Study On The Theory Of New Formalism

"New Formalism" was born in the late 1980 s and attracted the attention of western academic circles in the early 21 st century.Its main representatives are Heather Dubrow,Fredric V.Bogel,Terry Eagleton and Marjorie Levinson.Aiming at the alienation of literary analysis methods from cultural studies,the new formalism takes form as the starting point and constructs its theoretical system from both theoretical and practical levels.In the macro context of cultural studies extending and even eroding into the field of literature,the new formalism reflects on the theoretical shortcomings of the new historicism and uses form to construct its theoretical system.First of all,the new formalism makes the literary form related to the social history and human living conditions by endowing the form with "dynamic","productive" and "emotional" characteristics,thereby restoring the aesthetic experience that faded in the fast reading era.Secondly,based on the absorption and study of western Marxist formal aesthetics,the new formalism proposes that form and history are not opposites or representational relations,but dynamic relations that are independent or mutually constructed according to different contexts.Thirdly,the new formalism emphasizes the specificity of language and the subjectivity of readers.It thinks that the prescriptive features of form restrict readers' reading behaviors,and readers' reading behaviors explain the prescriptive features of form.The meaning of the text originates from the tension relationship of interaction and negotiation between the two.Finally,the new formalism proposes the "cross-reading" that embodies dialogic thinking,the "structural strategy" that restores the complexity of text,and the "referencel" and "rhetoric" criticism mode that is dedicated to emancipating meaning.These critical methods provide a new critical perspective for today'literary criticism.The new formalism examines and merges traditional literary theory resources such as traditional formalism,new historicism,Marxist literary criticism and reader response criticism,aiming at realizing the balance between internal and external studies of literature.The new formalism eliminates the boundary between literature and culture,aesthetics and politics,as well as form and history,reflecting an aspect of the development of western literary theory in the "post-theoretical era.".