Genre

"Literary genre"is one of the oldest categories in the literature theory, and the issues concerning genre are also one of the basic problems of literature theory. It not only refers to all the levels of literature theory such as literature creation, literature acceptance, and literature criticism, but also covers different historical space and time of literature changes such as traditional, modern and post-modern literature and so on. Literature genre is unavoidable in all the poem study. Therefore, carrying out literature study has small cuts into the spot, yet it has the object particularity of wide radiation force and strong penetrating power, which is beneficial to the construction of basic literature theory and the entire literature and art at large.This essay's research method is as follows. Differentiate and analyze category so as to establish the theory's basic point that commands the entire passage; implement the basic point of theory, and stick to the question consciousness and deeply dissect various phenomenon of genre from the surface to the center; spread over a whole area from one point, comprehend by analogy and carefully excavate and confirm radioactivity and penetration of genre towards other various literature theory problems; make efforts to pursue such an academic quality as laying equal stress on the basic and the frontier and showing the same splendor to the quality of succession and originality , thus pushing the study of genre to a new level.The whole essay is divided into five chapters.The first chapter is to trying to analyze the category of genre. First scan and summarize a good deal of predicament that the contexts of literature theories both from China and western countries are faced with----category translation, terminology sequence, genre connotation. Second, on the basis of criticizing and re-considering one by one, this essay attempts to propose the following aspects."文类"is short for"文学类型"in Chinese. It can be translated as"literature genre"or"genre"in short. It is equal to the meaning of the category of"wenti"or"ticai"in Chinese traditional literature theories. Combining"style"with"wenti"in the western literature makes the translation-"style". (Its academic term is stylistics.). In the process of studying and practicing, it is generally called"literature genre"and"style"(stylistics).The pursuit of terminology sequence in classifying different literature genres is a kind of imitating and man-made vertical hypothesis. Such attempts and efforts are unnecessary and no final conclusion can be reached eventually.I try to propose my own new theory concerning the essence of the category of literature genre and consider it as the basic theory for study. Namely, genre is a strategy, with which the attributes of literature works can be grasped in view of literature classification.The second chapter is about the theory of genre hierarchy. Insist on combing generality study with individual case study; analyze the reasons for the emergence of genre hierarchy and its essence and historical significance, the necessity and possibility of genre identity approval; make a comparison between Chinese and western countries in terms of the constitution of genre hierarchy and identity approval strategy and so forth. The following idea is proposed.The essence of genre hierarchy is a kind of"inter-strategy"whose emergence is related to social work, ideology of ruling class and literature ideas.The positive significance of the phenomenon of genre hierarch is as follows. It is helpful to conduct deep analysis around individual genre. Genre hierarchy, from its source, is much of a decisive factor for a nation's traditions of literature theories. Genre hierarchy provides a useful guide or a kind of model for literature creation, literature acceptance and criticism. Genre hierarchy is also the essential strengthening and appropriate extension of literature theories and a criterion for literature criticism. It has the capability of deepening our understanding, promoting dissemination and adding an apt word to clinch the point. Its negative effects are shown is the following aspects."Power politics"that genre hierarchy brings about covers up the normal conditions for some secondary genres'survival, thus having a serious effect on their development and dissemination, and even resulting in some regrettable imperfections which are unable to make up in literature history. Genre hierarchy affects the focus of literature study. Studying the current conditions in a way of favoring one and discriminating against the other makes some secondary genres fall into a vicious circle, which is unfavorable to themselves. The"consciousness penetration"produced by genre hierarchy makes the independence of secondary genres be threatened and colonized by dominant genres. Meanwhile, the historical close-up of genre hierarchy poses a great barrier to the further development of literature and the newly born genres.The necessity of genre identity approval generates from the demand for the nature of literature development, weeding through the old literature ideas to bring forth the new, the self-realization of secondary genres and so forth. While, the essence of genre hierarchy-"inter-strategy"and genres'own attributes have offered the possibility of identity approval.The strategies for the constitution of Chinese and western genre hierarchy have some similarities, which are mainly