Free Soul Leisure Mind

Lin Yutang is a cultural celebrity in 20th century in China. He is an important writer with powerful influences in prose literature as well. This article conducts a thorough research for Lin Yutang's proses during the 1930's. It contains 4 parts: First part, Lin Yutang's the linguistic environment for his leisure proses in 1930's. This part begins with the humorous principle in leisure proses writing advocated by Lin Yutang in 1920's, clarifies the relationship between the 1920's to 1930's societies, cultural situation and his proses in which he tried to apply the humorous principles in proses writing. It ends with analyzing his thoughts and literature concepts as well as the influences towards the later prose literature. In the second and the third parts, this article analyzes the unique characteristics respectively from the angles of "the depth of Lin Yutang's thoughts" and " the features of the style" in his leisure proses. His proses not only reflect his comprehensive and profound ideologies, but also create new conversation modes and the literary style combining Chinese and Western features. These made him hold an important position in Chinese contemporary literature history and literary style history. In the fourth part, I tried to give objective and fair appraisal for Lin Yutang's leisure proses in 1930's. While I point out his history limitations, I emphasizes his positive aspects and beneficial inspirations in contemporary prose creation, cultural reconstruction and even people's life style and so on, further, I clarify the significance of this topic research as well.