On The Cultural Criticism Of Shi Tuo’s Works

Shi Tuo is one of the most important writers in the history of modern Chineseliterature. His span of life and works stands for the inner course of a generation ofintellectuals. Therefore, he is regarded as a writer with typical significance. Thispassage approaches his works in30-40s last century from the aspect of culture tostudy the cultural critical attitudes reflected in his artistic creation as well as thecultural standpoint he has been looking for, which is a hard passage for him.The article is divided into four chapters. Chapter I extends to criticism of thenational characters as well as the inheritance and development of the May FourthMovement tradition, then to the theme that the backward culture need critiquing. ShiTuo’s works take the enlightenment thoughts in the revolutionary literature and takemodern cultural survey and critical analysis with the revolution narrative.Chapter II shows a completely different landscape of the sluggish rural which isnon-viable and the noisy city which is full of desire of the city from the cultural angle.By the "decadent" awareness with Chinese characteristics under the modern culturalcontext and by pondering and critiquing cultural essence of the township and the cityin his works, the paper discusses the cultural uniqueness of Shi Tuo’s novels.Connecting with his life and works, chapter III points out the turn from the checkof his living condition to the own torture of the intellectuals. The chapter assumes aninward-focused view to further discuss his spiritual trek course of seeking for his owncultural position. Therefore, he keeps setting out and disheartens himself constantly.With hesitate and alusia, he eventually gives up his own cultural standpoint, lost in acomplex era and is in a mind of homeless.The last chapter approaches his works from the special aesthetic art style, which isanalysis of the background and simplifies the generalization of characters, the poeticirony and other artistic way. Through it, Shi Tuo can looking for the meaning ofcultural criticism and presenting a kind of intriguing beauty.