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25 March 2020, Volume 40 Issue 2 Previous Issue    Next Issue

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Chinese Literary Critical Discourse

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An Interpretation of Painting for Preservation of Life from the Perspective of Aesthetic Life-Rearing Zeng Fanren, Huang Ruoyu 2020, 40 (2):  1-8.  Abstract ( 632 )   PDF (1345KB) ( 135 )   The aesthetic life-rearing lies at the heart of various forms of Chinese Buddhist art, and is also reflected in Feng Zikai's Paintings for the Preservation of Life collaborated with Master Hongyi (Li Shutong). Upon the request of Master Hongyi, Feng drew 450 pictures during a course of forty-six years, finished with poems and essays by noted calligraphers including Master Hongyi. The collaboration aims to spread the Buddhist purity of mind and compassion to beings, illustrating the doctrine that preservation of life preserves mind, and becomes an unprecedented Buddhist masterpiece. Buddhist concepts such as pure mind, compassion, benevolence, agape for beings, and non-killing are conveyed in the artwork. Related Articles | Metrics

Issue in Focus: Comparative Culture Studies Conference

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Understanding as Obstacle: Exercise as a Perspective for Intercultural Research Ruben Pfizenmaier 2020, 40 (2):  9-24.  Abstract ( 265 )   PDF (1443KB) ( 77 )   This paper argues that modes of understanding built on familiarity with the other, as well as on contrastive opposition can become an obstacle in intercultural research. Built on a critique of Gadamer's idea of a fusion of horizons, it claims that intercultural research not only has to circumvent the danger of reducing the other under the familiar, but also has to prevent a construction of the other as exotic and absolutely different. Related Articles | Metrics

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Shakespeare and Econo-Literary Criticism Jiao Min 2020, 40 (2):  25-33.  Abstract ( 293 )   PDF (1395KB) ( 189 )   This article introduces the phases and practices of econo-literary criticism over the years to argue for the interdisciplinary studies of literature and economics. By explicating the fruitful research on Shakespearean works from the different perspectives of econo-literary criticism, it argues that this critical practice, through examining texts for their embedded economic forms, contents and contexts, can furnish new perspectives on literary texts as well as cultural and economic history, which, in turn, benefits the research of economics, whose innate ethic deficiencies are growingly felt recently. Related Articles | Metrics

Issue in Focus: Art Theory

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The Cross-Cultural Perspective to Survey Chinese Literati Paintings in François Jullien's Study of Chinese Painting Theories Liu Yunhua 2020, 40 (2):  34-45.  Abstract ( 441 )   PDF (1934KB) ( 181 )   François Jullien has consciously adopted a "Western self" to look at Chinese painting theories and take them as contributing to "the other." His theoretical base  is also Western, or more specifically, derived from Heidegger, Levinas and Derrida. Jullien's goal is, arguably,  to have a juncture and an approach to return to the European "l'impensé" by way of China, the "other." His study on Chinese painting theories is impressively novel, especially his insightful discussions on the nexus between Laozi (Daodejing) and Chinese painting theories. Also, his study provides methodological reference for Chinese scholars of comparative culture and comparative literature. That said, what Jullien particularly highlights and favors is Chinese "correlative thinking", and this suggests that his primary objectives of research are orientated at resolving the Western instead of China's "chronic afflictions" – lack of sensibility due to the scientific dominance, which is not an inherent problem in Chinese culture. Therefore, it is essential for Chinese scholars need to take approach Jullien's study with a grain of salt, even when facing certain eulogies of  ancient Chinese culture. Related Articles | Metrics

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Toward "Rhapsodie": On Jean-Pierre Sarrazac's Modern and Contemporary Dramatic Poetics Zhao Yinghui 2020, 40 (2):  46-56.  Abstract ( 320 )   PDF (1398KB) ( 98 )   Central to Jean-Pierre Sarrazac's dramatic thought is "rhapsodie", a concept with united heterogeneities. The original meaning of this word is "stitching," and Sarrazac uses it to define modern and contemporary theatre, aiming to highlight the characteristics of comprehensiveness, flexibility, and heterogeneous unity. He takes modern and contemporary theatre as a continuation of and an exploration into contemporary theatre after the so-called "theatre crisis" at the end of the 19th century, and maintains that as theatricality is intertwined with the elements of "epic" and "lyric," once excluded from Aristotelian theatrical theory, traditional theatre has been developing toward an open artform. The concept of rhapsodie is a concise summary of the characteristics of modern and contemporary theatre, and its re-interpretation of "epic" and "lyric" hassignificant influence on contemporary Western theatrical theory. However, the contradiction can be seen in this concept. In its contradiction with the Szondian concept of "epic" is its inescapable reliance on it. Related Articles | Metrics

