Zhou Zuoren’s Reception Of The Greek Antiquity

The various phenomena of Hellenism is one of the most detectable and important foreign elements in the constitution of Zhou Zuoren’s thinking framework.There are three main cultural filters operating during the process of Zhou’s reception of the Ancient Greek culture,the anthropological interpretation of myth,the theories and practices of aestheticism,and Chinese reality including its affection of the theory of evolution.During his later years,one of Zhou Zuoren’s major contribution is his translation and introduction of two Greek unique cultural figures.The first is the Greco Poetess Sappho,and the second and the more important is the last Ancient Greek author,Lucian of Samosata.Zhou’s translation and introduction of the two figures itself clearly shows his sequence of thought and reflects his deliberation of the life.Meanwhile,two of Zhou Zuoren’s most personalized concepts,"Satyric satire" and the "Literature for the Initiated",also originate in the Ancient Greek culture,of which the enriching meaning demonstrates the dynamic process of the reception of Greek culture and reflects the whole thinking process of Zhou as well.Firstly,Zhou Zuoren’s reception of the Greco Poetess Sappho typically reflects his thinking process.He was first focusing on Sappho’s poetry itself,which shows distinct natural conditions of Lesbos and frank expression of Eros and reflects the aesthetic view and worldly thoughts of the ancient Greek.With the growing realization of the special points of Sappho as a poetess and the culture of her Lesbos,Zhou Zuoren then increasingly cultivated his interest in Sappho’s ages and surroundings from the view of natural history.Additionally,Sappho as a specific example supported Zhou’s particular feminism which regarded the education of women and their psychology of sex as one aspect of the improvement in humanity as an integrity.Secondly,Zhou Zuoren specifically paid attention to Satyr,the Greek woodland deity,the companion of Bacchus in Greek mythology.He therefore made use of a personalized concept,"Satyric satire",to describe Lu Xun’s writing style,mainly about the"The True Story of Ah Q".The characteristics of satyrs and the Satyric Drama,a unique genre of drama in ancient Greek,were the joint decisive factors of the meaning of the concept.In addition,the Irony of Jonathan Swift,who stands on the Ancient’s side during the quarrel between the Ancient and the Modern,was also an important reference point for Zhou’s understanding of the Greek antiquity and its usage of the concept.The conception of " Satyric satire" is one of the key words to comprehend the difference between Zhou Zuoren and his brother,Lu Xun.It also reflects the facts that Zhou Zuoren’s upholding of Greek culture is only Nietzsche’s Apollonian spirit and he purposely repressed the Dionysos’ side.Thirdly,the concept of "Literature for the Initiated" of Zhou Zuoren originates in the ancient Greek religion and philosophy as well.His understandings of this concept was first derived from the ritual of ancient Greek religion,mainly the mysteries of Demeter,and it reflected the Eleusinian mysteries and then had been influenced by the mysticism of the Neoplatonism.With Zhou’s acceptance of the theory of anthropology,"initiation"eventually became a key word in his writings,which means reaching true maturity after receiving a certain kind of education,overcoming the taboo of the past,purifying the old selves—the ghost of the ancestors,and achieving a certain kind of resurrection.With the gradually deeper understanding of "initiation",Zhou Zuoren had a better insight into the Greek philosophy and on the basis of which he himself became a real "philosopher".Lastly,the Greek figure who professes a lover of true philosophy,Lucian of Samosata contribute the most important significance to Zhou Zuoren’s cognition.Taking Plato and Aristophanes as his patterns,Lucian has a conspicuous place in Greek literary history for his Satiric Dialogue.Lucian lives in the age of the benignant Antonines in which took place the first Greek Renaissance.What a storm of conflicting creeds and philosophies that age presents:Stoicism,Epicureanism and Cynics,etc.And Lucian himself has multiple identities:rhetorician,sophist,philosopher,and writer of comedy.Therefore,the translation of Lucian’s Dialogue made a perfect medium of Zhou Zuoren’s understanding the quarrels of thoughts during the ancient Greek and Roman times and an ideal carrier for him to present his thought about the Greek philosophy systematically,accompanied with the deliberation of his own life.