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25 January 2019, Volume 39 Issue 1 Previous Issue    Next Issue

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Western Literary Theory and Cultural Studies

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Paris and the Worlding of Minor/Small Literatures: The Case of Basque Literature Frederik Verbeke 2019, 39 (1):  6-14.  Abstract ( 257 )   PDF (1533KB) ( 124 )   According to Pascale Casanova, Paris would be the capital of "minor" literatures and of "small" languages (those which have difficulty circulating and are rarely translated). Whilst some Basque authors, such as Bernardo Atxaga or Kirmen Uribe, succeeded in being translated by prestigious Parisian publishing houses, others did not, although they tried, such as Itxaro Borda. How can a minor/small literature gain access to the capital of the "World Republic of Letters" (Casanova), enjoy a wider appeal and boost its worlding? Is it related to the literary image of the Basque Country as constructed by these authors? Is their consecration easier when they confirm the image of a "minor/small literature"? What is the importance (and the consequence) of being awarded with Spain's National Prize of Literature, of having passed through the filter of the Spanish literary system? Why are French (self-)translations of Basque-writing authors from the French Basque Country not published in Paris and become part of minor/small literature written in a major language (Bertrand/Gauvin)? The case studies of four Basque contemporary writers — Bernardo Atxaga, Kirmen Uribe, Aurelia Arkotxa, Itxaro Borda — whose works have been translated into French, show different ways and strategies of spreading Basque contemporary literature in French. Whilst Atxaga and Uribe have been published in Paris, Arkotxa and Borda remained (or wanted to remain) in the "periphery". After interviewing the four writers and their translators, this paper analyses how the translations took place and explores different questions related to the idea of "minor/small literature". Related Articles | Metrics

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On Comparative Bibliography of Western Aesthetics Zhou Xian 2019, 39 (1):  15-26.  Abstract ( 245 )   PDF (1924KB) ( 257 )   Researches and resource construction about Western aesthetic bibliography are relatively weak in China, which has undermined Chinese studies of Western aesthetics. To tackle this problem, it is necessary to promote a comparative bibliography of Western aesthetics. This discipline would create a knowledge graph for both Western aesthetic classics' development in the West and their reception in China. A comparative analysis of the two knowledge graphs would reveal characteristics, hot topics, evolvement, and blind spots in Chinese studies of Western aesthetics. Through targeting these weaknesses by comparative studies, this discipline could also improve the status quo of translation, introduction, and resource construction of Western aesthetic classics, advance researches, and join Chinese scholars' discourse into that of international peers. Related Articles | Metrics

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The Deep Path in Foucault's Critique of Reason and Its Enlightenments for Post-Theory Liu Yang 2019, 39 (1):  27-37.  Abstract ( 256 )   PDF (1459KB) ( 113 )   In Foucault's early research on madness history which contains four stages, the path of reason repressing non-reason gradually transformed the connotation of non-reason from being "arational" to "irrational" in a subtle manner. The former is not being rational, but is compatible with complete reason. The latter is not being rational either and resists reason in the narrow sense, namely rationality. This path was strengthened in his later study which focused on Kant's idea of enlightenment and thus led to the thought of eventalization. Theory has pushed this process forward. This thesis presents an extended explanation of this important issue, and reveals the fact that Post-Theory has inevitably gone to literature. Related Articles | Metrics

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Three Dimensions of Ecological Aesthetics: Félix Guattari's Thought of "The Three Ecologies" Zhang Huiqing 2019, 39 (1):  38-46.  Abstract ( 634 )   PDF (1445KB) ( 279 )   Based on the real context of human-nature relation in the epoch of the Anthropocene and the thought of ecosophy in the ethico-aesthetic paradigm, Félix Guattari's thought of "The Three Ecologies" leads to the theoretical transformation of ecological aesthetics from environmental ecological dimension in a narrow sense to a generalized ecological model composed of environmental, social and mental ecological dimensions. Based on environmental ecosophy, the environmental ecological dimension follows the machinic aesthetic paradigm and serves the purpose of presenting the natural process and ecological justice for all species. Based on social ecosophy, the social ecological dimension follows the group Eros principle and serves the purpose of reconstructing human social harmony and social justice for all peoples. Based on mental ecosophy, the mental ecological dimension follows the multivalent logic and serves the purpose of reshaping the incorporeal value system and stepping into aesthetico-existential process. The three ecological visions are three complementary headings which are situated in antinomies, and thus the reconquest of a degree of creative autonomy in one particular dimension encourages conquests in other two dimensions. Consequently, ecosophy is achieved by means of double reconstruction of the exterior living environment and the interior life ontology, and the aesthetic redemption of ecological crisis is realized in the end. Related Articles | Metrics

