On Li Jianwu's Literary Criticism Views

Li Jianwu is a renowned Chinese literary critic, whose achievements are largely embodied in his two great works–Ju Hu Ji and Ju Hu Er Ji , that published in 1930s and 1940s. However, since his ideas were deviated from the mainstream of literary criticism at that time, the two works did not evoke much repercussion, nor did he quickly rise to fame. It was not until 1980s that Li's contributions to criticism were exploited again, with an increasing number of scholars devoting themselves to the research in Li's unique style of criticism.With a focus on Li's two works Ju Hu Ji and Ju Hu Er Ji , this essay emphasizes on his accomplishments in the arena of literary criticism and intends to elaborate his critical views. The body of this essay can be divided into three chapters. In the 1st chapter"the dignified journey of literary criticism", the writer expatiates on Li's criticism by taking the view of his maintenance of critical dignity. According to the writer, Li balances literary critics with other artistic categories, and appreciates critical works from the height of aesthetics. From Li's brand-new perspective, critique is not only"independent"but also"artistic", which is of remarkable significance as regards its implication in the revolutionary changes of literary criticism. The 2nd chapter"literary criticism is a form of discovery", literarily refers to Li Jianwu stressed that critic main body consciousness to text permeating, and his claims on critics'subjectivity and capabilities in aesthetic judgments. The writer concludes Li's ideas as the three following aspects:"critique is self-discovery","critique is the discovery of the writer's mind", and"critique is the discovery of humanity in literature", and gives full illustration one by one. The 3rd chapter mainly discusses the pattern of Li Jianwu's literary criticism, who had been crowned as"an impressionist critic"for a long time. It is evident that Li absorbed certain essence of western impressionist criticism, but his are quite different from those western ones, because he achieved the transformation to modernism in the soil of Chinese literature. In terms of critical pattern, since Li follows many Chinese traditional critical modes, the writer generalizes it as"a sensitive pattern of literary criticism"with three subdivisions:"intuitive criticism","commentary criticism"and"criticism by imageries and comparisons". Despite the long interval, Li Jianwu's critics have become even more enchanting and worth-learning in today's critical atmosphere rather than being out of date.