Research On Modern Chinese Epistolary Proses

Letter on one hand serves as a tool contributing to the implementation of communication; on the other hand, it is also the reflection of people's value--- spiritual needs and value pursuits, and letter finds its way to aesthetics also. And accordingly epistolary prose comes in the form of an accumulated combination of pragmatism and aesthetics.This paper is an attempt to explore the uniqueness of modern Chinese epistolary prose and to offer a new clue to the study of Chinese modern prose and Chinese modern literature narratives.Through combing the process of the formation and subsequent evolution of the Chinese modern prose forms, the paper shows that in the collision of the traditional and modern contexts Chinese epistolary prose distinguishes itself from other genres of prose. It reflects the western literature and the new changes in traditional literature, as well as the intervening of the classical Chinese and vernacular Chinese literatures. To examinethe the functions of Chinese modern prose, one can see its uniqueness. Different from other genres, it was made to communicate yet it has gone beyond; made for practical,yet to aesthetic. The interpretation of epistolary prose can reveal an unique angle of literature comprehending:the intermingle of openness and privacy. As for the spirit appeals and aesthetic pursuits, it grants the Chinese intellectuals more possibilities, which other genres failed to fully embody. Finally, Chines epistolary prose in context of modernity, takes a standpoint on the cultural history to redress its drawbacks. Only when we disclose the authentisity of the modern Chinese epistolary prose will we be able to gain one more clue to examine the modern Chinese literature especially the modern Chinese prose.