On Modern Transformation Of "May 4th" Novel Theory Criticism

From the perspective that "May 4th" new literature is at the turn of the new and old traditional culture, and between the collision of East and West cultures, this thesis analyzes "May 4th " novel theory criticism. We can see that since "May 4th", the novel theory criticism has changed in research subjects, methods and the discipline forms. The traditional criticism theories have been deserted. Therefore, the generation of the "May 4th" novel theory criticism on its essence indicates a kind of transformation from the traditional theory criticism. In examining the "May 4th" novel theory criticism, we can not ignore the link between tradition and modern, but the discussion focus should be placed on the transformation from and the transcendence over the traditional theory criticism, which is also the subject of this thesis.This thesis discusses the modern transformation of "May 4th"novel theory criticism from the perspectives of criticism subjects, novel concept, theory Category, criticism style and criticism methods.Chapter one discusses the modern transformation of the criticism subjects of "May 4th" novel theory from the perspectives of social identity, knowledge structure and living station. The modernization of novel theory criticism should be realized through the modernization of the subject of the criticism. From the late Qing Dynasty to "May 4th " period, because of the collision of Western literature and the abolition of the imperial examination system, the intellectuals in China transformed. As a constructor of "May 4th" novel theory, they changed from "scholar" to "modern intellectuals" , their knowledge structure changed from "enclosed type" to "open type" and their living station changed from "Taking part in government" to "teaching" and "selling literature" , which would necessarily lead to the modern transformation of novel theory and novel criticism.Chapter two investigates into the modern transformation of "May 4th" novel concept. The evolvement of novel concept has experienced a long period from "Humbly and Last stage ", "Depend on Confucian classics and History" to "The Best in Literature Field", "Literature Orthodox" and from "Game and Entertainment" to "For Life" and "For Art". Novel concept has got new modern characteristics which are different from traditional novel concept. These modern characteristics could be shown in the transition from the "novel" which includes kinds of novels to the "novel" which is only a kind of literal genre and could be shown in the appeals of novel to enlightening modernism and aesthetic modernism.Chapter three discusses the modern transformation of "May 4th" novel theory category. Compared to classic novel, modern novel theory has its own category. With the three theory categories of "character", "structure" and "environment" as the research subject, this chapter investigates into the personalized of character, the art authenticity of character, the classification of environment, the relation between environment and character, the organic theory and the free theory. And their modern transformation is also discussed through the comparison with the ancient novel theory.Chapter four discusses the modern transformation of the criticism style of "May 4th" novel. The traditional novel criticism style includes critical article, preface, and letters. Since the middle Qing Dynasty, this traditional novel criticism style has become an obstacle which prevents the old criticism from becoming modernization. "May 4th" novel critics borrowed from the western countries and wrote with the Thesis style which is suitable for the development of modern literature criticism, which strengthened the sense color of novel criticism and promoted the modern transformation of novel criticism style. At the same time they inherited the traditional preface and postscript style and letter style and improved them in order to meet the requirements of the time.Chapter five investigates into the modern transformation of the criticism methods of "May 4th" novel. "May 4th" novel criticism borrowed the research methods of western socialism, aestheticism, psychology and other subjects. In general those methods put emphasis on rational analysis and logical reasoning, which indicated the modernism of the criticism methods of "May 4th" novel. Among those methods, the socialism criticism method, the comparative literature criticism method and the psychoanalysis criticism method are representative.