Rousseau And Modern Chinese Literature

Rousseau, a famous thinker and writer of 18th century French Enlightenment, wasknown by Chinese at the turn of 20th century, with the profound influence of his idea andwriting on modern Chinese literature. This essay aims at sorting out and summarizing theinfluence, surveying its source , approach and expression, and studying its transformation inthe course of adoption.The first chaper concerns the way through which Rousseau's Social Contract wasintroduced into China in the end of 19 th century, the representation of Rousseau's image inmodern Chinese literature and the reason for its idealization, localisation and individualization.Liang Qichao, as a representative of accepting Rousseau's political idea, not only introducedhis idea into China but also showed high opinion of the great thinker in his own poems.Rousseau's image in moder Chinese literature reflects the great influence of Rousseau onmodern Chinese ideology. On the other hand, such image as well as its idealization,individualization and localization proves the tendency of vulgarization, radicalism andutilitarianism in modern China.The second chapter, in terms of education, deals with the introduction of Emile to China.It studies the impact of Rousseau's educational ideas on modern Chinese writers as well as itsroot courses. Such representatives as Liang Qichao, Lu Xun, Zhou Zuoren and Lao sheengaged in intergrating Rousseau's natural educational idea with modern Chineseenlightenment cause. They believed education should respect children, comply with theirnature and focus on the training of individuality and creativity. Such belief expressed in theirworks, mark of influence of Rousseau's natural educational idea, is actually a deep reflectionand powerful criticism of traditional Feudal education and culture.The third chapter, from literature perspective, expounds the effect of Confessions, Julieon the writing practice of Lu Xun, Yu Dafu, Guo Moruo and Feng Yuanjun by analyzing therelationship between Rousseau and Chinese Romanticist literary trend. Furthermore, this partinvolves the survey and analysis of the psychological motive of Liang Shiqiu's Romanticismin terms of literary phylogenetics.In addition, Rousseau imposed great effect on modern Chinese writers' psychology andidea. This essay devotes chapter 4 to the study of the origin of Chinese writers' confessionalconsciousness as well as the textual features of their confessional discourse and provesRousseau's influence and its transformation. Through the case study of the works by Lu Xun,Yu Dafu and Zhu Ziqing, the thesis reveals the complicated psychological trait of "HistoricalMedium" in those "May Forth" writers' consciousness.Rousseau also relates to Feminist literature. Chapter 5 is devoted to the conflict betweenWestern Feminism and Penelope in modern Chinese literature. Rousseau's idea can be foundin the new Penelope images depicted by Bing Xin, Chen Hengzhe and Ling Shuhua and those"May Forth" women writers.Another proof is the "castle theme" in Chinese feminist literature.Undoubledly, Rousseau's idea that human right is inborn provides an idealogical source andtheoretical support for the development of early Western Feminism. But inevitably hisPenelope view of women and their education has become the target of Feminist criticism.Forturately he has such a supporter as Ellen Key. This dilemma also exists in the debatingabout modern Chinese Penelope. Bing Xin and the other "May Forth" women writersappeared amazing in their novels in that they didn't have their heroins simply return to thetraditional women's role, but had them possess a striking feature of the time. Rousseau's"castle setting" where women survive has become a remarkable theme of modern Feministliterature.This essay devotes chapter 6 to Rousseau's influence on the style of modern Chineseliterature. Emile is the first educational novel translated by and introduced into China, whichinspired the dreams cherished by Chinese intellectuals of saving nation with education in theform of novel. This book has become a precious resource for modern Chinese educationalnovels and provided archetype and yardstick for the writing and studying of this genre. Thestudy of his Reveries of a Solitary Walker not only helps us apprehend why we formed thestyle of "stressing conversation" yet "ignoring morologue" in our modern essay, it alsooffers a archetype and yardstick for our studying the artistic features and way of life possessedby our modern " morologue essay". Thus we may have a good knowledge of the birth anddevelopment of this kind of essay so that we could clarify the confusion in determining thestyle of Lu Xun's Wild Grass, He Qifang's Painting Dreams and Xiao Hong's Hulan River.