A Reinvestigation of Subjectivity and the Theory of Realism: The Cultural Politics of Hu Feng's Theory of “Subjective Fighting Spirit”

Abstract

Abstract: In the 1940s, Hu Feng proposed a theory of “subjective fighting spirit” for the writing of realistic fiction. This article suggests that this theory implies a political agenda, which should be understood in the cultural politics of China in the 1940s. The divergence of his views towards contemporary Chinese society and its culture from that of the CCP accounts for his disagreement with Mao's vision of a new culture. It is a competition for cultural hegemony with the Party in the field of cultural production.

Key words: Hu Feng, subjectivity, realism, subjective fighting spirit, cultural politics

Wang Xiaoping. A Reinvestigation of Subjectivity and the Theory of Realism: The Cultural Politics of Hu Feng's Theory of “Subjective Fighting Spirit”[J]. Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art, 2024, 44(1): 103-112.

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