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25 September 2017, Volume 37 Issue 4 Previous Issue    Next Issue

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Classical Literary Theory and Criticism

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Zeng Guofan's Theoretical Ideas on Poetry and Prose and their Modern Significance Zuo Pengjun 2017, 37 (4):  6-15.  Abstract ( 632 )   PDF (1418KB) ( 317 )   Zeng Guofan's theories on poetry and prose, born against a background of cultural shock and political turbulence, comprise rich content, including an accent on the interrelation between literature and change of times, an encouragement  of practical studies, a stylistic view of the inheritance and combination of both masculinity theory and femininity theory on ancient style prose, an attention to functions and styles of ancient style prose with an opinion of combining parallel and non-parallel proses, an attention to formations and functions of official prose and other forms of practical writing with a pursuit of honest expression and stylistic innovation based on rich argumentations, and an accent on aesthetics of harmonious rhymes. On the one hand, these ideas represent a tendency of inheritance and maintenance of orthodoxy; on the other hand, they manifest a modern consciousness of remedying the literary fashion to accommodate to the need of times through appropriate innovation and pragmatic approaches. This dialectical unity reflects the moderate posture of Zeng Guofan and his fellows in terms of making appropriate innovation based on inheriting traditional theories of poetry and prose; at the same time, it tells more about the time marked by an internal reform and the search for a path for modern Chinese literary theories. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Yi Shunding's Theory about Ci Poetry and His Ci Writing: Also on His Connection with the Community of Ci Poetry in the Late Qing Dynasty Chen Songqing 2017, 37 (4):  16-25.  Abstract ( 409 )   PDF (1929KB) ( 227 )   Yi Shunding, a famous poet in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic period, was keen on writing ci poetry in the early years to an extent that he could not live without ci poetry creation. Based on the be-true-to-yourself style, Yi's theory catered to spirituality, taste and tranquility with emphasis on meaning, wording, polishing, titling and so on. In addition, his theory was different from the mainstream one that ci was a spirit carrier and the concept that ci was unimportant in among all forms of literatures. Yi absorbs the essence of ci poets to express feelings and praises talents by profound connotations and unique mastery of language, especially the thought-provoking ones. He has different styles in ci writings and and shi-poem writing; however, they share the pursuit of forming a unique style instead of solely following the Tang or Song style. Related Articles | Metrics

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A New Investigation of the Ideas "Fu Ji" and "Fu Xin" Tao Hui 2017, 37 (4):  26-31.  Abstract ( 450 )   PDF (1870KB) ( 157 )   The theory of "Fu Ji" and "Fu Xin" in Xijing Miscellanea has always been considered by scholars as an important material about Sima Xiangru and aesthetic criticism of the ode in the Western Han Dynasty. However, this theory was proposed by someone else in Wei-Jin Periods rather than Sima Xiangru. It had great significance not only because of its precise description of the ode in the Han Dynasty, but also because it revealed how the literary ideas and metaphysics in Wei-Jin Periods affected contemporary people's unique insights in terms of the noumenon and the creation of the ode. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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On The Misunderstanding and Reception of "To Be a Poet in The Spare Time" Xiong Xiang 2017, 37 (4):  32-39.  Abstract ( 432 )   PDF (1908KB) ( 150 )   "To Be a Poet in The Spare Time" was a verse from Han Yu (768-824), and he praised Xi Ba with this verse. From North Song Dynasty, some people made it as an independent topic to express their own opinions. And some people even add their own understandings to Han Yu, which lead to the confusion about quoting and annotating. They had two explanations about the verse, poem was less important than essay, or poem was less important than government affairs and moral integrity. The former reflected the poetics of Ou Yangxiu (1007-1072) and others, and the latter continued traditional values of ancient people. The action which attaching importance to the allusion and annotation was the important reason of misunderstanding real intention, and it also ignored the original mean of this verse. Additionally, in the process of borrowing this verse to create new poetry, the later generations continued the poetic expression when they used this verse, and it more closed to the original intention of Han Yu. References | Related Articles | Metrics