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Forms, Approaches and Limitation of Avant-garde Art's Intervention in Society Li Lei 2020, 40 (2):  57-67.  Abstract ( 275 )   PDF (1385KB) ( 142 )   The concept of "the avant-garde" has both political and aesthetic connotation when applied to arts, which, to some degree, corresponds to its two approaches of intervening in society. It either abandons artistic autonomy and directly intervenes in society based on certain political ideas and party positions, or, it adheres to artistic autonomy and intervenes indirectly in society by maintaining a distance from society. There are thus irreconcilable contradictions between ideas and approaches of the avant-garde when it intervenes in society. This internal paradox makes it difficult for avant-garde art to truly intervene in society, and it also determines the efficacy of its intervention. Related Articles | Metrics

Classical Literary Theory and Criticism

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Elegance and Naturalness: Two Aesthetic Dimensions of Traditional Chinese Thought on the Qin Music Zhang Jing, Zhao Shuzhi 2020, 40 (2):  68-79.  Abstract ( 263 )   PDF (1889KB) ( 117 )   The qin (a type of seven-stringed plucked musical instrument) music plays a very important role in traditional Chinese traditional culture. The qin is the most frequently used musical instrument in classical Chinese literature and is representative of elegant music. The rich history of the qin music has engendered engendered profound traditional aesthetic thought on it, which has two important dimensions: 1) the concept of "elegance" that centers on the idea of "music as education" in Confucian ideology, and 2) the concept of "naturalness" with that has its origins in Daoist thought. These two concepts become unified in the prolonged history of the practice of traditional Chinese qin music, and have significantly influencedits creation and interpretation. The dimensions of "elegance" and "naturalness" have shaped the aesthetic character of traditional Chinese qin music, and are the ideological source of its perpetual vitality. Related Articles | Metrics

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A Textual Critique on Mencius' Perception of "Tracing back Intent through Understanding" Huang Hongqiu 2020, 40 (2):  80-90.  Abstract ( 307 )   PDF (1902KB) ( 179 )   One long-standing debate in Chinese literary criticism and hermeneutics has been over the meaning of "intent" (yi) in Mencius' notion of "tracing back intent through understanding (yiyi nizhi).The debate between the text-centred and the reader-centred is renown due to Qing scholar Wu Qi's (1615-75) positing his interpreting Mencius' "intent" as idea of antique scholars against what he understood to be Han-Song scholars' interpretation of it as personal opinion or conjecture opinion of ancient people. The Han-Song Confucian scholars understood Mencius' "intent" from the reader's perspective, as the intent of text-based reader. Scholars in the Ming and Qing dynasties referred to social contexts and broadened the way to understand the author, but this approached undermined the limitation of the original text and strengthened readers' subjectivity in interpretation. Following their Ming and Qing predecessors, contemporary scholars explore new possibilities of "intent" under the influence of Western hermeneutics, and attempt a decontextualized critique of Wu Qi's interpretation. In fact, due to readers' conscious involvement in the interpretive process, Wu Qi's understanding of "intent" is inevitably the intent reader-filtered text, which was inherently consistent with Han-Song scholars' intent of text-based reader. The intent may be interpreted from the perspective of the reader or the text, and Mencius' standpoint on this remains unknown. This paper argues that the integration of both perspectives is the true meaning of the intent in "tracing back intent through understanding". Related Articles | Metrics

