Research On The Pattern Of Modern Chinese Literature Over A Changing Period: 1945-1949

1945 - 1949 was a changing period, which witnessed something dissolved or confused, and some limits became uncertain. Various literary components or forces experienced differentiation, recombination and displacement. Before the First Congress of Literary and Art Workers in July 1949, a new literary pattern was formed and Yan'an literature was finally established as the legitimate direction of "contemporary literature". Whereas Yan'an literature had become the mainstream in the liberated area after the Rectification Movement, this dissertation elaborately describes the process of literary pattern transformation and deeply analyzes the particular facts in space-time order, based on a wide reading of magazines and supplements of newspapers in this period, and carefully chosen material such as significant topics, symposiums, controversies and animadverts.The first chapter mainly explores the conveyance of Yan'an spirit of literature ". and art in Kuomintang occupied. areas and the purgation movement in progressive literati. It points out: first, during Anti-Japanese War, Yan'an spirit of literature and art was transmitted only within the Gommunist Party in the rear areas, and was not combined with the study of rectification files, therefore the progressive literati there could not completely understand the spirit. Second, after Anti-Japanese War, Yan'an literary authorities intensified their liquidation of progressive literature and art in the rear areas, including criticizing its main mistake of rightist tendency, "non-political tendency" of Xia Yan's drama Grass along the Skyline, and "Subjectiveness" advanced by Hu Feng and his friends. These criticisms with clear clan and class position behind started up the process of recombining, renaming thus reconstructing a new literary order by the left-wing literati before the foundation of New China.Chapter Two mainly depicts the propaganda and failure of Kuomintang literature. It is held: first, the establishment of All Chinese Writers' Association declared the end of solidarity in the anti-Japanese war. The official magazine Literary Vanguards with its compilation policy and works reflected the narrowness of Kuomintang official literature from "three principles literature" to "the literature of quell rebellion". Second, reading of Xiang Pei-liang's political drama Shine through the Ages indicates that Kuomintang writers were also obsessed by the disaccord between politics and literature. Third, Shanghai branch of All Chinese Writers' Association, with its distinctive organization, literary view and activities, reflects an acentric tendency among those who identified themselves with Kuomintang politically while pursued artistic independency. It symbolized the pattern of modern Chinese literature became flexible.Chapter Three mainly analyzes the differentiation of the "Beijing School" during this period. First, compare different writers' different "discourse" on the topic of "blaze a new way" and their imagination about the construction of postwar new culture, and analyze Li Guang-tian's left-leaning and Zhu Zi-qing's being written left-leaning. Second, review the activities of liberal writers with Yang Zhen-sheng as their leader, and unearth possible political request behind their so-called "belles-lettres" and its conflict with left-wing literature. Third, focus on the topic of "obey traffic light or not" and describe the choices of Shen Cong-wen, Feng Zhi, Xiao Qian and Zhu Guang-qian in face of the political and social upheaval at the end of 1948.Chapter Four deals with the transformation of middle writers in Shanghai after the war. First, the special collection of memorial articles "if Mr. Lu Xun survived today" indicated that on social responsibility middle writers in Shanghai were more inclined to Communist Party. Second, Zheng Zhen-duo and Renaissance he edited mirrored their aesthetic pursuit different from left-wing revolutionary literature. Third, the criticism launched by left-wing literati in early 1947 was actually a re-education of these writers who still had distance with revolutionary literature and art for the mass.Chapter Five mainly combs the process of discrimination and animadvert of various literary forces launched by left-wing literati in Hong Kong in 1948. Left-wing literati who dominated Hong Kong literary circle launched different animadverts including attacking Xu Zhong-nian's materialistic view of literature, Gu Yi-qiao's renaissance and Qian Zhong-shu's Fortress Besieged. The phrases and tactics they used settled the basic form of criticism in New China.The First Congress of Literary and Art Workers was convened in Beijing in July 1949. Its reconstruction of literatus under the delegation system, its dense political and martial atmosphere, and its rewriting of May Forth literature, all symbolized the establishment of new literary pattern and the commencement of "contemporary Chinese literature".