Issue in Focus: Studies of Frankfurt School

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Personal Experience About Frankfurt School: From "Non-Identity" to "Singularity" — An Interview with Professor Samuel Weber Zhao Yong, Samuel Weber 2017, 37 (4):  40-47.  Abstract ( 346 )   PDF (1391KB) ( 190 )   In this interview, Professor Samuel Weber vividly reviews his personal study experience with Adorno in the 1960s, reveling some features of Adorno's thoughts such as the teleological tendency and non-identity. Based on Adorno's current situation and the limits of his general concept, Professor Weber and the interviewer discuss the inevitable barrier between the social critical theory and the political action plans. He further develops "repetition" and "singularity" from Kierkegaard, Walter Benjamin and Derrida, which focus on the concrete things. The interview also reveals the question of foreign words and Adorno's half Jewish identity in the discussion of Adorno's controversial saying, "to write poetry after Auschwitz is barbaric". Furthermore, Professor Weber gives suggestions on Chinese translation of Adorno's "Essay" considering its etymology and philosophical signification. He also gives witty remarks on Adorno's critique about Jazz, and comments on Bob Dylan receiving Nobel Prize in Literature. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Anatomy and Aesthetic on Modernity Fragments: on the Thought Genealogy of Fragments from Simmel to the Frankfurt School Yang Xiangrong 2017, 37 (4):  48-54.  Abstract ( 505 )   PDF (1371KB) ( 154 )   In the aesthetics of Simmel, the impressionism style of aesthetic experience of modernity comes from the attention to fragments, and he constructs an aesthetic redemption path in the fragments. The aesthetic modernity fragments theme of Simmel continues and amplifies in the text of the Frankfurt School, such as Kracauer, Bloch and Benjamin. Kracauer emphasizes the historical natural restoration of modernity fragments, Bloch resorts to philosophical metaphor of modernity fragments, and Benjamin hopes to achieve modern people's aesthetic redemption in the fragments and ruins. Fragments and ruins have become the common tags and marks in their texts, which constructs the aesthetic thought Genealogy of modernity Fragments from Simmel to the Frankfurt School. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Adorno's Critique of "Spontaneity" of the Avant-garde Art Chang Peijie 2017, 37 (4):  55-69.  Abstract ( 498 )   PDF (1983KB) ( 155 )   Adorno staunchly supports modernist art. From the concept of "art autonomy," he criticizes the avant-garde's artistic ideas, which centers on the concept of "spontaneity." As he argues, the so-called "spontaneous ideas" and "immediate consciousness" are the "reified consciousnesses" which are constantly unexamined. Avant-garde's skills of creating art works, including "autonomous writing," "collage" and "montage," not only put the autonomous arts in danger, but also harm art itself. The artistic form of avant-garde is inorganic, which hampers itself to engage in reality and the critique of the capitalist system. Moreover, this situation would also be contaminated by the "cultural industry" insomuch as its tattered form, and degenerate into the capitalist system. Accordingly, Adorno argues that the truly excellent art works should be those that are self-constructed based on the "art logic." Art works of this sort are crystalized by rationality. On the one hand, art logic absorbs the rational aspect of deductive logic; on the other hand, it also criticizes deductive logic's repressive form ("instrumental rationality" in other words). However, Adorno's action of borrowing art-rationality is intentionally misread by Habermas and Wellmer. For them, Adorno's aestheticism actually puts aesthetic above rationality, and tries to solve the problems caused by social modernity through art. Nevertheless, this aestheticism is exactly what Adorno opposes. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Promise of the Future: Dimensions of Future in Walter Benjamin's Philosophy of History Hu Guoping 2017, 37 (4):  70-75.  Abstract ( 307 )   PDF (1353KB) ( 177 )   This paper presents the dimensions of future in Walter Benjamin's philosophy of history. Benjamin refused a systematized future which caused the oblivion of the failures. Benjamin puts forward a kind of philosophy of history whose future is illuminated by the unjustness of the past to the future. This philosophy of history which is loyal to the ethic of time regards the past as an incomplete one which carries the responsibility of the memory and establishes an ethical relation between the past and the future, opening to the others as widely as possible. References | Related Articles | Metrics

