Culture Pedigree Of Shen Congwen

The abundance and uniqueness of Shen Congwen and his works are rooted in his culture pedigree's complexity. Making a general survey of Shen Congwen's whole literature career ,we will find that it's critical points have close connection with JingSchool. Just in the communication and exchange with JingSchool, Shen Congwen has finished each transition and distillation of psychology , the thought and literature and then moved towards the way of critic and creator of China's modern culture .The amalgamation of cultures of Miao people,TuJia people , Han people and Chu in Xiangxi is the root of Shen Congwen's life and works .This kind of culture gestated Shen Congwen's character of brave, independent and being fond of illusion; enlightens his pantheism mode of "pantheism" aesthetic thinking and inspired his cultural value orientation of "countryman".With the help of Xu Zhimo and other people,Shen Congwen mounted the literary world in the middle period of 20 of the 20th century and stepped into the university to teach by the end of the 20s. Drawing close in JingShool caused Shen Congwen's self-identity crisis. When he faced the knowledge elites of the upper class he tried to seek a kind of self-identity without losing self-esteem,independence and freedom.His self-identity consciousness of Miao people was inspired by Zhou Zouren's cultural view of seeking new China cultural construction resources in folk culture and primitive culture. At the same time ,from Zhou Zouren and Feiming's local literary works ,he found the theme and style which can take advantage of his literature talent. With incorporating JingSchool gradually, his self-identity crisis cleared up gradually .The reflection in his novels was the personages' identity of Miao people from clear to blurry. Therefore, Shen Congwen expanded his writing position from a single nation culture to Xiangxi's local culture and finished the self-imagination of "countryman". In the ideological trend of modernity guiding by "progress" and "west" ,he made the fringe cultural value orientation. Depending on the Xiangxi native culture he found the concept of "nature", "humanity", "love", "beauty" and "divinity", then introspected and criticisesed that modern culture caused people's spiritual alienation .People like Yang Zhensheng,Zhu Guangqian,Lin Huiyin of later stage JingSchool gave ShenCongwen more and deep influence.They were all high level intellectual who once studied abroad in America or Europ and got the soul of modern culture. Shen Congwen kept close relationship with them in daily lives ,and always discussed literature and art with them in salon or in the parties of arranging publications. He accepted their liberalism literary attitude, estranged political attitude and the life choice of culture survive then turned to a scholar from external identity to inherent intelligence. During this course , Shen Congwen's view of serious literature became mature gradually. He did his utmost to advocate "serious" and "independence and freedom" of literature. "Serious" is not only the basis of a kind of new literature values, but also is the motive force which inspire writers to undertake the independent cultural construction mission.Furthermore ,"serious" can depart "individual interest" literature which has negative aesthetic value from literature which pursues significant social and culture meaning and has positive aesthetic value. " Independence and freedom " of literature requires that literature get rid of all the intervention from politics,economic and other utilitarian purposes of individual or social. Receiving Zhu Guangqian's theory's inspiration, Shen Congwen affirmed emotion and aesthetic essence of literature .From this view,he denied some contemporary writers' maintain and practise which regard literature as the tool of politics and hope that through changing politics to transform the society .He assumed a road of literature surmounting politics , economy and achieving culture enlightenment and culture recr...