Zuoren Prose Analysis

Zhou Zuoren, who is famous for his excellent prose in themodern Chinese literature history, is one of the earliest initiators andthe founders of the Chinese modern prose. Remarkable achievements were madeby Zhou Zuoren both in theory and in writing practice of the China's modernprose. Consequently, the research of Zhou Zuoren and his prose is veryimportant..A great many researches, covered all aspects of Zhou Zuoren's prose,was made which was begin just after the "May 4th" period. On the basisof these researches, the two most important aspects of Zhou Zuoren's prose,the Oriental flavor characteristics, the occidental individualisticspiritual endosarc of the prose and how he ingeniously combined these twoaspects in his prose are analyzed in this paper.This paper is organized as follows:In the first part of this paper, the Oriental flavor characteristicsof Zhou Zuoren's prose are dissertated. The first one of the Orientalflavor characteristics is harmonious: Zhou Zuoren and his prose, his proseand the sentiment betrayed in prose are all the "harmonious" system. Thesecond one is classic elegance sentiment. Zhou Zuoren was profoundlyinfluenced by the Buddhist literature and the Japanese literature, so ashis prose. These two influences make Zhou Zuoren's prose full of elegance.The third one is the nature character. Zhou Zuoren's prose is brimmed bynatural atmosphere. The second part of this paper is the occidentalindividualistic spiritual endosarc of Zhou's prose. This part is analyzedfrom three aspects. First, the definition of the individualism in his proseis expatiated. Second one is the behavior of the individualism. Threeaspects of behaviors of the individualism, behaviors in the literatures,behaviors in the manners Zhou Zuoren treated the social life in, and thebehaviors in the sprit of Zhou Zuoren. These three aspects are also a"harmonious" system. The reasons why "the individualism" was formedis analyzed in the third section. This paper discuss the reasons separatelyfrom the lessons Zhou Zuoren experienced in his lives, the pessimistichistory idea and life idea of Zhou Zuoren. After the two parts, how thetwo most important aspects are ingeniously and extremely creatively combined in Zhou Zuoren's prose is analyzed in the third parts.The significance of this paper goes without saying. This paper not onlyfocuses on the two most important aspects of Zhou Zuoren's prose, theOriental flavor characteristics and the occidental individualisticspiritual endosarc of the prose, which form the "Zhou Zuoren" style prose,but also on the way how the two most important aspects are ingeniously andextremely creatively combined in Zhou Zuoren's prose. There is the otherprose of different styles. Such as the prose of "Bingxin" style, the proseof "Xu Zhimo" style, the prose of "Yu Dafu" style and so on. The reasonwhy Zhou Zuoren's prose is better than these styles prose, is no otherthan the two characters of hisprose and the way he combined these twoaspects in his prose. This style formed a new prose current in the modernChinese literature history—Zhou zuoren's prose inherited the ancientoriental literature's style and also made the progress in the modern way.The dissertation this paper made, the causation that Zhou Zuoren'proseformed a new prose current, is the first one. Therefore, the conclusionthis paper made must be help us to appreciate Zhou Zuoren's prose and todeduce better prose.