WuMi And Modern Chinese Literature

Looking back on the study history of Wu Mi,scholars mainly consider him as the strong opponent of modern Chinese literature, since he has insisted on cultural conservation in all his life. However, it is not so simple.As an important modern Chinese writer and influenced by Irving Babbitt's New Humanism, the further study on WuMi is more or less neglected by the scholars.Therefore, the dissertation focuses on the relationship between modern Chinese scholar WuMi and modern Chinese Literature.By rereading the diary of WuMi,'Critical Review' and literature and art supplement of Ta-kung-pao, we will find out gradually that the attitude of WuMi towards modern Chinese Literature is complicated. WuMi hold a ideal imagination of modern Chinese literature and have introduced a series of modern Chinese literature work printed on the magazine edited by him. Even more, WuMi had practiced vernacular writing a lot. The conclusion is that the attitude of WuMi is pushing the modern Chinese Literature forward rather than holding back.The dissertation will divide into four parts.The first part focuses on the education of WuMi in his youth days, which had a deep impacted on his literature review. Also, it will recover the negative opinions towards modern Chinese literature given to in his days in the U.S.A.The second part will discuss the changing attitude of WuMi in the period of editing the Critical Review, by reading the main theme of the magazine, the literature review of WuMi and his opinions on vernacular novel.The third part will discuss his acceptant attitude of modern Chinese literature.It mainly focuses on WuMi's literature practice in literature and art supplement of Ta-kung-pao,especially the criticism on modern Chinese poetry.Finally, by rereading the diary of WuMi written in his late years, we will recover WuMi's review on modern Chinese literature.