"Xin Self-enlightenment" And "Soul Salvation"

There are many differences between Chinese and Occidental classical fictions. How will we investigate the differences? We'll get an approach by an examination of the reciprocal relationship between classical fictions and religion.The bases of traditional Western cultural mentality are Christianity-oriented. But Chinese are Confucian. The Westerners are concerned about the soul, and, contrariwise, the Chinese have centered on the Xin. The Westerners seek salvation from God, the Chinese try to enlighten by themselves.Xin Self-enlightenment embodies sharpening and polishing the human mind through self-effort. Soul salvation is realization that improvement of individuals comes under the care of God.Xin Self-enlightenment and soul salvation accumulate and take form deep in the hearts of the Chinese people and Westerners, and continue to influence the human spirit. This brings forth the different cultural mentalities of the Chinese and Westerners. And this difference of cultural mentality influences the thoughts and writing of the authors.Nevertheless, Chinese and Occidental fictions not only share the same objects of expression and the same goals of literary pursuit, but also get the different creative and acceptant mentality, the different judgment of value and the various particular forms of expression. Accordingly we can find the different motivation and literary techniques.To sum up, we examined the differences between Chinese and Occidental classical fictions, not in order to choose the best among them, but in order to make their excellent tradition and limitations explicit, to show what convention and procedure enable critics to communicate their information and improve the common literature. Consequently we hope that Chinese culture and literature could absorb the meanings of Occidental corresponding parts without paying the heavy cost of being denied and assimilated.