On The Introduction Of Western Literary Theories Into Modern China (1898～1927)

The twentieth century surely deserves the title—’the age of criticism’.’Not only has a veritable spate of criticism descended upon us, but criticism has achieved a new self-consciousness, a much greater public status’.This is what Rene Wellek (1903-1995) has observed and ascertained regarding the western literary criticism before the end of the twentieth century. Nevertheless, it would also be appropriate to describe and summarize the picture of the twentieth-century criticism in China. Beyond all question, the Chinese criticism has been accepting and absorbing various western trends of theories and thoughts all through the century. However, it could be said that the flourishing modern Chinese criticism is the fond trend of times, no matter from the point of the long history of Chinese criticism or the progress of the twentieth-century Chinese literature. In that case, how did this’criticism century’ commence?In the late Qing period, with the stimulation of western civilization, China stepped on the way to modernization. With the various mechanisms adopted in the movement for modernity, among which the enlightenment of the Chinese people was the focus, western literature and literary theories spread throughout China and got wide acceptance and influence. Thereupon, Chinese criticism started to change in its run and substance, and commenced a new life journey. In the May Fourth era, with the absorbing of new theories, methods and evaluations, the Chinese criticism departed further from its traditional model and formed its own independent personality. It was the importing, accepting and integrating of the western theories that gave birth to the shape of the ’modern’ Chinese criticism.The theme of this thesis is to:1) depict the journey of how western literary theories have disseminated in China from late Qing to the May Fourth era;2) analyze the influence of the importing of those western theories on the development of modern Chinese criticism; and3) recollect the active echoes and tough advances in struggle and peril of the modern Chinese criticism. Following are the specific arrangements:In the first place, trace the footsteps of western theories in China under the concrete context. As a kind of cultural phenomena, translation and introduction has no direct relationships to any changes in history, society, or trend of thoughts. However, a remarkable link can be found insofar as the early emergence of western theories in China is concerned. Obviously, the advocacy of political fiction in late Qing evolved out of a societal reaction to the intrusion of the West into China and the subsequent overall national crises, inspired mainly by the Japanese example. The considerable popularity of foreign theories testified to the strong need of a new generation during the May Fourth movement. The bulk of thought, from Poetics by Aristotle to different modern trends, was introduced and then anchored in China with the efforts of various literary groups.In the second place, explore the two leading patterns of interpretation while western theories first coming into China. Despite of the fact that the meaning is bound to become more or less in a new linguistic context, the ideal state that one can reach when translating will to a large extent depend on their cultural stand and the corresponding tactics. Using native ideas and concepts to explain foreign thoughts, which was once a popular way to translate Buddhist sutras, continued to be the dominant style in the translated texts of Yan and Lin, in which the original flavor would be reduced inevitably. On the contrary, young intellectuals tried to restore the true colors of the western theories through the language full of tension in order to reveal the unfamiliarity and diversity, hoping that would help to develop new literature and form a new system of discourse.In the third place, briefly describe the crucial features of western theory introduction in late Qing and the May Fourth period. For those who experienced the humiliating defeat of the first Sino-Japanese war (1894-1895), and afflicted with the strongly felt split between tradition and modernity, destructive attitude was a natural choice in order to revolt against the classical literature and theory. Their spiritual heritage, full of blank space and errors, therefore could not serve as the proper resources. The new generation would return to the original ones, with the desire to do the constructive and creative work. With the increasing volume of translations, new literature appeared and grew up, and the basis of modern criticism was founded.From late Qing to the May Fourth era, the whole literature reform was almost parallel to the criticism movement. It was the lead and guidance of literary criticism that formed the basis of the new literature. Even when we examine the progress of Chinese literary criticism in the past century, it is inevitable that the peak period of the translation and introduction of western literary theories was also the time of peak of the active and flourishing criticism. In other words, western literary theories played a significant role in the process of modern transformation and construction of the Chinese criticism, bursting it with vitality and setting it into action. Notwithstanding the fact that the translators and introducers of these theories were lacking enough critical thinking and conclusive study given the vast cultural barriers existed, it is impossible to overlook the entire picture of modern Chinese criticism without a concrete exploration of the importing and introducing of western literary theories. The translation and introduction of western theories, especially at the early stage, is vital in that it affects the clarification of a number of important issues throughout the history of modern Chinese criticism and it also inspires the new structural frame of literary criticism. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehend and analyze the translation and introduction in a new different way.