manifested in such aspects as closely centering on multi-dimensions of literature works and depending on the dialectical thought of"pros-cons-agreement". Their dissimilarities are as follows. Chinese constitution strategy of genre hierarchy attaches more importance to the subject creation, interaction among different disciplines and diachronic elements than western literature does. The similarities of Chinese and western identity approval strategy are displayed in the following aspects. Both of them do well in making a farfetched comparison an analogy by using external objective facts for reference. Their dissimilarities are the facts that Chinese genre identity approval strategy is more diversified in specific patterns and more of national characteristics than that of western countries. In addition, the desire for identity approval is more rigid for Chinese literature.Take the Chinese ancient drama ---an individual genre case for example. The reasons for the formation of its hierarchy are passion expression theory, identity humbleness, and formation lateness. The specific approval manifests itself in the following aspects. Drama pursues the goal of"the same soul"by looking for the common strategy with poetry, while pursues"standing-out"by seeking the difference with poetry. The methods for pursuing the goal of"standing-out"include proper passion theory, the same source theory, and replacement theory. The approval methods of"standing-out"include creation difficulty theory, highest entertainment and deeply-teaching theory. The approval method of seeking the same soul focuses on"breaking"with splendor colors. The standing-out"approval is more inclined to"standing"with strong independent consciousness. Chinese drama's pursuit of identity approval results in at least three unnoticeable negative consequences. Namely, the restriction caused by the creation elements under the influence of the theory"creation difficulty"to the prosperous development of drama; the inclines of the poem-orientation or reading-orientation of drama under the push of identity approval. The last one is that the drama identity approval has taken the rood of self-denial, thus showing the duality of the approval behavior.The third chapter is on the theory of genre limit. Regarding the general features of genre limit as the starting point, stating relatively the relationship and influence between genre limit and literature creation, literature acceptance and literature criticism, and seeing through some special topics such as"A rules B","taking A as B", no-genre writing and etc. Thus, the following ideas are proposed.The difference between genre limit--one of the manifestations of"inter-strategy"and genre hierarchy is as follows. In view of genre hierarchy,"inter-strategy"is manifested in two levels of hierarchy constitution and identity approval, which means only stopping at paying attention to specific strategies, but in genre limit, it has a simultaneous display. The specialty of taking the entire into consideration makes genre limit show the dialectical attributes of being neither too close nor too distant and sharing with each other.The relationship between genre limit and genre creation is manifested in the following aspects. Choosing proper genre is essential preparation for literature creation. Reference and link-up among genres is essential guarantee for pursuing the highest artistic quality in creating literature works. The relationship between genre limit and literature acceptance is manifested as follows. The determination of which genre certain works belongs to is one of the prerequisites for the successful completion of literature acceptance. The literature tradition that the literature acceptors have assimilated forms benign aesthetic judgment for literature acceptance, which can enhance the appreciation of beauty. Literature acceptance may give desicive impression on the characteristics of genre limit in some extence. The relationship between genre limit and literature criticism is shown in the following aspects. Clear genre consciousness is an essential requirement for conducting literature criticism. Genre limit determines the stretching-force relationship between the generality and specialty of conclusion of literature criticism. The attitude towards genre limit is determined by the practical purpose of literature criticism.The positive significance of"essay rules opera"lies in the fact that it successfully displays the aspect of"not being too distant"of genre limit and puts it into practice by itself. This is a model of integrating theory and practice. Meanwhile, the attitude of"essay rules opera"towards genre limit and its unfavorable effect on drama creation and aesthetics must be carefully criticized.The connotation of the phenomenon"taking A as B"is mainly manifested in such aspects as temperament, style, rhythm, aesthetic effect, expression means and so on. The reasons for such phenomenon have some representative ideas such as outside effect theory, literature innovation, non-understanding of temperament, scholars looking down upon each other, poems written by the attitude to the game and so on. In short, the combination of two internal and external elements --- the general background features of literature creation and specific conditions of literature subject creation is the main reason. There are two orientation requirements that should be supplemented in the internal