A Study On The Construction Of National Mythology Images And National Characteristics Of Chinese New Poetry

Since the naissance of Chinese new poetry, the debate and carding between "east" and "west","new" and "old" is a topic often being talked about. Faced with the topic, people mainly keep a foothold on the external morphological comparison, which is restricted to the difference in language expression and form construction between new poetry and classical poetry. Recently,"Whether new poetry has its tradition or not" has become a heatedly discussed topic in academic circle, which promotes discussions of the old topic. The question "whether new poetry has its tradition or not" not only concerns the overall assessment of Chinese new poetry's one hundred year of development, but also masters the spiritual trend in its future development. To grasp its profundity is both necessary and timely. However, it is a pity that the discussing points of the two side of debate follow slavishly.Traditional culture cannot represent cultural tradition. Cultural tradition is the soul of traditional culture and characterizes national spirit. That different forms of literature models such as poem, Ci, Qu and ode can be governed by classical poetry is based on cultural tradition. For Chinese new poetry, it must trace its source from the height of "Tao"(national spirit) and jump off the thinking level of "Qi"(classical poetry). On account of the research status of Chinese new poetry's tradition, this paper tries to probe into the question "whether new poetry has its tradition or not" from the perspective of national spirit."Uniqueness" and "constancy" are the main peculiarities of "national spirit". The formation of "national spirit" cannot be excluded from the sedimentary deposits of history. The "original" life form of "national spirit" and a nation's myth and legend, the best way to have a restricted view of "national spirit", are of a relationship of exterior and interior as universally acknowledged. Therefore, to discuss the tradition of new poetry, the central task of new poetry's tradition falls on the national characteristics of Chinese new poetry from the study of the images of national myth and legends. To look into the nationality of Chinese new poetry from the images of national myth and legends, essentially, is to consider about those poems which sustain and reveal their national characteristics due to the existence of national myth and legend images and their related images, in spite of the circumstance of modernization. To this paper, the influence of the images of national myth and legends on Chinese new poetry is omni-bearing, deep-seated and systematized, which can be separately analyzed from the perspectives of genetic theory, alteration theory, axiology, poetic theory, genre theory, author theory, art theory and effect theory etc.Reasons why the images national myth and legends thrive in Chinese new poetry can be concluded from the following:First, the self-consciousness of Chinese mythology theory during May Forth Period. Writers such as Liang Qichao, Wang Guowei, Lu Xun, Zhou Zuoren, Mao Dun, Xie Liuyi, Lin Huixiang and Huang Shi, introduced western mythology theory, through which they recognized the relation between poetry and mythology. Second, the "chaotic" order and "enlightening" imagination. In the first half of the20th century, the "chaotic" situation in China's society and the enlightening role intellectuals played spurred people on to mythology comparison. Third, the existence mission and connotation of modernized literature and art. The marriage between modernized literature/art and mythology is an internal appeal. At last, the historical resurgence of the spirit of "Taoist school" and its modern interpretation. The spirit of "Taoist school" is connected with Wu-Chu culture and myth and legends, while it is also one of the ideology resources of Chinese intellectuals'elegant favors.The combination of the images of national myth and legends is the practice of using allusions. However, what penetrates into it is not "the ideology of using allusions" but the inclusion of time characteristics, which includes three aspects. First, the ideology of using allusions naturalizes to vanguard spirit. It is called vanguard because related poems show "anti-vulgarness" in temperament, defamiliarization in utterance and integration with western poetics. Second, cultural awareness overlaps historical consciousness. Chinese new poetry's using allusions of the images of national myth and legend expresses itself as a kind of cultural implication which is related with the perspective of nationality and synchronic instead of historical consciousness. Third, lofty properties are compatible with elegant language. Allusions in old poetry display elegant language but separate from lofty properties. While on the contrary, Chinese new poetry with national myth and legend images is compatible with lofty properties and elegant language as they associate with aesthetic standards of "strength","hero" and "moral justice" rather than gaining victory from plots, what's more, it is different from instrument vernacular in language strategies and interacts with Chu culture.The images of National myth and legends exert great influence on the value orientation of related poems. Value orientation is mainly built on the process of relationship of subject with others, world, god and self. Heroes or "god" in Chinese myth and legend present "moralized", while in Chinese new poetry shows that individual will collectivized in isomorphism."Hua Sheng" myth is an important interpretation of "identity" in Chinese myth and legends'relation of subject with nature and the