Issue in Focus: Studies of Ancient Chinese Music and Poetry

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The Musicality of the Chuci Style Revisited: the Establishment of the Music Symbol "Xi" Dai Weihua 2017, 37 (4):  78-88.  Abstract ( 476 )   PDF (5453KB) ( 201 )   "Xi" is the symbolic symbol of the musicality of Chuci. The construction of the "standard" for the musicality of the Chuci style is based on the translation of "the songs of Yue" and "the songs of Chu" and also on the relationship between the "song" and "words" in Yufu. 兮(xi), as a function word in text, is a vocal representation of musicality. Among all the writings belong to chuci, those containing xi means that there's attempt to capture the vocal musicality of the songs, while those that do not have xi are simply purely textual transcription. The difference between "hun hu gui lai" (Thy soul, return!) and "hun xi gui lai" (Thy soul, ah, return!) is mainly musical rather than textual. The special musical structure of Zhaohun (Sprit Evocation) lies in the fact that the 兮(xi) and 些(xie) can help distinguish different roles, indicating that it also serve ceremonial functions. "些" may be a misspelling of "止止" or "". References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Questions about Studies of The Book of Songs in the Recent Century Xie Yufeng 2017, 37 (4):  89-99.  Abstract ( 362 )   PDF (1981KB) ( 151 )   Many scholars such as Hu Shi have made pioneering contributions to the researches of The Book of Songs in the recent century. They have found common ground regarding some issues about The Book of Songs: it is the earliest poetry collection in China; all the poems are songs; there are three types of poems, namely, feng, ya, and song. But there might be serious misunderstandings in these aspects, which need reinvestigation. We should express gratitude to predecessors who enlighten us and misguide us simultaneously. It is our destiny that we will be permanently on the road to truth of The Book of Songs. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Style of Xin Qiji's 24 Ci poems to the Tune of Lin Jiang Xian and Its Significance for Studies of the Tunes of Ci Poems Zhu Huiguo 2017, 37 (4):  100-109.  Abstract ( 775 )   PDF (1919KB) ( 229 )   Xin Qiji wrote 24 Ci poems to the tune of Lin Jiang Xian. These Ci poems' conservation makes him own the largest quantity of Ci poems to the tune of Lin Jiang Xian in the northern and southern Song dynasties. Thus, he possesses a significant place in writing Ci poems to the tune of Lin Jiang Xian and its phylogeny. Xin Qiji's 24 Ci poems are all chosen the basic double tonal patterns and rhyme schemes of Ci poems with 60 characters, and its rhyme is strictly managed. Moreover, the arrangement of level and oblique tones in these Ci poems accords with the rhyme to the tunes of Lin Jiang Xian, which even more realistic than the style summarized in the book Ci Lü and Qin Ding Ci Pu. The sentence pattern and rhyme of Xin Qiji's 24 Ci poems to the tunes of Lin Jiang Xian are mainly depends on the tonal patterns and rhyme schemes of Ci poetry. Xin Qiji chose the tonal pattern and rhyme scheme, and followed the original expression in sound and emotions, making his Ci poems gentle and fluent. Xin Qiji's 24 Ci poems were mainly written during the period of his retirement in Jiangxi. He had much more time to watch the landscape of countryside and experience the leisure and comfortable household life. Thus these Ci poems have broad themes and various emotions, and they appear the harmonious, gentle and graceful characteristics overall. These characteristics accord with the style to the tune of Lin Jiang Xian, achieving the harmony of both content and form. The tune of Lin Jiang Xian used by Xin Qiji with 60 characters appeared later and arose out of the tune with 58 characters. While the tune with 60 characters added rhyme sentence, making it more harmonious, neat and popular among the literati. From the preserved Ci poems, we can find this style was firstly created by Teng Zongliang, then it was formed into pattern by Su Shi. After the creative practices of Ye Mengde and other Ci poets, finally, this style was confirmed by Xin Qiji with fixed features and style, meanwhile, with this style, Xin Qiji wrote a large number of Ci poems and proved the vitality and influence of this style.  References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Desktop Drama and Stage Drama: Technical Problems of Traditional Chinese Drama in the Mid-Ming Dynasty and Shen Jing's Contribution Zhu Wanshu, Zhu Wen 2017, 37 (4):  110-118.  Abstract ( 432 )   PDF (1902KB) ( 178 )   When it comes to Shen Jing's idea of poetic drama writing, scholars used to confine themselves to his controversy with Tang Xianzu, instead of paying sufficient attention to and making objective evaluation of Shen Jing's other ideas. This article argues that though many literati since the mid-Ming Dynasty were active in the creation of xiqu works, the scripts they created were very difficult to be staged and sung, because there were no rules of creation to be followed. They were neither unsuitable for kunju emerged in the Wuzhong area of Suzhou. Therefore, literati were faced with "technical problems" during their creation. To solve such problems, Shen Jing put forward the theoretical proposition that xiqu writers should be proficient in rhythm, and he made paradigmatic demonstrations by compiling various works on poetic drama writing such as The Complete Collection of Tunes of the Southern Drama. Shen Jing won undivided admiration from many drama creators, and made significant contributions in this respect. References | Related Articles | Metrics