elements. Namely, dominant genre orientation in subject creation and genre orientation in literature theory of subject creation. By reconsidering and criticizing the phenomenon"taking A as B", we are convinced that genre in this phenomenon is a figure of speech, rather than an independent term. The phenomenon"taking A as B"confirms us again that the dialectical quality of genre limit is a vivid portrayal of the interaction between genre traditions and genre, providing medium or catalyst for prompting and facilitating the appearance of other genres. Since style do not have the capability of classifying genre limit, objective appraisal problem of subtle and concise style of"Ci Wei Yan Ke"--- the advantages of literature innovation of"taking poetry as ci"is unable to cover up the insufficiency of disobeying with rules. Bold poems are antagonistic to rules and forms of classical poetic composition. Therefore, the appropriateness of the latter should not be ignored.The divergence of understanding the connotation of no-genre writing mainly refers to three opinions---genre"set-off", works with various genres, and plural classification theory. Form our point of view, cross-genre writing is a text strategy of post-modernism and one of the literature theories chosen by post-modernism and is an ideal reflection of the qualities of literature theories of post-modernism in literature creation.The fourth chapter is on genre substitution theory. In view of ideological trend of post-modernism except genre categories, by comparing genre and substitution category represented by intertextuality, text-type, construction type, this essay attempts to re-affirm the appropriateness of the existence of genre category and propose the following ideas.The coincidence of anti-genre slogan held by post-modernism trend and self-examination that genre theory has fallen into once again is of historical inevitability as a result of substitution categories. These theories are two forces of internal relations. There is no life-and-death problem between those substitution categories and genres. The relation between the former and the latter is a kind of supplement or indication rather than substitution. Genre is bound to exist perpetually in the process of reference and adoption. However, mutually denial and counteraction among the three substitution categories reflects the vulnerability of this substitution movement.Tracing back to the days before this substitution movement, we find that although Croce vigorously repelled genre category with a great influence, yet because of the flaws that are irreparable by poetry and aesthetics theory themselves, he still failed to surpass or get rid of genre as he had wished. Later, as history has proved again, genre is one of the basic concepts indispensable for literature theory criticism. And any offensive or extreme anti-genre behaviors contrary to the regular development pattern of literature means going against literature.The fifth chapter refers to the theory of genre consciousness. In the light of literariness study, focusing on predicament and divergence of current literariness study, by the route of studying genre consciousness, this essay attempts to offer new schemes solving a certain number of central issues on literariness study and try to deduce new and convincing proof for solving practical problems of literature theories by using genre consciousness theory. Thus, the following ideas are proposed.The necessity of stressing genre consciousness in literariness connotation study is manifested as follows. In regard of subjects of literariness connotation studies, genre is the basic subject. In regard of specific strategies of literariness connotation study, genre is the basic cut in point. Concerning the eventual aim of literariness connotation study, genre is the basic criterion for examination.When criticizing and reconsidering the president condition of the"literariness"connotation study which is represented by Russian formalism,"new criticism"and structuralism poetry, we find that the enlightenment that sound genre consciousness brings to the literature consciousness is multi-dimensional. The involvement of this kin- d of multi-dimension leads us to propose a new literariness connotation--- literature quality lies in the new"stretching force"theory generated from the new"level"theory.The statement of"literariness extension"results in some queries in the process of tracing the source of the"literariness"concept. Thus, redefinition needs to be made foe some concepts---"extension of literariness component"and"partial re-appearance of literature level". Influenced by the so-called literariness extension, we find that the key to the successful transfer from non-literature to literature lies in a kind of"type inner-transfer"phenomenon. Namely, non-literature works have witnessed transfer of potential attributes from non-genre to genre in the process of accepting dissemination, thus accomplishing the identity variation from non-literature works to literature works. The question concerning what genre the works that"inner-transfer"produces belongs to is controlled by three elements. Namely, the openness of genre world determines the historic significance of strategy-choosing; the difference among accepting individuals determines the abundance of strategy-choosing and the target-orientation of the existence of works determines the tendentiousness of strategy-choosing.