Research Upon Liu Zaifu's "Enlightenment Theories Regarding Literature"

Liu Zaifu establishes his status in the field of literary theories in the new era thanks to his"theory of character mix"and"theory of literary subjectivity", which remain academic focuses in the study of Liu as the object. Remarks about him during the 1980s and 1990s, however, are more of a superficial debate than of a rational thinking in academic terms, and therefore lacking a holistic consideration of the generation and development of his theories.The far-reaching study on Luxun, rising from the late 1970s, is the point of departure for Liu's enlightenment theories regarding literature and defines the nature and trend of his literary theories. Even in the 1990s, Luxun's thoughts still occupy an important position in Liu's theories. Liu's enlightenment theories forge ahead along the path of transforming national traits blazed by Luxun, and therefore there is a correlation of some kind between Liu and Luxun.This dissertation treats Liu's study of Luxun as the logical point of departure, which forms the core values of the research on Liu's enlightenment theories. Meanwhile, it explores the connotations of enlightenment as conveyed by Liu, and the construction of it per se, and outlines by virtue of logical summarizing, the landscape of his literary theories. A significant stance maintained in this dissertation is that enlightenment remains an inevitably historical, practical and theoretical issue in cultural development in general, and in China's cultural development in particular, despite the various challenges after the alteration of the era's cultural context. Enlightenment is not outmoded and enlightenment theories possess a special significance.The dissertation has four chapters. Chapter 1, On Luxun, discusses the fundamental role of Luxu's thoughts in Liu's enlightenment theories as well as the influences upon such theories of his change in attitudes toward, and thoughts upon, the study on Luxun. By contextualizing Liu's character theory in the 1980s, Chapter 2, On characters, explores the enlightenment strategy employed by Liu to reveal the truthfulness of men through his theories of character mix, and argues for the plausibility of such a strategy in the respects of enlightenment routes, effects,etc.. Chapter 3, On subjectivity, elaborates upon Liu's argumentation for the transcendence of man in the literary sense of the word in order to acquire legitimacy for"men with a big M"and reflects upon the central position of subjectivity theory in Liu's enlightenment theories. Chapter 4, On Individuals, dwells on Liu's shift from his aspiration to men's modernized holism to his emphasis on men's individuality and emotionality, and broods over Liu's transcendence over enlightenment and the connotative expansion of his enlightenment theories. Strung together with a major thread of enlightenment, the four chapters form an integrated whole. From the enlightenment point of view, the dissertation analyzes the development of Liu's literary thoughts since the late 1970s, and through such development, examines the painful efforts and achievements of literary theories in the post-Cultural Revolution era.With diachronic descriptions and synchronic comparisons combined, this dissertation encompasses Liu's thoughts about literary theories and the outlining of the social backgrounds that influenced his literary theories. Via a study on Liu's enlightenment theories, it reflects upon the significance of enlightenment theories in the new era and the necessity of their predicament in the 1990s, and attempts to answer the"whether"and"how"questions concerning enlightenment in an era of mass media. It argues that never outdated is the respect for, and pursuit of, men's values.