On "Ibsenism"

As a pioneer of literary revolution and new personage of studying in America for seven years, Hu Shi' acceptance of western humane spirit has become an undoubtedly important question for discussion of spirit resource of the May 4th new literature. The thesis chooses Hu Shi's Ibsenism as the object of study, which he once devoted major efforts to initiate. From the angle of differentiation of Hu Shi and Ibsen's humanism, it shows the true colors of Ibsenism and reveals restriction of cultural tradition and context of times on Hu Shi's humanism, and then opens up Hu Shi's understanding tactics to western humane spirit.The foreword and document summary sort out research condition on Hu Shi and point out the necessity of reflection on Ibsenism.The main body is divided into three parts.The first part differentiates it from the angle of humanism. Ibsen sticks to himself and advocates absolute freedom of individual spirit, but Hu Shi lays stress on the individual responsibility on the society;Ibsen regards the individual spirit as the final pursuit, but Hu Shi considers the social continuity of individual life as the life significance;Ibsen's individuality grows for itself and is being perfected, but Hu Shi thinks that the antagonism to the society is of importance of individuality survival.The second part distinguishes it from the angle of realism. Ibsen's realism literature attaches importance on the display of human's inner world and reveal of survival condition, but Hu Shi focuses on social world and asks for literature to reveal life problems. A doll's house is originally a works full of beauty and poetic flavor, but within Hu Shi'sunderstanding it becomes a classic of female liberation.The third part expounds the influence of Ibsenism. Ibsenism not only brings up a personality liberation age, but also creates people's spirit losing and finally leads to self-exiling.The conclusion puts Hu Shi under the background of the May 4th enlightenment, analyzes the double reasonshis misunderstanding and misbuilding Ibsenism, which are the time limitations and the cultural restriction, and emphatically investigates the cultural tradition facts that leads to spirit estrangements between China and western world and put forward to the expectation of Chinese modern literature.