The Last Romantics Of The Twentieth-century A Study On Shen Congwen`s Thoughts Of Aesthetic Modernity

Late-development is a distinguishing feature of the modernity of Chinese culture. Having realized the backwardness of the twentieth century's culture self-consciously, most intellectuals of twentieth-century choose a standpoint of Enlighten Modernity. Meanwhile, on the Aesthetic Modernity with more perceptual and personality, they show a certain degree of blindness. In fact, Enlighten Modernity and Aesthetic Modernity is a pair of wings for Modernity. There is a tense inner connection exists between Enlighten Modernity and Aesthetic Modernity, which turn out to be of a paradox tensile structure. Shen Congwen has never mentioned the Aesthetic Modernity. However, while reviewing his literary writings and theory carefully, either from his doubts on Time of Historical Progress of the Linear Series, or from his criticism on Humanity Dissimilation and his redemption of Aesthetics, it reflects a Modernity of Aesthetics with superior consciousness, which Shen Congwen has at that time. This thesis tries to prove it through six parts.Introduction describes the research status of Shen Congwen and general ideas of this thesis. In the first part, it makes an analysis of three basic concepts, Modernity, Enlighten Modernity and Aesthetic Modernity. It introduces features of Aesthetic Modernity. From a specific historical context of Chinese intellectuals` cultural awareness, it analyzes Shen Congwen`s cultural awareness, and underlines its background of the birth of Shen Congwen`s thoughts of Aesthetic Modernity. In the second part, from Shen Congwen`s doubts on straight-advanced historical-evolutionary concept, it discusses one aspect of his Aesthetic Modernity Ideas. In the third part, it states Shen Congwen`s criticism on humanity dissimilation that caused by conflicts of Modernity's inner functions. This phenomenon of humanity dissimilation is obviously reflected in the urban culture that suffers from the civilization disease. Shen Congwen chooses the strong primitive Xiangxi Culture as a reference to review the weakness of civilization culture. Even though, he also worries about Xiangxi culture, which still stays in primitive mode and grows like Topsy. So Shen Congwen hopes to harmonize those two cultures. In the fourth part, it raises She Congwen`s redemption solution of Beauty in Being. Firstly, Shen Congwen makes a comparison between Life and Being. He insists that Life is human's low level demand, while Being has a divine nature. Since the nature of Being lies in love and beauty, art can save human's soul through representing love and beauty. In the conclusion, based on a case study of the New Sensationalism, it sketches another aspect of Aesthetic Modernity in the history of the modern Chinese literature and highlights the unique characteristics and the significance of Shen Congwen`s thoughts of Aesthetic Modernity, through studying the difference of Shen Congwen and New Sensationalism.