On Theory Of Prose Style By Zhou Zuo-ren

As a modern essay grandmaster, Zhou Zuo-ren gained the same reputation of founder and outstanding representative of Chinese modern prose as Lu Xun. He not only created the largest number of most remarkable achievements of modern essay, but also is the most eminent stylist of modern essay who integrated Chinese and foreign culture, and carried on the past and usher in the future. He promoted essay and practiced writing personally, echo the main historical melody of Chinese literary institutional innovation in 20th century from one flank, that is to say, he not merely publicized individual character, advocated worldly wisdom and emotional self-expression, but also from the perspective of cultural anthropology, carried on a creative expansion of modern prose's aesthetic artistry to other fields, such as art of living, sexual psychology, sexual morality, women and children, and folk culture, etc, so as to guides a kind of essay faction, which upholds unique aesthetic taste, e.g. mild, erudite, leisurely and bitter, meanwhile initiates the creative direction and mode of essay style which is utterly different with the dagger-type essay that is represented by Lu Xun. In view of the above, Zhou Zuo-ren adhere to unique modern essay "heart", essay stylistic concept and creative system, proposed "Delicate essay" to cope with the trend of thought in Western modern literature which was surging to near, reflect upon traditional culture, merge extra-territorial essay mode and inherent prose mode, thereby displays the overall strategy of essay stylistic creation, namely "learn from the present and return to the ancient, establish a new faction". On the one hand, Zhou zuo-ren gradually accumulated certain artistic experiences in long-term practice, on the other, critically absorbed the historical and fresh lessons from Chinese -foreign ancient and modern proses creation and theory of prose, and then integrated the above two steps to generate his prose theory full of individual theoretical flavor, which consists of essay production, essay creation and criticisms.Overall researching and historical assessing Zhou zuo-ren's prose stylistic theory and its creation, is regarded as a complex literature phenomenon on the history of Chinese modern prose, as well as a domain awaiting current academic circle to make a thorough -going exploration and development. On the basis of seriously reading and studying a large number of Zhou zuo-ren's works, this article looks upon the theory of prose stylistics and its creation as the growing point and breakthrough point, hold onto the theoretical opinions and methods that combines aesthetics with history, and starts using Chinese and foreign theories, such as literal theory, stylistics, text study, linguistics, rhetoric, etc, meanwhile, uses the method of Western criticism including formalism, new criticism, structuralism for reference, thus attempts grasp the central question that is the relationship among essay style and people in the historical context, in which Chinese and foreign cultures exchange and impact in 20th century, probe deeply into how does Zhou zuo-ren adhere to modern cultural concept and stylistic awareness, compatibly merge Chinese-foreign modern and traditional culture, construct the distinctive concept of prose stylistic and stylistics, thus reflect and summarize artistic experiences and lessons form the strategy of "learn from the present and return to the ancient, establish a new faction". For one thing, tries to make more objective discussion on the unique character and complexity of Zhou zuo-ren's prose stylistic theory, together with the historical contribution he did, for the other, points out the shortcomings and inadequacy of his stylistic theory, thereby elucidate that current prose creation and theoretical construction should take it as object lesson.