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Meng Haoran's Poetic Ideas Reflected in His Fusion of Ancient-Style and Regulated Verses into Five-Character Poetry Yang Zhao 2020, 40 (2):  91-102.  Abstract ( 229 )   PDF (1913KB) ( 184 )   The fusion of ancient-style and regulated verses in Meng Haoran's five-character poetry exemplifies the complicated relationship between ancient-style and contemporary-style regulated verses in the High Tang. His "regulated verses with ancient quality" had either gentle or steep patterns of tonality, and developed more flexible and consistent structures in variations of parallelism. On the other hand, his "ancient-style verses with regulated quality" were often delicate and fluent in parallelistic transformations. During the High Tang, poetry creations of these two types often shared some themes, and were also related to Meng's political frustrations or personal leisure which in turn reflected the subjectivity of him as an author and, pointed to his poetic ideals. Meng's perception of five-character regulated verses was based not only on his understanding of the basic principles of this genre, but also on his personal experience in ancient-style verses, especially the couplets structure and language style. However, his perception reflected the inner conflict between the two forms. His creation remained limited by the immature status of five-character ancient-style verses in the High Tang. Related Articles | Metrics

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The Interaction of Yin and Yang: Ouyang Xiu's Idea of Music and His Poetics Cheng Wei 2020, 40 (2):  103-111.  Abstract ( 233 )   PDF (1857KB) ( 144 )   Ouyang Xiu regarded poetry as derived from music and he would prescribe poetry with his idea of music. His idea can be traced back to "Records of Music (yue ji)" in The Book of Rites, as he argued that music is originated from the vital energy (qi) of Yin and Yang. However, he abstracted the materiality from poetry and thus attributed emotional appeal to both music and poetry as their main function. In Ouyang's view, the imbalance of vital energy between Yin and Yang manifests in the diversity of emotions in music and poetry, while the circulation of the vital energy between the heaven and the earthly world manifests in the ubiquity of emotions. The diversity of emotions, as contaminated by unorthodox elements, causes the crippled sublimity of music and poetry, whereas the ubiquity of emotions has helped to maintain the status of music and poetry. Henceforth, in quite a few areas of the Northern Song Dynasty culture scene there emerged a tendency to hold onto the orthodox ideas while imbibing heterogeneous elements, of which Ouyang Xiu is a pioneer. Related Articles | Metrics

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Playful Reception of Classics: On Parodization of Du Fu's Poems in the Song Dynasty Yao Hua 2020, 40 (2):  112-120.  Abstract ( 278 )   PDF (1858KB) ( 185 )   Playful writings are relatively less researched on in Chinese literary criticism, compared with the more exuberant discussions such as the parody theory in the Western literary tradition. This paper takes as example the parodizations of Du Fu's poems in the Song dynasty to explore the parodical writing and its implications in the reception of canonical poetry. As Du Fu's poetry was canonized in the Song Dynasty, increasingly more parodies of Du Fu's poems were seen. The popularity and publicity of Du Fu's poetry prompted the parodization, while his unique style and textual features became the basis for parodies, both of which were reflected in the parodical writings. One notable case is Su Shi's sequelto Du Fu's "Ballad of Beautiful Ladies." By deliberately violating the principles of ancient hermeneutics, Su Shi purposely misread "The Ballad of Beautiful Ladies" to reconstruct the image of Du Fu in his sequel to Du Fu's poem. The parodization of canonical writings such as Du Fu's poems was interwoven with some traditional practices in folk entertainment such as the playful ridicules, insinuated mockery, etc. The functions of literary texts are transformed by entertainment needs, and the impact of canonical writings spreads beyond their traditional field of influence to such fields as folk culture, daily life, and social public opinions. Related Articles | Metrics

Modern and Contemporary Literary Theory

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The Politics of Form: The Correlation between Formal Reconstructions in Free Verse and Anarchism Li Guohui 2020, 40 (2):  121-129.  Abstract ( 209 )   PDF (1359KB) ( 110 )   Formal reconstruction was a common phenomenon in the early stage of the Third Republic of France and in Britain during the First World War when free verse passed its stage of formal liberation. Rather than differentiating free verse from prose, the deeper rationale of formal reconstruction is that free verse has been contaminated by the "mauvais sang (bad blood)" of aesthetic anarchism that satisfied the poets' craving for anti-formal poetry in the early stage. As anarchism did not fare very well under the press of political conservatism in the late 19th-century France and 1910s Britain, free verse, as a result, tried to clean away formal anarchism in order to obtain a unified definition. Because formal reconstruction still has a tendency of anarchism, and the unified conception fails to establish itself, formal reconstruction offers but another means of imagination of verse by which poets could soothe the trauma of a disrupted prosodic heritage. Related Articles | Metrics

