The Movement for the Popularization of Literature and Art: Development and Transformation

Abstract

Abstract: The major issues and fundamental perspectives concerning the popularization of literature and art can be broadly categorized into six aspects: the direction of development, the object of service, the subject of creation, the content and form, the language, and the evaluation of the May Fourth and New Culture Movements. While the theory and practice of the popularizing literature and art hold positive significance, they are also subject to biases and limitations. Mao Zedong, rather than merely perpetuating the ideals and objectives of the movement, deconstructed, synthesized and reformed its content and issues. He proposed his own insights and solutions to the associated problems and disputes, elevating them to a new level. The publication of the Speech on the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art marked the transition of popularizing literature and art into a phase of “generalization.” Following the 1950s, the flourishing socialist literature and art demanded sophisticated works, causing the momentum of popularizing literature and art to gradually wane. By the 1980s, traditional popular literature and art faced pressure from emerging mass culture, leading to their decline. In 2014, Xi Jinping further developed the ideas of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping to address the increasing spiritual and cultural needs of the people, putting forward the “strategy of fine works”. Both in practice and theory, the popularization of literature and art deviated from its original reality and rationality. The trajectory of the development of literature and art has shifted from popularization to the strategic pursuit of refined works, which has become an inevitable demand of the times and the inexorable trend of history.

Zhao Yanqiu. The Movement for the Popularization of Literature and Art: Development and Transformation[J]. Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art, 2024, 44(3): 1-12.

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