On Jacques Maritain’s View Of Literature

Jacques Maritain was one of the most influential philosophers of neo-Thomism as well asan encyclopedic scholar, whose research almost spanned the whole scope of human science withwide vision and brilliant achievements. And his profound understanding in literature art is rathercreative. This thesis intends to develop insights into the literary views of Maritain to show itsvalue and limitations on the basis of researching on his works about literature and the complexbackground.This thesis is composed of three parts:the preface,the main text (divides into four chapters)and the conclusion.The preface indicates Maritain’s academic experience and achievements, the insufficientcurrent situation of the studies on Maritain’s academic thought, and this dissertation’s emphasisand academic significance.The first chapter pays attention on the forming background of Maritain’s literary view. Thefirst three parts focuse on cross-sectional study with research scope from macroscopic level tomicroscopic level gradually concentrated. The first part analyzes the transition of social moodfrom blind optimism to deeply negativity resulting from the abrupt turn of capitalism from rapiddevelopment to eruptive crisis, in which Maritain and other intellectuals assumed theresponsibility of rebuilding a new social order.The second part indicates that Maritain applied hisworld outlook philosophy in aesthetic and literature thoughts field by making use of the theory ofThomas Aquinas, trying to rescue modern literature and help people get through the spiritualcrisis.The third part makes a deep study into the development of literary arts and indicates thatMaritain seized the main line of literature spirit while he emphasized humanistic thoughts suchas romanticism, symbolism, surrealism. The fourth part focuses on longitudinal study with deepresearch into the historical context to study the diversity of the theory sources of Maritain’sliterary view. All these lead up to the fact that Jacques Maritain’s view of literature and wasgreatly influenced by various factors.The second chapter is mainly about the content of Jacques Maritain’s view of literature, divided into four parts. The first part expounds Maritain’s understanding of the essence ofliterature: literature is an organic unity of invisible poetry and visible arts. Maritain maintainedthat literature, on one hand is a kind of art for aesthetics, a practice in producing works, beingfree and different from applied art, on the other hand, its soul lies in Poetry interpreted as anintercommunication between the inner being of things and the inner being of the human self. Inthe second part, Maritain’s understanding of literature creation is elaborated. His research increating writing is conducted from two aspects. First, literature is a release and actuation of thefree creativity of the spirit in the name of Poetry. Second, literature is a materialized practicewith ration and guidance. The third part of this chapter, centers on Maritain’s understanding ofliterary works. In his opinion, creative intuition gradually appears in the process of creatingworks with poetic sense or inner melody, action and theme, number or harmonic expansioncoming into being, which form the three items in the shape of spiritual structure of literary works.Then the last part expounds Maritain’s comprehension of literature writer. Jacques Maritainaffirmed the value of Self gradually arising in western arts and pointed out its abuses. Then heintroduced the creative self and the self-centered ego to help people recognize the worth of selfin literature. Thereby it can be concluded that Jacques Maritain managed to form an integratedsystem of literary theory by rethinking the history and actuality of literature as well as exploringthe essence and function of literature.The third chapter focuses on the uniqueness of Maritain’ view. The first two parts areresearching on the outstanding features of its content while its distinctive expression is analyzedin the third. The first part stresses that Maritain succeeded in making the poetry philosophical bypondering art and poetry philosophically followed by part two, Maritain applied theologyconcept into the research of literature phenomena and combined the creation power of humanbeing and the full glory of God to seek the right way for literature development. The last partemphasizes the distinctiveness of the expression in Maritain’s theory with the analysis of itslogical argumentation and poetic interpretation, which avoids defections of over-logicality orover-poeticize resulting in dullness or vague. In a word, Jacques Maritain’s view of literature artis remarkably unique.The last chapter summarizes the personal commentary on Maritain’s view. Firstly,Maritain sought a new way, quite actively, forward for spiritual liberation from the social dilemma of that time while his efforts were weakened due to the influence of theology. Secondly,the writer lays stress on the significance of Maritain’s view, especially his emphasis on poetry,for today’s development of Chinese literature and literary theory construction.The conclusion reemphasizes the academic value and practical significance of JacquesMaritain’s view in literature art. It is necessary to make further use of Maritain’s theory andresearch more deeply into his academic thought to promote the development of Chineseliterature and literary theory construction.