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Non-fictionality of Lu Xun's Old Tales Retold: On the Stylistic Effect of Literary Game on Lu Xun's Historical Writing Li Jianhuai, Zhao Guangya 2020, 40 (2):  130-138.  Abstract ( 284 )   PDF (1363KB) ( 250 )   Lu Xun's Old Tales Retold can be regarded as an absolutely unique voice in the history of China's "New Literature." It demonstrates an originality as non-fictionality of the stories, with imagistic modernist discourse interacting with with the ancient discourse. This resulted in a multi-voiced image-full textual world which contributes to the alienation of literary discourse, the estrangement of aesthetic experience, and the rhetoric effect of parody and irony. It hence broke the boundaries of reality and fiction, undermined the authenticity of historical writing, removed the barriers between fiction and non-fiction as well as those between literature and non-literature, and deconstructed the inherent requirements of fiction. It is Lu Xun's free spirit of game that impregnated such a masterpiece sui generis. Related Articles | Metrics

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The Shift from "Thought" to "Spirit" in Lu Xun Studies since 1976: A Case Study of Wang Furen's A Mirror of China's Anti-Feudal Ideological Revolution Wang Jian, Chen Guoen 2020, 40 (2):  139-149.  Abstract ( 244 )   PDF (1871KB) ( 78 )   It is commonly accepted that 1976 was a turning point for Lu Xun studies, but what remains obscure is through what ways the shift eventuated. This article, by focusing on Wang Furen's study of Lu Xun, attempts to outline the shift with the two keywords "thought" and "spirit", and highlights his contribution of integrating factors of intellectuals and reality into Lu Xun studies, which is inspired by the epistemological turn. This attempt becomes the origin of a more individualized and enlightenment-oriented approaches to Lu Xun. It is in this latter period that the concept of "spirit" is emphasized, because it depicts a knowledge system different from the politicized "thought". The shift of keywords, in fact, indicates a shift of epistemology. Related Articles | Metrics

Western Literary Theory

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Events Toward the Future: Event Theory Turn from the Perspective of Contemporary Thinkers Lan Jiang 2020, 40 (2):  150-158.  Abstract ( 262 )   PDF (1867KB) ( 91 )   A turn is seen in event theory in the 21st century intellectual history, and the highlighting of the issue of event manifests man's aspiration to change the world. Event is a singularity, and cannot be reduced to a discourse or degree in an established order, since it itself constitutes a challenge to the discursive structure of the order. The emergence of an event signifies the occupation of a new place, so that absolute transformations can be made in new places and spaces. This is the starting point from which contemporary thinkers, such as Gilles Deleuze, Slovaj Žižek, and Alain Badiou, conceptualize event. By analyzing the thoughts of Plato, Deleuze, Žižek, and Badiou, this paper reconsiders the notion of event and explores the transitional singularity, in hope of initiating the philosophical path toward the future. Related Articles | Metrics

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A Study of the "World" Metaphor in Contemporary Western Narrative Theories Yang Jianguo 2020, 40 (2):  159-169.  Abstract ( 345 )   PDF (1670KB) ( 184 )   From the last 20 years of the 20th century, the metaphor of "world" found its way into narrative studies, resulting in a set of new narrative concepts as possible worlds, fictional worlds, and story worlds. With the help of these concepts, narrative researchers could break away from the text-focusedness in classical structuralist narratology and direct the focus of study to such problem as the ontological status of fictional narratives, the immersion effect of literary reading, and the flow of stories in transmedia channels. This article begins with an introduction of the definitions, historical development, and current situations of three major narrative theories about the world: possible world, fictional world and story world, and proceeds to of the analysis of three conceptual metaphors in these narrative theories: the world is a container, the world is a network, and the world is a shadow. The paper hopes to illuminate world metaphor's multifaced intervention of and multilayered impact on contemporary narrative theories. Related Articles | Metrics