Western Literary Theory and Criticism

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Preservation and Distortion: the Recording, Editing and Publishing of Yangzhou Storytelling Wang Huarong 2017, 37 (4):  119-132.  Abstract ( 319 )   PDF (4489KB) ( 123 )   Affected by the Chinese Communist Party's policies on literature and art and the aesthetics of written literature, during the recording, editing and publishing Yangzhou storytelling, the editors revised or deleted the undesirable or negative content including the parts that did not comply with the social ideology. Meanwhile, the editors tended to follow the style of written literature to normalize the language of Yangzhou storytelling. On one hand, the recording and publishing work saved some repertoires of Yangzhou storytelling, and let more people know and enjoy Yangzhou storytelling. It also promoted the development of academic research on Yangzhou storytelling. On the other hand, the work also had some flaws. It undermined some of the characteristics of storytelling as oral literature, and it was not good for the further development of academic research. We should adopt more diverse and scientific methods to record, edit and publish Yangzhou storytelling, to preserve storytelling repertoires, and to provide a better foundation for the further study of Yangzhou storytelling. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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A Veritable Memoir of the Leavisian Scrutiny Group Zhang Ruiqing 2017, 37 (4):  133-142.  Abstract ( 533 )   PDF (1930KB) ( 503 )   This paper focuses on the literary and cultural criticism of F.R. Leavis and the Scrutiny group he represents. Scrutiny (1932-1953) was an academic journal started and run by the Leavises in the 20th century, which not only profoundly influenced the 20th-century cultural life of Britain, but also drew attention of the Chinese literary community, especially in the first decade of the 21st century. But it is obvious that most scholars tend to generalize the academic contributions of Leavis and Scrutiny Group as "Leavisian theory", "Leavisian group", "Leavisianism", or simply "Leavis", by taking him as "a lone hero", disregarding the important role of "the critical community" of the Scrutiny Group. So it is necessary to make a retrospective study of the journal to represent the academic contributions of Leavis and the Scrutiny group. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Mimetic Violence and the Issue of the Other: A New Interpretation of René Girard Li Xue, Bi Xiao 2017, 37 (4):  143-150.  Abstract ( 529 )   PDF (1390KB) ( 208 )   In his study of some literary canons, René Girard, a French literary critic and anthropologist, analyzes human desire and sums up the theory of mimetic desire, which means that a person's desire, as the desire of the subject, always imitates the similar desire that belongs to the mediator of the desire. Girard distinguishes the modes of mimetic desire into two types, the external mediation and the internal mediation, and draws a conclusion that the internal mediation would inevitably lead to violence due to the competition between the subject and the mediator. Referring to Roland Barthes's mythologies, this article indicates that the modern myth generated by the external mediation can similarly cause violence. Girard's theory concerns the classic issue of the other, so that the last part of this article reveals the hidden dialogic relationship between Girard and Bakhtin. On the one hand, Bakhtin's effort on the relationship of "the self and the other" points out the importance of dialogue and empathy, which can deal with the violence produced by the internal mediation. On the other hand, the violence of the external mediation can be eliminated in a way by using Isaiah Berlin's pluralism under the Bakhtinian view. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Cultural Code: The Public Image of Imagination Li Hecheng 2017, 37 (4):  151-160.  Abstract ( 330 )   PDF (3520KB) ( 128 )   Cultural code, as the public image of imagination, provides an analytical model for the integration of mind and social order. Vico's civil theology, through the ideas of "imaginative concept" and the "metaphor", explains the origin of human common sense, and shows the meaning of mind that the poetic wisdom brings to the community. Since the emergence of subjectivity philosophy, this has critical significance for distinguishing image from being itself. Arendt's idea of the "exemplary" combines the concrete and the common by special images' interactive communication, thereby achieving a common commonality. This is how the mechanism of the imagination progresses from the common sense of the aesthetic to the social community. The cultural code of the public image is different from the didactic and disciplinary epistemology in that the cultural code exists in the "common sense" and "public communication", and is rooted in promoting one’s life and opening to others, thereby demonstrating the public philosophical significance of "aesthetic common sense". Related Articles | Metrics

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The Aesthetic Ethics of Evil: Understanding Evil in Modernistic Narrative Tang Shiren 2017, 37 (4):  161-168.  Abstract ( 374 )   PDF (1903KB) ( 149 )   With the characters of impersonality and depersonalization, the evil plots in modern fiction is often described intuitively and indifferently, that is great different from the traditional narrative which the moral attitudes are distinctively. It's difficult to understand the complex ethical tenor from the evil plots in modern narrative, so readers also need to understanding some modern aesthetic ethics concepts. These issues are also prominently manifested in Chinese contemporary literature, especially in Vanguard writing and Modernist Literature. From the perspective of evil writing, we can review the Modernistic narrative in Chinese Contemporary Novels, and explore the narrative ethics, at last point to the construction of modern aesthetic ethics. References | Related Articles | Metrics

