Modern Pioneer Of Chinese Literary Studies :1919-1935

At the beginning of 20th century when the Avant-garde Movement of the Western world was in its heyday, avant-garde was also being nurtured in China's New Cultural Movement. The avant-garde was emerging in both New Literature and New Fine Arts, which shared some similarities owing to their aesthetic principles and carried some difference between them due to their various social and cultural context. Thus, there ? formed a complicated relationship of interaction between new literature and new fine arts, which was especially evident in their overlapping fields. This kind of relationship in the overlapping fields was carried out by the involved personages and organizations facilitating the modern avant-garde movement of art. To study those personages, organizations and their activities will be of great help to understand the history of the modern avant-garde movement in China and reveal the living condition, dynamical system and destiny of avant-garde art in modern China from a cross-disciplinary perspective, which will be the focus of this dissertation.This paper is to study the overlapping field of New Literature and New Fine Arts from the eve of May 4th Movement in 1919 to the eve of outbreak of resistance war against Japan in 1935 through the major two avant-garde thoeries within the frame of cross-disciplinary study of comparative literature. By focusing on the activities, it intends to make a selective and diachronic study of the involved personages, organizations and events. Xin qingnian (La Jeunesse, New Youth), the Creation Society and the Storm Society were respectively the initiators of the avant-garde movement of the 1910s, researchers of avant-garde art of the 1920s and the representatives of avant-garde fine arts of the 1930s. By studying them through historical description and theoretical interpretation, the paper will depict the situation and development of the avant-garde movement in the overlapping fields of this epoch.The Introduction makes a literature review of cross-disciplinary study of comparative literature in general and cross-art research in specific. Two principal theories of avant-garde art made by Renato Poggioli and Peter Burger are analyzed briefly. The history of the research on the modern avant-garde art in China, its current development and the publications related to this paper are also introduced here.The first chapter focuses on the "Fine Arts Revolution" initiated by Xin qingnian on the eve of May 4th New Cultural Movement in 1919. As advocators of new cultural movement, the scholars working on Xin qingnian such as Chen Duxiu, Cai Yuanpei and Lu Xun showed different attitudes towards the "Fine Arts Revolution" initiated yet not put into practice when they were passionately working on the "Literature Revolution" they initiated. The difference of living conditions and the subtle relationship between literature and fine arts at the beginning of China's avant-garde art can be discerned through a detailed analysis.Three major disciples of the Creation Society in 1920s' Shanghai, the most active and the most sensitive place of China's avant-garde movement will be the focus of the second chapter. Ni Yide, Xu Xingzhi and Ye Lingfeng all graduated from Shanghai Fine Arts Academy at the beginning of 1920s and worked in the field of literature. After changing between new literature mainly through the Creation Society and new fine arts, one devoted himself to avant-garde art, one occupied himself with avant-garde politics and the other stayed hesitantly on the edge of avant-garde.The third chapter studies the short history of Tishu xunkan(Art trimonthly, from September 1st 1932 to February 1933), a typical periodical of avant-garde art in the early 1930s. Yishu xunkan was established by MU SHE Association, a modern art organization at the beginning of 1930s with Liu Haisu, Ni Yide and Fu Lei as its central members. In comparison to few previous pure art periodicals, Yishu xunkan was avant-garde and unified in both content and style. Being too high to be popular and lacking financial support led to its sudden decease. Fourteen issues in total make a relatively complete and lasting object of study and reveal the destiny of an avant-garde art periodical in certain social and cultural context.The fourth chapter continues to study the unique role played by the Storm Society in Shanghai literature and art circle in 1932-1935. 1930s was the "golden time" of the rapid development, heated discussion and mutual promotion of various schools of modern art in Shanghai. The Storm Society( 1932-1935), of which the central figures of Yishu xunkan were members, was the most radical and lasting avant-garde organization with Pang Xunqin and Ni Yide as its central members and Fu Lei and Shi Zhecun as its main supporters. Its four annual art exhibition along with other art activities attracted wide attention from literature and art field and triggered off different reactions and heated debate. The destiny of the Storm Society with its loud proclamation at the very beginning, passionate performance in the middle and silent cessation in the end declared the end of an avant-garde effort and the arriving of the prime time of the Modern Woodcut Movement as another try of avant-garde.