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Canon Model: On the Repetitive Structure of Oral Narration Huang Ruoran 2020, 40 (2):  170-184.  Abstract ( 370 )   PDF (2109KB) ( 163 )   Repetition scatters in narrative, and it shows the heterogeneous isomorphism with differences integrated with repetitions. Due to the shared textuality thinking between inherent musicality of oral literature and polyphony, canon model with its contrapuntal compositional technique is universally found in the compositional mechanism of oral literature, – and creates a narration of repetition based on imitation under temporal principle and counterpoint under spatial principle. Within a single text and across multiple texts, canon model may take the forms of parallel canon, mirror canon and endless canon based on the development of plot. The former two forms can further be divided into subtypes I, II, III and IV based on configurations of characters, events and results, with the subtypes overlapping in different dimensions. The repetitive mode in canon composition sheds light to the understanding and construction of conventional performance structure of oral literature, and apart from exploring the compositional principles, it also points to the interdisciplinary research on folk literature and musicology. Related Articles | Metrics

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"Aesthetic Dignity of Words": Aestheticism in Theodor W. Adorno's Early Theory on the Philosophy of Language Wang Yaochong 2020, 40 (2):  185-195.  Abstract ( 243 )   PDF (1879KB) ( 121 )   As a key piece of writing of Theodor W. Adorno's early theory on philosophy of language, Theses on the Language of the Philosopher has lacked scholarly attention for a prolonged period of time. In recent years, Western scholars realize that the philosophy of language in classic critical theory affords potential ideological resources to reflect on the linguistic turn.The new generation of German scholars in critical theory also propose a "language paradigm", which promotes the revival of Adorno's philosophy of language. Adorno's historical contribution to the philosophy of language is based on his creative extension of Walter Benjamin's theology/philosophy of language into the realm of social criticism. With social criticism as the methodological core of linguistic criticism, Adorno emphasizes the confluence of art and cognition, establishing an orientation of aestheticism through "the aesthetic dignity of words" in his philosophy of language.This linguistic aestheticism is a good perspective to understand the chronical development of Adorno's thought. Related Articles | Metrics

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Myth as a Meta-Narrative Xu Zhiqiang 2020, 40 (2):  196-205.  Abstract ( 418 )   PDF (1365KB) ( 228 )   Seen from the phenomenological perspective, myth is not a primitive cultural phenomenon, but instead a permanent dimension in human culture, a meta-narrative with fundamental significance for human existence. Myth, as a meta-narrative, not only remains in the background of human existence to provide orientation, but also actively leads believers to return to their arche for authentic human existence. However, myth only occurs in the moment of human predicament, when it becomes necessary to promote the renewal of life by providing an absolute beginning. Related Articles | Metrics

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The Political Dimension of "Empty Signifier": From Levi-Strauss to Žižek Xiao Weijing 2020, 40 (2):  206-216.  Abstract ( 734 )   PDF (1390KB) ( 551 )   The political dimension of signifier is a hidden clue that runs through structuralism to post-Marxism. Empty signifier has no specific signification but can embrace all signifiers. Its theoretical foundations are the difference and arbitrariness of language systems, the signifier chain, anchor point, and object a as developed by Lacan. Levi-Strauss' analysis of the "excess of signifier" and "Mana" in treatment of shamanism has the connotation of empty signifier. Laclau believed that the process of cohesion from floating signifiers to the master signifier with "links" is the process of leadership competition and formation, where the dominant signifier has to absorb the connotation of other signifiers and transforms from particularity to universality. Žižek rejects Laclau's optimism. He emphasizes more on particular hegemony and the capital logic that has been excluded from plural democracy and occupied a dominant position. Empty signifier and master signifier are the unity of opposites. The former emphasizes emptiness and universality, while the latter emphasizes dominance and particularity. It is from the perspective of the latter that Žižek criticizes the empty signifier emphasized by Laclau. Marx's and Žižek's ideological criticism on ideologies and Laclau's analysis of the formation of hegemony can be regarded as two different political analysis models. The former focuses on the vertical exploration of the nature beneath the surface, while the latter describes the contestation among multiple factors in the planar dimension. Related Articles | Metrics