Western Symbolism And Chinese New Poetry

Symbolism is a school of art in western literature which has profoundinfluence in the past century. It has ended the history of the development of westernclassical literature, and also opened a precedent for the development of modernliterature. As a poetic genre, symbolism was originated from France in the mid19thcentury, with Baudelaire as a pioneer of the French Symbolism, thereafter a largenumber of young poets such as Verlaine, Rimbaud, and Mallarme gathered under thebanner of symbolism, promoting the development of poetry. In the late-mid19thcentury, the trend of literature of symbolism began to go across the French borders andgradually extended to the United Kingdom, Ireland,Russia, Belgium, Austria and othercountries, becoming an international trend of poetics. At that time, the developingChinese new poetry was inevitably subject to the influence of this literary trend,especially influenced by the French poetry of symbolism. Starting from the Westernthought of symbolism and its spread in China, the current study will firstly describethe birth and development of symbolism, and elaborate its initial development inChina. Then, from the perspectives of literary theme and the main resonance of inneremotions of Chinese new poetry, the desire and pursuit of "pure poetry", as well as theappropriate combination of classical Chinese poetics and symbolism, the problem ofacceptance and transmutation of Chinese Poetry school of Symbolism to Frenchpoetry of symbolism is discussed. The conclusion is that the influence of FrenchSymbolism on Modern Chinese new poetry did not merely stay on the translation andimitation stage; symbolism brought an artistic style of deep performance to theChinese poets; since its introduction to China, the positive transmutation withdistinctive characteristics of our nation was gradually appearing, thus opening a newacademic field for the study of Chinese poetry-a road of an appropriate combinationbetween classical Chinese poetics and symbolism. For the specific research strategy,this paper chooses Li Jinfa, the ancestor of Chinese Symbolism, Wang Duqing, an important representative of symbolism during the May Fourth Movement, and DaiWangshu, the master of symbolism, as the objects of case study. The detailed analysison their arts of symbolism is conducted. And with the focus on Chinese poetry ofsymbolism itself, and the basis of the relationship between western symbolism andChinese poetry of symbolism, the current study is expected to make certain positiveand complementary exploration and contribution on the artistic symbolism style ofChinese writers of symbolism.