The Watcher Of The Classical Aesthetic Ideal

Fu Lei's good reputation for a translator from French to Chinese conceals his contributions as an artistic theorist more or less. The existing studies on Fu's theories of literature and art are lacking in insightful understanding and comprehending of the quintessence of his theories concerned. The present thesis is the primary study on the classical aesthetic ideal of Fu Lei in order to grasp the ideological connotations in his ideal, that is, "the Greek spirit"(i.e. "the classical spirit")-seeking for sound sensory enjoy through pure spirits, to trace the origin of such spirit, to analyze its theoretical connotations, to comprehend its theoretical features, and to study his critical practices and classical aesthetic moral ideal. Many of Fu's arguments, which grasp the essence of arts, are incisive understanding on arts. Yet there is the realistic background for Fu Lei to insist on the classical aesthetic ideal, and the ideal itself is his reflections on the doctrinism on arts at that time and his re-waking the Chinese artistic circle up. The strong elitism in Fu's thoughts and his persistence in the refined culture are still of practical value to the present commercial society in which elite and elegance is going on the edge of humanity.