The Practical Orientation and Hasty Theorization in the Expansion of Literary Theory: An Unfinished Case on Literature and Literariness

Abstract

Abstract: The expansion of literary theory has been accepted by all the related circles. However, the theoretical explorations into it appear haste and leave much to be clarified. Central to the expansion is the argument over the relationship between literariness and literature, whereas literariness becomes crucial for social life to be included into literary theory. In fact, the concept of literariness itself is not sufficient to support the theory. The leading role of literariness in the expansion arises from the so-called marginalization of literature, which reflects a strong sense of loss among the elitist thinking of literature and literary theory. However, the so-called marginalization is the emotional imagination of the literary trend in the increasing popularization of literature in the popular culture. The theoretical base for the expansion of literary theory, the paper concludes, lies in the commensurability, the coterminous nature and the identifiable subjecthood between literature and reality.

Key words: literary theory, expansion, literariness

Gao Nan. The Practical Orientation and Hasty Theorization in the Expansion of Literary Theory: An Unfinished Case on Literature and Literariness[J]. Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art, 2014, 34(6): 164-172.

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