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The Naissance of Dystopia Zhao Rourou 2019, 39 (1):  47-54.  Abstract ( 533 )   PDF (1434KB) ( 360 )   Dystopia is one of the most critical narratives of the popular culture. To some extent, it is beyond interpretation because of its definition: it is well known that dystopia refers to a bad place while utopia means a good place; that is, dystopia is a negative utopia. But if we look into the works that are called dystopias, it is obvious that they do not simply disavow what utopias insist. They also deal with various theses like feminism, post-humanism, modernity, etc. This paper focuses on the emergence of dystopia from the beginning and tries to analyze its discursive formation. Related Articles | Metrics

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The Allure of Moving Images: Unmasking Roland Barthes Shen Anni 2019, 39 (1):  55-62.  Abstract ( 269 )   PDF (1932KB) ( 204 )   Roland Barthes was notorious for his self-proclaimed "resistance" to cinema. It strikes as a paradox to that claim because Barthes undeniably left a rich seam of writing on the subject. This paper examines Barthes's complex thought on the allure of cinema by reading his two essays on it – "Garbo's Face" and "Leaving the Movie Theater" – along with Barthes' later train of thought and other post-structural ideas of the reenchantment. It proposes that Barthes's "resistance" to moving images should be reconsidered as a neutral strategy to mask his fascination with the allure of cinema. Related Articles | Metrics

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The Material Return of Cultural Studies: Culture and Society from the Perspective of Tony Bennett's Governmentality Xu Xiaoxia 2019, 39 (1):  63-71.  Abstract ( 256 )   PDF (1932KB) ( 100 )   Tony Bennett has established systematic theories and methodologies on the New Materialism from the perspective of governmentality, which, however, is often neglected by scholars. Based on intensive reading of relevant textual contents and conceptual interpretation, the article deeply and comprehensively investigates Bennett's New Materialism with dialectical analysis and reflection. It argues that Bennett has boldly assimilated the Actor-network Theory by the French post-structuralist sociologist Latour and others when recontextualizing, from the governmentality perspective, society, culture and their relationships. In this process, Bennett developed the idea of Assembling Culture to underscore the dynamic material generating process of culture and the social, giving them material and dialectical meaning, and revealing how cultural practices regulate and shape the social and social behaviors through the knowledge-power pattern. Bennett has pioneered the new materialistic turn of cultural studies, thereby providing a new clue for cultural study scholars to contemplate cultural production beyond the economic and political model that define historical materialism. Related Articles | Metrics

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"Singer-songwriter" as Method: On Authenticity and Authorship of Popular Music Qu Shuwen, Li Danzhou 2019, 39 (1):  72-81.  Abstract ( 304 )   PDF (3750KB) ( 281 )   The construction and renewal of "authenticity" is the driving force for the development of the music industry. Given the prevalent impression of the singular authorial role seemingly integrating all the author voices, which conjures up heightened authenticity, "singer-songwriter" has always been an effective strategy in the production and consumption of popular music. Through a comparative analysis of Keightley's "two schools of philosophy" and Frith's "three discourses" in understanding musical authenticity, this paper concludes that the nature of authenticity is a matter of value judgment concerning aesthetics and sociology. By analyzing the thickening process of author voices in the formation of "singer-songwriters", the paper presents the aesthetic/sociological tensions embedded in the ideology of authenticity and reveals that the stable and hierarchical judgment of authorship in record time faces new challenges in digital era. The final part introduces Negus' "unbundling" concept to shed light on this issue and offers a wider perspective in the understanding of "authorship". Related Articles | Metrics

