Utilitarian And Aesthetic Cross Light Mutual Shadow :1895-1916 Chinese Literary Theory

Under urgent political demand and western literature being introduced into China continuously, Chinese Literature Theory, which had changed greatly after 1895,developed along a trail of typical modern utility and aesthetics. The literature revolution in 1917 brought some essential changes in the theory. The goal of this paper is to analyze the changes of literature function opinions existed from 1895 to 1916.This analysis is along the main road based on the features of representative literature theoreticians and trends on utility and aesthetic literature function at the time. And this paper vividly digs out the changes and development which are caused by the violent impact of western Literature on China literature theory by way of literature function.The preface reviews the viewpoints of literature function in traditional Chinese literature theory. Then explores the causes for the great changes of literature function happened in 1895.At the same time analyzes all kinds of changes in the theory by the methods of form, method, aim and function. The definition of literature utility is obtained by comparison and analysis. After that the paper simply outlines the function viewpoints existed from 1895 to 1916 through the angle of history. At last it states why the event ended in the year of 1916.Chapter One discusses Liang Qichao's viewpoint of pure utility on literature function. Liang Qichao was primarily a politician, secondly a literature theoretician. That fact decided that his literature ideology served for his political ideology. His literature function viewpoints were mainly incarnated by his novel theories. He borrowed experience from the western world, and strongly proposed neo-novel. He regarded novel as new civil tool. He increased novel from a minor position to the superlative status in literature. At the same time he analyzed the artistic features of novel as an embracer, in order to show that novel is the best to make people to be civilized. So Liang Qichao's literature function viewpoint showed pure utility.Chapter Two discusses the utility in novel theories affected by Novel Revolution. Chinese literature theory stresses social function all the time. Compared with Poetry Revolution and Prose Revolution, Novel Revolution gained widely acceptance just by way of carrying out through social literature function, so it was full of utility. Making a comprehensive view on forewords to periodicals from the year 1895 to 1916, the content could be divided into three categories: Admitting the idea that novel had great social function for waking up and civilizing the people; Novel tends to aesthetics; Stressing the entertainment function of novel. Most periodicals held utility doctrine. Some people of insight supported colloquial language movement arisen by the Reformist, but the theories were not well combined with practice. Because of the strong utility in colloquial language movement that was caused by political springboard, its incompleteness was closely connected with political utility.Chapter Three mainly discusses Lin Shu's theories about literature. Lin's viewpoints on literature function were mainly made up of two parts: 1. Hoping to arouse patriotism among the people by novels from abroad; 2.Impeling Chinese literature development by referring to western experience. But limited by his knowledge makeup, Lin Shu expatiated western novel by way of observing the West through Chinese opinions, and compared western literature with Chinese Literature in his expatiation. It was the novels, which he translated that influenced a lot of young writers at the time. They benefited mainly on elements of novel form, style and so on. But they ignored Lin's primary idea about the social function of novel. All in all Lin Shu's recognition on social function about novel and the exploration to the novel indicated no modern utility and aesthetics. His novel function viewpoint was the combination of traditional utility and aesthetics. Chapter Four discusses mainly about Wang Guowei's functional aesthetic viewpoint. Wang opposed to regard literature as apolitical tool. He put forward the literature viewpoint of Usefulness Through Uselessness that was based on traditional Chinese literature and absorbed modern western aesthetic ideas. He thought that there was no utility in literature. Uselessness did not mean that it was really no use to the society. It meant that it couldn't take effect in the society directly through application. His Usefulness Through Uselessness referred to the aesthetic function of beyond-utilization. It referred to the purest happiness and ignored advantages and disadvantages. He introduced western tragic theory. Jiang Zhiyou did so simultaneously. The former stressed on aesthetics, and the latter stressed on utility. His tragic idea followed his Usefulness Through Uselessness. Wang Guowei intensely opposed the viewpoint of literature serving politics. He insisted on literature independence. His Usefulness Through Uselessness was a kind of aesthetic literature viewpoint.Chapter Five discusses the literature function viewpoints of the Revolutionist. On the problem of literature and life, the Revolutionist's understanding was broader and more objective insisting that literature was the reflection of society. It sprung from the society and greatly pushed the society forward. At the same time, they actively introduced western aesthetic theories for analyzing Chinese literature and paid much more attention on literature noumenon features. The representatives included Xu Nianci, Huang Ren, Huang Shizhong and Huang Boyao. Xu Nianci mainly introduced Hegelian aesthetic theory to analyze the aesthetic features of novels, thought that the best novel should accord with idealist and emotional aesthetics. Huang Ren pointed out that literature was one part of aesthetics in his Literature History of China compiled in 1904. When the Reformist saw novel as a tool for arousing the people of China, he bravely and clearly argued that literature was one part of aesthetics. Though the brothers of Huang Shizhong and Huang Boyao didn't analyze Chinese novel through western aesthetics, they affirmed the great success of Chinese classical novel, and discussed the artistic features of novel in detail from angles of topic, creation, style and form. All in all, the Revolutionist stressed both social function and aesthetics of novel. Their literature function was expressed as the combination of aesthetics and social function.Chapter Six analyzes the writers holding Nationality viewpoints on literature function. These writers took Invent National Literature and Keep Nationality as their doctrine in order to develop national literature. So their literature showed utility by carefully collecting and studying ancient literature materials. The representatives were Zhang Taiyan, Liu Shipei and Jin Tianhe. They had respective features on literature function. But they all stressed social function, form and style of literature. They emphasized social function while considering literature realism. Academic action and revolution made their literature function be full of contradictions. That feature strolled between Aesthetics and utility.Chapter Seven explores Lu Xun's early viewpoint about literature function. Lu Xu stressed literature function before giving up learning medical knowledge. From literature utility to literature Aesthetics, he formed his Use Out of No Use literature viewpoint under the influence of Liang Qichao, Nietzsche and Zhang Taiyan. It focused on emotional happiness of literature to people, educated and aroused people unconsciously, then changed people's spirit. Use Out of No Use is different from Usefulness Through Uselessness distinctly; the former one combines both Aesthetics and utlity. Chapter Eight discusses Cai Yuanpei's Aesthetic Education viewpoint. During the early stage of this idea (before the year of 1916), Mr Cai inherited the practice idea in traditional Chinese literature, and draw the idea of Beyond-utility and Universalism from Kantianism. He put forward his Aesthetic Education viewpoint in 1912. It advocated the way of gaining utility through aesthetic methods. He and Wang Guowei both saw Aesthetic Education as the combination of aesthetics and utility, though they didn't completely agree with each other. His latter Aesthetic Education viewpoint is originated in his early Aesthetic Education viewpoint. Finally, this paper explains Mr Cai's Aesthetic Education viewpoint from social background and self- attribute.The ending part outlines the main features of Chinese literature theories from 1895 to 1916. It includes Novel Paramount, Self-regard of People, Stressing the Relation of Literature and Society, Arousing People And Widely Absorbing Western Literature Ideas Through Education. That would be done from the angles of Aesthetics and utility.