Between The "Poetic" And The "History": A Study On Shen Congwen's Thought

This dissertation discusses the Shen Congwen's thought roundly and whole, that including Shen Congwen's life idea, political idea, literature idea, social and historical idea, and the understanding of Shen congwen's life by himself. The main aim of this study is to describe and analyze how does Shen Congwen build his unique ideology in the ideological space of modern China, that by his individual special cultural thought system inherited (that is WuChu cultural traditions in Xiangxi) and modern Chinese cultural thought system following the May Fourth. This text tries hardly to sketch the contours of the whole appearance of Shen Congwen's thought.The full text is divided into four parts in principle.The chapter 1 mainly discusses the position oneself of Shen Congwen. It is divided into two parts. One is the "Country folk" position ,and the other is Shen Congwen'view of May Fourth. "Country folk " fixed position contains recognization of Shen Congwen's edge to the his literature and the thought position, clearly show the difference of Shen Congwen's thought with the modern cultures and thought since May Fourth period. And emphasizing the important influence from May Fourth spirits to him, it aware of self to inherit May Fourth literature revolutions ideal, what it contains is ShenCongwen's approvements to May Fourth spirits, expresses that Shen Congwen bring into oneself thought consciously the area of the modern Chinese culture and thought.According to the process of the occurrence and development of the life idea, and the main meaning of life idea in each period, the chapter II examines Shen Congwen's life idea from three parts: the encomium of "the divinity in life", the reflection of "the divinity in life", the Re -Construction of "the divinity in life".The first part mainly discusses the "divinity of life" in the traditional Xiangxi world. With the same value position as "Country folk", Shen Congwen observes and learns the "rich and complex" in the life form of "Country folk", that be regarded as "nothing" in other people's Thought field of vision. And this value position causes him make another understanding to the life existence of "the country folk". The "divinity" just be from the two aspects of the life: the real existence of life, and the harmonious relations between the human and nature.The second part centers on the reflections on the life forms of Country folk". It mainly inspects two important works in this period of Shen Congwen :《Xiangxing Sanji》and《BianCheng》. A series of duplicate accent factor in these two works, indicates many kinds of neterogeny thinking factor co-existing in the life idea at this period, and has aimed at two basic mentalities in the construction of Shen Congwen'thought obviously.The third Part probes the re -construction of the "divinity", mainly concentrated in the 1937-1949 time of the year. There is a double goal to the re -construction of the "divinity". In the one hand, it is the re -construction of life by the aim of the re -construction of the country and nation, in the other hand, it is also the re-construction of life by the aim of the ideal "life" that as the general significance of the human. This part analyzes the life re -construction which from two aspects: Firstly, rebuilding ideal "life" in the "abstract" stratification plane. The ideal life is constructed by the "Beauty" and the "Love" that as the main connotation."Beauty" exists in any living thing. It decided by two factors: individual with a "FanShen emotion" and life existing in the things objectively. The "Love" is lay in the motion that being discovered the "Beauty" and being converted to the "Beauty" rightly .The "divine" just appears in this motion.In the third quarter, the paper examined the life that at the "real" level in Shen Congwen 1940s, and analyses the state of Shen Congwen ' existence that is "the war between the 'abstract' and the 'actual' " .The chapter 3 analyses the other thought of ShenCongwen, including his literature view, political view, social view, and historical view. On the literature aspect, ShenCongwen accepts not only enlightenment literature view in May Fourth. In the meantime, he still initiates literature in the essence function of thought. He thinks that literature is not only the tool which "found a state", but also is the tool of "signing a person". This special literature view is close to connect with his life idea. On the political aspect, ShenCongwen mainly expresses his introspect and judgment to "modern politics", and his speculation concerning ideal politics. The dissertation analysis his political view from a few important aspects: firstly, he initiates democracy, and objects to dictatorial; secondly, he objects war, and put forwards acting for the force with "abstract principle"; thirdly, he put forwards the rebuildment project of politics: "the expert rule country" and "use the esthetics and art to rebuild politics"; at the end, the part also clarifies the relation of ShenCongwen with the liberalism intellectual whose leader is Hushi. On the problem of "science with 'God'", ShenCongwen maintains dual attitude to science: he admits the importance of science for Chinese modernization, but could not approve the all-powerful standpoint of science. According to the "God existed such as past", and the "God-man cheerful existence appearance" in Xiangxi, Shen Congwen thinks "science" can't resolve all problem, "God" also has meaning and value in the modern society. The discussion on history view is mainly cought on around the core of "have feeling" and "matter achievement". Emphasizing on ""have feeling" , really is the idea extending from ShenCongwen's life view. Its root is a kind of attitude to the life.The chapter 4 discusses the individual life of ShenCongwen as athinker. This chapter analyses it by choosing a few key turns inShenCongwen's life, that including: from《Congwen's autobiography》to《Shuiyun》; the suicide of ShenCongwen in 1949; and from a literatureworker to historical relic worker.The conclusion part then tries to generalize and refine further to the whole characteristic of ShenCongwen's thought, and makes the evaluation of historial position to ShenCongwen's thought in the modern Chinese history. ShenCongwen is an author, and also is a thinker. His thought was constructed between the tension of "Poetic" and "History", and is the fusion of "History" and "Poetic".