| Guo Moruo (1892-1978) was a major figure in the second half of the May Fourth era (1915-1925), a pivotal period in modern Chinese intellectual history. He was also one of the most vocal among early Chinese Communist intellectuals, recording elaborately in his numerous writings the major changes in his thinking when converting to Communism in the mid-1920's.; This dissertation focuses on Guo's intellectual development to 1926 and delves into the complexity of his May Fourth and early Communist thinking. The dissertation shows that Guo's May Fourth thinking significantly transcends such themes as anti-traditionalism, nationalism, science, democracy, and romanticism, themes that are commonly believed to be the characteristics of the May Fourth era. The dissertation also explains that Guo turned to Communism in the mid-1920's largely because he had found in Communism a comprehensive solution to various problems in his personal life and in China and the world. Further, the dissertation shows that the Communist thinking that Guo had developed by 1926 is a combination of both China's traditional Confucianism and modern Western Marxism.; Based on thorough research and with careful analysis of the complexity of Guo's thinking, this dissertation contributes not only to the scholarship on Guo but also to the understanding of the complex nature of the overall thinking of the May Fourth generation and of the relationship between Chinese tradition and the origins of Chinese Communist movement. |