world, while it turns into the real life's "Sheng Sheng" in Chinese new poetry. On the management of the relation of "man" with "god", it is expressed as "Human's deification" in Chinese myth and legend, while humanity in Chinese new poetry shows as the division of poetic quality and divinity. Subject's self-cognition in Chinese myth and legend can be concluded as "the omnipotence of god", and relevant poems permeate the consciousness of "the existence of self'or spirits of participation.Chinese new poetry containing the images of national myth and legend filters corresponding western poetics. Since the consciousness of "Wandering" in Chinese myth and legends makes the spirit of "mental state" in Chinese romantic poetic non-ontological. While the "correspondences theory'of western symbolism characterizes itself as the thought of "life's synaesthesis" when it is under the dialysis of Chinese myth and legend images. The personality will in Chinese myth and legend images belongs to the pent-up type which makes life poetic in Chinese new poetry break away from physiological attributes and show more "humanism" tendency. Worshipping ancestors, instead of God, in fact, is the peculiarity of Chinese myth and legend. Thus, Chinese modern mysticism poetics take on "non-religion".In Chinese classical period, poems with national myth and legend images form some fixed literature types which are inherited directly or indirectly owing to the medium of Chinese myth and legend images. First, the subject of "Fairy Wandering" is very common in new poetry. Second,"drama poetry" in Chinese new poetry seems to be "new", but it is evolved from "Drama about Taoist Deities" because of the penetration of Chinese myth and legend images. Third, as "crescent school" advocates humanistic spirits, with the help of national myth and legend images, they deliver the spirits of "respecting deities and adoring Tao", and the corresponding poetry has the tendency toward "Qing Ci".The occurrence of "synchronic" phenomenon cannot be separated from individual practices of some representative poets and also there exist differences and individuality in their practices. Based on his worship of the orient original goddess modeled on "Nu Wa"(a goddess in Chinese mythology), Guo Moruo experiences the "creative" essence of poetry, which he obtains from national culture while he is against predecessors' views about it. Wen Yiduo revives "Chu Ci" by blending faith, imaginary beauty and strength. His corresponding poetry is new "Chu Ci", which endows him the recognition of the essence of Chinese new poetry. Zhu Xiang, on one hand, argues that Chinese myth and legend is the most beautiful which can save humanity; on the other hand, he asserts that we can "state the different characteristics of China" from national myth and legend. The two are both contradictory and identical. National myth and legends are poetry of "deities and Tao". Feng Zhi also finds Chinese new poetry's "thought". In his The Collection of Sonnets, the previous spirit traces of long narrative poems are obvious. Tang Shi is enlightened by "local stories" to create Chinese carnival poems and pastorals."Root-seeking school" poets explore life's divinity from Chinese ancient mythology. One weakness of enlightment centered on reason is ignoring life. Compared with West, Chinese myth and legend stands out for respecting perceptual life. Thus,"Root-seeking school" regards national myth and legend as a sacred life song.National myth and legend images have great influence on the art of corresponding poems. First, relevant poems as well as classical poems pay much attention to images, which is not affected by American imagists but the totemism in national myth and legend itself. Second, many Chinese new poems with national myth and legend tend to narrate but this does not mean it is entirely prosed because Chinese mythology is the unity of the external "chaotic thoughts", and "meaning" and "artistic conception" seeking. Third, Chinese new poetry with national myth and legend show the tendency to "pure poeticization", but the "purity" is based on "impurity", for Chinese myth and legend attach importance to reality.The shorter historic distance between ethnic minority culture and myth and legend make relevant poems have the significance of responding and enlightening, which can be illustrated from three aspects in the construction of national poetics:regionalism, is its channel of engaging; religious consciousness, a direction of trying; comprehensive thinking, a road of returning.To sum up, although verifying the national characteristics of Chinese new poetry from only one aspect and through one method, this paper essentially discusses and clears the question of "whether new poetry has its tradition or not" from the perspectives of national spirit, life experience and thinking patterns due to the extraordinary importance of national myth and legends in cultural attributes. Meanwhile, only parts of research objects are selected, but they have universal meanings. Therefore, the conclusion of this paper is that tradition exists in new poetry, yet it does not lie in classical poetry nor Chinese new poetry itself but in cultural tradition, from which we can know that:first, parts of Chinese national spirits are implied in Chinese poetry with image of national myth and legends. Second, the image of "god" in it does not contain the spirit of Christianity. Third, the ontology of new poetry should be based on the tradition of Chinese new poetry but the two are greatly different. Finally, an enlightening suggestion in creation is that the value orientation of Chinese new poetry should be close to national spirit actively and positively.