On Wang Guowei's Poetic Outlook

Wang Guowei(1877-1927) is not only highly celebrated for his solid foundation of traditional Chinese learning but for his broad knowledge of western aesthetics. Inheriting traditional Chinese culture, he turned his eyes to the remote West for the beneficial western aesthetic ideas of rich western learning. Based on his accumulated details in Chinese literature, he boldly imbibed and made best use of the foreign achievements in the spirit of"borrowing"to establish his own theoretical system in poetics. In addition to his personal experience, his attainments in literature and philosophical speculation embodied in his poetics had played important roles in bringing Chinese culture and western one into great harmony .His theory is so unfathomable that we are not in a position to make improper understanding for the fabulous blending of two cultures. Cherishing a very esteeming mood, the writer is hesitating to explore into his spiritual world which at the same time gives an impulse to probe into the treasure. Now tracing back to the history of Chinese literature, the writer has ventured to make a study of his existing works consulting to his life and literary thought and referring to the current materials and documents based on the researches made by predecessors in that things relate to and interact with each other and develop incessantly。Focusing on the development of his thinking, literary studies, and writing practice, the writer will attempt to investigate his literary theory and the underlying sources from the treasure house of his poetics with his typical historian's views from the perspective of"Development Viewpoint of Poetics","The Essence Theory of Poetry","Theory of Innate Genius", and"The Realm Theory"in the principle of"Selecting the Essential and Discarding the Dross".