Issue in Focus: Narrative Tradition of Classical Poetry

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From the Name and Essence of Poetic History to the Narrative Tradition Dong Naibin 2019, 39 (1):  82-94.  Abstract ( 188 )   PDF (1988KB) ( 135 )   Everything in this world has the problem of name and essence, and "the poetic history" is no exception. The truth of poetic history has already existed since the beginning of humanity, and its name is not created by Meng Qi, the author of "Poetry of Anecdotes". Like the ancients, who attempted to explain the original meaning of Meng Qi's words, we just add one more understanding on the previous interpretations. Before or after this, people have a variety of explanations, either conducting literary criticism in the name of "poetic history" or holding fundamental opposition to this concept. Both have their own reasons and also make contributions to literary studies, so it may not be necessary to favor one or the other. Today, besides teasing out the interpretative history of "poetic history",we should base ourselves on the history of Chinese literature, especially on the abundant practical experiences of poetic history. And then scholars can aim to explore its possible implications, interpreting it in a modern way. Besides, we need to link the poetic narrative history with the narrative tradition to make a thorough understanding of the main features and connotations of the narrative tradition of Chinese poetry. Then it clearly outlines the penetration of the two great traditions of narration and lyric in the history of Chinese literature, aiming to decipher the dominate notion of "lyric tradition". It can be regarded as a feasible aspect to continue classical literature research. The "poetic history" is a simple concept but has complicated implications: it is only an evaluation metric for great poetry, but not the only standard. Although we have multiple understandings of the "poetic history", it is generally similar to each other, whether other scholars agree or not, we should make our judgement without insisting on consistency. Related Articles | Metrics

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The Evolution of Narration and Lyricism and Changes in Five-Character Poetry Li Han 2019, 39 (1):  95-104.  Abstract ( 199 )   PDF (1957KB) ( 135 )   Because of the birth of five-character poetry at the end of the Han dynasty, the folk yuefu narrative poetry led the trend and produced many excellent story poems. When literati five-character poetry rose, lyricism gradually overwhelmed narration. With their cultural training and knowledge cultivation, literati brought poetry and prose as well as embellishments into lyricism; as a consequence, rhetoric gradually emerged as a central element of poetry. As the emotional strength of lyric poetry decreased, literary grace became prominent. In the Jin dynasties and the Southern dynasties, both the narrative and emotional aspects of poetry further weakened, whereas a flowery writing style rose as the supreme artistic pursuit of poetry. The deepening of literary consciousness was concretized as the pursuit of formal beauty. In this development path, starting from narration, going to lyricism, and ending up with a flowery style of writing, rhythm became the ultimate symbol of formal beauty. When surveying the evolution of five-character poetry from the Han and Wei dynasties to the Six dynasties, it is necessary to pay attention to the importance of the waxing and waning of narration and lyricism as a primary impetus to literary history. Related Articles | Metrics

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Narrative and Poetry of History: A Case Study of Poetry Annotations of Du Fu in the Early Qing Dynasty Yang Changzheng 2019, 39 (1):  105-112.  Abstract ( 248 )   PDF (1934KB) ( 186 )   Du Fu's poetry has been widely regarded as the poetry of history, in which narrative has played a central role. Thus in the early Qing dynasty, Qiu Zhaoao, Pu Qilong and Wu Zhantai all emphasized the issue of narrative in their annotation of Du Fu's poetry. Qiu and Pu often revealed historical facts through analyses of expressions in Du Fu's poetry, whose view of narrative can be called "narrative dominated by story." Wu was mainly interested in narration of Du Fu' poetry, and considered that Du Fu "wrote poems with the brush of a historian." Their narrative analyses of Du Fu's poetry were critical practice guided by the poetry of history theory. Therefore, a study of those annotations will contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between narrative and the poetry of history. It also elaborates on the coexistence and interaction of the two traditions, lyrical tradition and narrative tradition. Related Articles | Metrics

