essence" of literature? How can we evaluate the expansion of the bounders of the literature and literary theory after deconstruction? How to put into the perspective the alarming claims of "the end of literature" and "the death of literary theory" in relation to their position in human spiritual life? As the leading figure in Chinese literary theory, Qian Zhongwen had responded to almost all the issues, and his explorations have significance to the whole circle of Chinese literary studies.

Key words: essence of literature, aesthetic consciousness, neo-rational spirit, literary boundaries, theoretical expansion, the end of the literature