Modern and Contemporary Literary Theory and Criticism

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Oriental Miscellany and Theatre Reform of Modern China Zhao Liming 2017, 37 (4):  169-176.  Abstract ( 410 )   PDF (1895KB) ( 94 )   At the beginning of the new literature, Oriental Miscellany consciously provided a public platform for advocating theatre reform, and contributed greatly in this aspect. In terms of reforming traditional theatre, it put forward the idea of the three ways for reform, thus correcting the New Youth School's extreme idea of abolishing traditional theatre. As for the introduction of Western drama, it paid attention to transplanting advanced theatre ideas, such as nature, evolution, realism and tragedy. It advocated the reform of theatre space, and introduced Western experimental drama, thus promoting the development of the "little theater" in China. As a modern medium, Oriental Miscellany participated in the process of the modernization of Chinese theatre in an indirect way and with a rational, neutral and practical attitude. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Traditional Misunderstanding of "Meaning not Fully Expressed by Language" and a Correction from the Perspective of Philosophy of Language Zhao Jianzhang, Zhao Yingfang 2017, 37 (4):  177-187.  Abstract ( 366 )   PDF (1935KB) ( 217 )   The preposition that meaning is not fully expressed by language is a mystification of the relationship between meaning and language. There is no consciousness and language in the undivided state of the subject and the object, and therefore there are no issues of the speakable and the unspeakable. The understanding of the relationship between language and meaning in traditional thought is based on the theory of simple reflection, holding that thought is the conformity to the world and the language is the conformity to thought. From the perspective of modern philosophy of language, thought is human's understanding of the world, and the world is understood on the basis of language. Consciousness and thought are not something ready-made, but rather the construction of language. The view that meaning is not fully expressed by language implies that there is a private language, but such a language independent from common language has no meaning. This view that meaning is not fully expressed by language means in a sense language cannot substitute the reality or our perception of the reality, but it has no meaning in philosophy. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Visual Turn and Modern Logic of Somaesthetics Zhang Wei 2017, 37 (4):  188-195.  Abstract ( 352 )   PDF (1376KB) ( 130 )   As the common object of visual aesthetics, body has changed multivariately in the modern aesthetic mechanism made by "visual diversion". On the one hand, modern visual mechanism clears up the established connotation of traditional "duality of body and mind" and strengthens the body consciousness of modern individuals, which promotes the aesthetic purport of body and in the meantime breeds the capital effect of body, expending the consumption characterization of body, and giving birth to the aesthetic practice of "body consumption". On the other hand, with the help of the technology of modern visual media, modern visual mechanism makes it more implicit for the restriction of right to body, which causes modern society's excessive obsession and worship to body and generates a pervasive "prying desire" in society, promoting the diversification of body aesthetics and derivating the general anxiety of body at the same time. Therefore, the resolution between the resulting effect of body's presence and the significance of spirit becomes another topic of body aesthetics in modern society. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Returning Dream-seeking Trip: the Narrative of America in Chinese Popular Culture since the 1990s Chen Guozhan 2017, 37 (4):  196-205.  Abstract ( 289 )   PDF (1414KB) ( 153 )   This paper finds an obvious change in Chinese popular culture through analyzing the stories of going abroad since the 1990s: the leading character spares no effort to seek American Dream during the early 1990s, but turns back since 2008. It has become a significant narrative mode, and clearly demonstrated the changes of the image of America. From seeking American Dream to realizing Chinese Dream, it narrates a changed China via leading character's return; and it is also a story about how Chinese Dream replaces American Dream. However, such a narrative mode reveals some problems: many of its judgments are accompanied with Occidentalist prejudice; it establishes Chinese masculine confidence by using the 'misogyny' motif; it fails to provide an exemplary story regarding how to achieve the Chinese Dream. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Four Dimensions of Literary Memory and Historical Consciousness   Lu Yonghe 2017, 37 (4):  206-216.  Abstract ( 417 )   PDF (1433KB) ( 121 )   The same essence of memory, history and literature is a deliberate construction (reconstruction) of the "past", which is based on the realistic context. Dilthey argues that different "human sciences" co-create a spiritual world of "productive nexus or system" on the basis of "experience" and "understanding". As two different spiritual "associations", literature and history inform each other and jointly create a whole meaning system. The concept "narrative substance" of Ankersmit is a collection of different narratives of "past". "Narrative substance" is not the objective reality of history, but the historical "image" or "metaphor". The "narrative substance" sets up for us a bridge between literary memory and historical consciousness. The human "community" life is characterized by "mnemonic community" and their "shared memories" need artificial construction. As a combination of standardized and decentralized "shared memories", "cultural text" is a symbol of identity and historical tradition. References | Related Articles | Metrics