Kitsch: The Presentation Of Modernity Fragments Of Modern Chinese Pop Literature

The premise of this thesis is that the modernity of modem Chinese literature consist of not only such ultimate values as aesthetics and enlightenment, revolution and desire, which can be described as collectivity modernity, but also non-collectivity modernity such as "sensuous" , unconscious, fragmentary and flat."Introduction" states that there exist two types of cultural transformation and two types of modernity in modem Chinese history. One type of cultural transformation keeps to enlightenment way, from conception to conception, corresponding to the collectivity modernity. The other one follows the direct sensuous way, from material to conception, corresponding to non-collectivity modernity, namely, the fragments of modernity.Chapter One " Displacement of literature and initiation of kitsch " : in the late of 19^th century, with the development of modem typography, publication began popular and cheap, so "reading" became a common pastime among the masses, especially the citizens. The change of the medium led to the change of existence of literature—it no longer existed alone, whereas, it was presented to readers as a part of cultural commodities. The function of the medium is to advertise so as to sell the products. Single text was not respectable any more, but just a unit of the commodities. Therefore, to study the modem pop literature is to study the culture comprehensively existing in magazines, periodicals and newspapers, because, here, as an integrated cultural commodity provided to readers, literature and other word materials both belonged to the commodity. However, the initiation of kitsch resulted from commoditization and massive replication of culture and literature. As for China, the symbol of kitsch derived from the urban impression and modem experience in the late Qing dynasty constructed by all kinds of the public reading matters. This chapter focuses on Shen Newspaper and Dian shi zhai Pictorial, giving detailed description, and by comparison of Shen Newspaper and Su newspaper, sets forth the differences between kitsch cultural world and collectivity modernity cultural world.Chapter Two "the means of making up: the edit strategy of literary periodicals in kitsch" . The logic is: as in kitsch world, the first thing accepted by readers is not single text but an integrated cultural commodity, which has to stimulate readers' desire for consumption by sensuous visual impact. The general taste and consumption value isconveyed to readers by means of the style, contents, and color pages containing photos and pictures when they are looking through. So this chapter begins with the arrangement of columns and graphics context of magazines, studying how to make up pop literary magazines as consumer goods. Firstly, it describes the change of the edit of modern pop magazines, illuminating the important function of the edit and style to the shaping of kitsch reading. Secondly, based on the difference between cognition function and sensuous function, studies the kitsch exercise of graphics in pop magazines, focusing on Liang You Pictorial. It also points that as to the strengthening of sensuous effect in the general cultural consumption, new mediums' impact to traditional printing medium occurred after 1920s-30s.From the third chapter, the thesis researches the features of kitsch cultural world, represented by pop magazines, from three aspects respectively: knowledge system, aesthetic system, and value and ideology. This kind of narration accords with the integrated reading effect offered by these magazines as cultural commodities, avoiding this kind of narrative deficiency: establishing a discursive system to narrate writers, works and schools only to result in simplification of the original appearance of comparatively three-dimensional history.Chapter three "Convention and fashion: knowledge system in kitsch" discusses the construction and renovation of knowledge system consisting in pop magazines, compares this knowledge system with new culture knowledge system, and argues that it differs from the former, which takes on the characteristics such as miscellaneous, superficial and flat. Kitsch knowledge system derives from phenomena of ordinary life, which changes corresponding to the opposition and unification as well as alternation and renovation between convention and fashion. It as well reviews the content of this system briefly, and discovers the immanent relationship between pop magazines, pop culture and modern urban life.Chapter four "Collage and insect: aesthetic system in kitsch" argues that the beauty in pop magazines, kitsch culture is as the same as that of sensuous, decorative and superficial presented by modern city. Both in edit and a pop novel, collage and insect are the basic aesthetic principal in this system. Every kind of techniques to realize this aesthetic principal are thoroughly exhibited, and aesthetic effect to readers in addition: it makes kitsch culture refresh in spite of being replicated again and again, thereby the charm of it comes into being. The beauty in pop magazines and kitsch culture is madebut not created, the result of standard cultural production. No other than the collage, the renovation and massive manufacture can coexist.Chapter five "No ism: values and ideology in kitsch" discussed the combination and _expression of values and ideology in pop magazines and kitsch culture. In this cultural world, values and ideology exist in such a way that it is miscellaneous, disordered, and random, combined together. They are no longer values in depth, but changed into fiat mask and label, whose function is changed from illumination to decoration. Consequently, heterogeneous ideas, values can coexist without any discourse conflict each other;therein, they lost due function for education, organization and mobilization. Despite all kinds of values and ideologies in this cultural world, there exists no ism.In the description of these chapters can be found the comparison consciousness, comparison between kitsch culture, classical culture and new literature and new culture at any time. In this way, although it seems to be appendage, it has its own appearance and construction logic, performing completely different functions. It silently changed the structure of cultural psychology in readers' sub-consciousness, and the existence way of the world in readers' eyes, so it devoted itself to the establishment of the long-term groundwork for China entering into a new and long stage through the modern transformation.