Rorty's Literary Theory Of Relationalism

Language is the logical beginning of Rorty's anti-essentialism, which determines and relates directly to his anti-essentialism, conceptions of truth and his views on history, literature, culture and politics etc. Rorty has many academic resources for his theory of anti-essentialism, but his opponents do not recognize the decisive role of historicism and romanticism. Rorty opposes the existence of a homogeneous truth to realism. However, this does not mean that he denies the existence of the world for we can still make an accurate judgment. After his exploration of anti-essentialism, Rorty approaches for panrelationalism or relationalism, which derives most of its theoretic resources from structuralism. Relationalism can be an effective response to the prevalent accusation of relativism. It is no longer a worshiper of totality anymore. Pierre Bourdieu's theory has something in common with Rorty's relationalism and also makes certain important supplement by comparison.Rorty, as a pioneer theorist, pointed out that literary theory is a new literary genre. However, he is labeled as an "Anti-theorist" comically in Eagleton and Said's criticisms. Rorty emphasizes the practicability of theory and opposes the worship of science. Literary education should not underestimate literary theory but focus on the twists and turns of the confrontation of western theory and Chinese situation. Rather than fastening the current aesthetic value and literariness to the essence of literature, we should place literature in the relational network. The same applies to literary interpretation. However, Rorty insists on breaking down the boundary between "using text"and "interpreting text" and on ascribing the interpretation to the use according to different purposes, which is inconsistent with relationalism. Rorty's agreement with Bloom's canonization of the inspiring value of classics leads to his prejudice on cultural studies. The ultimate reason is his severe political divergence with the Cultural Left. Rorty's re-estimation of modernism marks his abandonment of the linear, teleological conception of history, which is beneficial for our reflection of the writing of literary history. The main method of literary criticism with "Post-Philosophical Culture" is re-description of words with an aim of understanding how things are related, trying to undo the cultural knot. We are welcoming the literary culture after abandoning the pursuit of a permanent essence, with imagination as the only resource of redemption. This conception, which can work as an effective supplement for Rorty's theory, derives from Kundera, who pointed out more clearly that literary culture had been/was undergoing erosion compared with Rorty's optimism. The intellectual within literary culture is no longer an avant-garde cultural hero. However, it is apparent that Rorty bears ideal and hope for intellectuals in his The Humanistic Intellectual:Eleven Theses. In the theoretical perspective of anti-essentialism, the Utopia is broken down, without which people would be more pragmatic in their dedication to "Piecemeal engineering". The exit of utopia does not bring pessimism but confidence and peace, as all our imagination of society and history depends on the game of dynamic relationship.