Issue in Focus: Classical Poetics Studies

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Herodotus and the Origins of Ancient Greek Poiētikē Liu Xiaofeng 2019, 39 (1):  113-123.  Abstract ( 226 )   PDF (1957KB) ( 130 )   The fact that the extant ancient Greek literature, the use of poiētēs and poiēsis first appeared in Herodotus' Histories is no accident. Although the Histories has not touched upon the issue of "poetics", it has demonstrated the historical background of the birth of ancient Greek poiētikē. Before scholars begin to investigate in-depth the semantic issue of the word poiētikē, we have to look into the reason why the differences between the nature of poetry-making and that of other making techniques happen to become a problem during the democratic period of Athens. To have a proper and accurate understanding of the original problem confronting ancient Greek poiētikē, we must delve into the problems that Athenian democracy has faced. The question of whether Herodotus is a so-called empirical historian or a poet adept in "poetry-making" still remains open. Nevertheless, that Herodotus' Histories is a chronicled poetry-making coming into being as a reflection of the democratic era of Athens and its problems is an undisputable textual fact. Related Articles | Metrics

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Poetic Art and Virtue: Plato on Ancient Greek Poets Lin Zhimeng 2019, 39 (1):  124-130.  Abstract ( 293 )   PDF (1911KB) ( 131 )   Whereas the Greek poet Tyrtaeus especially values the virtue of courage in external war, Theogonis emphasizes virtues in civil war. There is an interaction between poets and legislators. But Plato thinks that when constructing political systems, the primary purpose of legislators should not be victory in war and the corresponding virtue to it. Both poets and legislators frequently refer to pleasure and pain, two basic characters of human beings. So both poetry-making and legislation should not merely aim at training people to restrain their pains or trying to please the most, but more important at cultivating people to conquer pleasures and desires courageously. Poetic art should not simply serve to cultivate virtues in wars and politics. It should point to the whole virtue and shape a sound constitution and a good way of life. Related Articles | Metrics

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Hölderlin and the Destiny of Germany Lou Lin 2019, 39 (1):  131-137.  Abstract ( 324 )   PDF (1909KB) ( 174 )   Hölderlin's poetry can be understood as his response to the meaning and possibility of Kant's philosophy. He writes poetry for two main purposes: to construct and convey the myth of enlightenment philosophy, and to form a national myth: making Germany a nation of philosophy. It is in this fundamental sense that Heidegger regarded Hölderlin as the unique Germany poet who understands the essence of Dasein. Herperion regards Greece as a philosophical origin because the Greeks had a philosophical regulation on the concept of "whole" or "one"; but only when Hölderlin, nurtured by Kant's philosophy, digests the Greek's philosophical thinking can he conceive the new philosophy nation: Germany, or, the destiny of Germany conceptualized by Hölderlin. The realization of this destiny depends on a successful enlightenment of human nature. However, since it is a reinvention of nature, it is at most a "second nature", not "nature" in itself. Hölderlin's poetry can be understood as his response to the meaning and possibility of Kant's philosophy. He writes poetry for two main purposes: to construct and convey the myth of enlightenment philosophy, and to form a national myth: making Germany a nation of philosophy. It is in this fundamental sense that Heidegger regarded Hölderlin as the unique Germany poet who understands the essence of Dasein. Herperion regards Greece as a philosophical origin because the Greeks had a philosophical regulation on the concept of "whole" or "one"; but only when Hölderlin, nurtured by Kant's philosophy, digests the Greek's philosophical thinking can he conceive the new philosophy nation: Germany, or, the destiny of Germany conceptualized by Hölderlin. The realization of this destiny depends on a successful enlightenment of human nature. However, since it is a reinvention of nature, it is at most a "second nature", not "nature" in itself. Related Articles | Metrics

Classical Literary Theory and Criticism

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State-oriented Essays and "Author" Consciousness: Discourse Construction of the Original Literary Criticism of "A Discourse on Literature" Zhang Yuelin, Yang Yang 2019, 39 (1):  138-145.  Abstract ( 263 )   PDF (1912KB) ( 140 )   "Literary self-consciousness" and "literary unconsciousness" were not issues that Cao Pi had realized, yet when contemporary people offer their critique of Cao Pi's literary views from these perspectives, there emerge such problems as "fitting Chinese cases into Western discourse", "interpreting ancient literature with contemporary ideas" and "fragmentation". In terms of literary discourse construction in the time of Jian'an, Cao Pi's "A Discourse on Literature" was the discourse construction of original literary criticism from the perspective of "state-oriented essays" and the discussion axis of "author consciousness", which was a total literary project based on national consciousness. Its concepts of "literary spirit", "literati", "essay", "style" and so on and its establishment of integral criticism were all meaningful and original literary criticism discourse, which embodied the complexity, ambiguity and integrality of the formation of literary views in the Han and Wei dynasties. Related Articles | Metrics

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The Trend of Early Writing Training and the Establishment of the Priority of Talent in Literary Creativity during the Southern Dynasties Xu Licheng 2019, 39 (1):  146-153.  Abstract ( 191 )   PDF (1924KB) ( 134 )   The Trend of early writing training among aristocrats during the Southern Dynasties is derived from the concept of "selecting officials by reputation" since the late Eastern Han Dynasty. After the Jin Dynasty, the demonstration of literary skills had become one of the main methods of gaining reputation, and aristocrats thus had to get adequate training in writing skills since their childhood. Because of the fear of early death, aristocrats in the Southern Dynasties inclined to start their political career at very early age, so they could promptly rise to the positions high enough to enhance their family interests. To get a good start in political career, descendants of aristocrats had to advance the beginning of literary training, even before the studying of Confucian and historical classics. As a result, more and more teenagers showed their talent in literature before getting abundant knowledge, and literary theorists like Liu Xie and Zhong Rong started to attribute the defining factor of literary ability to talent rather than learning. This opinion had been succeeded by later generations of literati and scholars, constructing the fashion of talent worship in ancient Chinese literary criticism. Related Articles | Metrics

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Su Shi's Temple-Visiting Poems and the Progression of His Chan Enlightenment: with an Additional Discussion of Three Types of Northern Song Literati's Temple-Visiting Poetry Li Shunchen, Gao Chang 2019, 39 (1):  154-164.  Abstract ( 275 )   PDF (1972KB) ( 167 )   Su Shi travelled extensively in China, with his particular interest in visiting temples. During his exiled and relegated periods, he composed a number of temple-visiting poems in places such as Fengxiang, Hangzhou, Huangzhou, and Lingnan. These poems manifest themselves in different literary tastes and aesthetic characteristics. They not only represent Su Shi's progress of Chan enlightenment but also embody the three paradigms of Northern Song literati's temple-visiting poetry, namely, realistic delineation of scenery, elaboration of truth and description of heart, and seeing the nature of mind. Related Articles | Metrics

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On the Classification and Significance of Poetry by Elegant Ladies in the Ming and Qing Dynasties Song Qingxiu 2019, 39 (1):  165-174.  Abstract ( 222 )   PDF (1937KB) ( 231 )   Poetry by elegant ladies can be divided into three basic literary types, namely, Poetry by poetesses, by talented women, and by bluestockings. Poetry by poetesses is the most noteworthy group in the history of women's literature and has important literary value; Poetry by talented women is widely circulated in society because of authors' outstanding talent or legendary romance. Poetry by bluestocking takes over the important task of traditional poetics, emphasizing that "poetry is for conveying the truth". Therefore, the social value of this type of poems are greater than its literary value. By interpreting these three basic types, this article endeavors to further analyzes the literary connotation and poetic meaning of Poetry by elegant ladies in order to form a new understanding of such poems and relevant theories. Related Articles | Metrics

Modern and Contemporary Literary Theory and Criticism

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The Extension of Value in Literary Classics: A Case Study of Mark Twain's "Running for Governor" Liu Lili 2019, 39 (1):  175-189.  Abstract ( 547 )   PDF (1514KB) ( 146 )   Based on the priority of "internal value" in the genesis of a text's value, this article studies the extension of value in literary classics and its pattern. As can be seen in the Chinese translation of Mark Twain's "Running for Governor" and its diachronic generation of meaning, a regular pattern of meaning generation in literary classics can be found via dialectic discussion: literary classics always release their "internal value" in accordance with the authors' ideal appeal and "initial readers'" pursuits, which lays the foundation for subsequent extension of meaning. Furthermore, this article has found, during the extension of value in literary classics, special phenomena inexplicable by current literary theories. First, subsequent meaning occurs in different contexts and times by transcending and extending the meaning conceived by "initial readers" and authors, which features development instead of contradiction. Second, the generation of meaning goes beyond the boundary of textual meaning, shifting its focus from the text per se to the context of individual experience. Such a departure from the internal textual features and prescription defines this special phenomenon. From the analysis of these phenomena, a principle is presented to examine how the value of literary classics is extended by preservation and conversion from a grand historical perspective, which is key to understanding the popularity and unpopularity of literary classics and temporary absence of their educational functions. Related Articles | Metrics

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Fallacy and Generation: The "Symbolist" Baudelaire and Chinese New Literature Han Liang, Zhang Bo 2019, 39 (1):  190-200.  Abstract ( 281 )   PDF (1940KB) ( 162 )   This article aims to initiate a discussion for clarifying the theoretical base underpinning the treatment of Baudelaire as a symbolist poet in Chinese new literature, a typical case extensively documented in the field of reception history. After the identification of discrepancies between Baudelaire's original works and their internalization into Chinese new literature, it argues to attribute these discrepancies to the intent to redefine and refashion his works and, thereby, his image in China for developing local literature and constructing local identity. In the article we coin for this process of internalization an adaption-growth model, suggesting to take it as a new perspective for reception history research in addition to an important indicator of the evolution of Chinese new literature. Related Articles | Metrics

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A Review of Literary Trauma Theory: Past, Present and Reflection Zhao Xuemei 2019, 39 (1):  201-211.  Abstract ( 1037 )   PDF (1961KB) ( 664 )   In recent years, trauma studies as an important hotspot of humanities has attracted increasing attention from Chinese academia. As far as trauma studies in the field of literature is concerned, there are mainly two problems. Firstly, researchers have focused more on textual criticism of trauma literature, which has led to a lag in theoretical exploration. Most existing studies are based on trauma theory's disciplinary foundation of psychology and psychiatry, lacking necessary literary perspectives as a reference. Secondly, the historical and cultural context in which the concept of trauma emerges represents its inherent western characteristics and implies its research object. However, this fact has long been neglected. In view of this, from the perspective of literature and culture, this article discusses trauma studies in literature, especially literary trauma theory, by reviewing its history and current situation, and reflecting on its problems and shortcomings, in an attempt to promote studies in literary trauma theory in China. Related Articles | Metrics

Classical Literary Theory and Criticism

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Why to Be Popular, How to Be Classic: An Analysis of the Evaluation Function of Media for Modern Chinese Popular Literature from the Perspective of Market Operation Shi Juan 2019, 39 (1):  212-218.  Abstract ( 216 )   PDF (1445KB) ( 162 )   Modern Chinese popular literature was influenced by the market, which thus differed from the New-vernacular literature in its standard of evaluation. By studying its production and consumption mechanism, it was evident that marketing operation connected all aspects for modern popular literature to become canonized. To study all issues of popular literature's evaluation from this perspective, we could return to the original historical context and systematically organize and understand all kinds of related issues (such as problems, ideas and incidents, etc.) of popular literature, which could be seen as a new methodology. A reflection of the role media played in the canonization of modern Chinese popular literature reveals that newspapers and periodicals were the literary fields where popular literature became "popular", that the form of books established the prototype for canonization of popular literature, and finally that recreation established the canonical status of these texts and thus prolonged their life. Related Articles | Metrics