| As a representative of modern vernacular literature,modern Chinese essays flourished in the 1920 s and 1930 s.Among them,the essays published in Guangzhou newspapers were once prosperous,which had a significant impact in Guangzhou,even in Guangdong Province,and on overseas Chinese.However,it has always been obscured by the light of Shanghai’s essays and has received little attention.A detailed study of Guangzhou newspaper essays during the period of the Republic of China shows that they have a significant "civilian" tendency,taking a path different from Shanghai’s "citizen oriented" newspaper essays and "elegant" magazine essays.Therefore,this article centers on the representative essay column "Guangzhou Republic of China Daily · Little Guangzhou" in Guangzhou during the period of the Republic of China,focuses on the characteristic of "civilian" tendency,and uses literature research,text close reading,and comparative research methods to deeply explore the performance,causes,values,and limitations of civilian characteristic of Guangzhou’s essays during the period of the Republic of China,in order to explore the local path taken by modern Chinese essays in Guangzhou,And then supplement the lack of relevant research on modern Chinese essays.The full text consists of five chapters.The first chapter outlines the development process of Guangzhou essays during the period of the Republic of China.According to the background of the times and the development of relevant newspapers,the development of essays in Guangzhou can be divided into three stages: 1925-1928(rise),1929-1937(prosperity),and 1938-1949(decline).On this basis,it summarizes and analyzes the three characteristics of the essays in Guangzhou during the period of the Republic of China,namely,"distinct Guangzhou regionalism","significant civilian tendency",and "extremely strong inclusiveness.".The second chapter discusses the "civilian" tendency of Guangzhou essays during the period of the Republic of China from four aspects: the author and reader group,the theme and content,the creative perspective,and the language characteristics.During the period of the Republic of China,the writers and readers of Guangzhou newspaper essays mainly focused on the citizens of the middle and lower classes,recounting and commenting on daily life,local customs,and strange people and events from a civilian perspective.The language is loosely structured and mixed with dialect and slang,which is quite characteristic of the Lingnan region.The third chapter explores the causes of the "civilian" tendency of Guangzhou essays during the period of the Republic of China.First of all,since the development of Guangzhou Xiguan Newspaper in the late Qing Dynasty,Guangzhou newspapers have had a significant local flavor and a high degree of attention to public life.During the period of the Republic of China,Guangzhou newspapers mostly followed this concept in their development.Secondly,the "civilian oriented" newspaper policy is an important strategy for editors to win over readers.Thirdly,reading leisure articles in newspapers and magazines was a popular pastime in society at that time,so there was a reasonable realistic basis for editors to display the "civilian" sign.Finally,as the birthplace of the 1911 Revolution,Guangzhou has a strong democratic atmosphere,a strong sense of civic participation,and a willingness to actively contribute and publicly express their views,which has also contributed to the development of civilian essays.The fourth chapter analyzes the value and significance of the "civilian" tendency of Guangzhou essays during the period of the Republic of China.In terms of literature,it approaches and reflects real life to the greatest extent with secular themes,meets the spiritual needs of the masses with populist aesthetics,breaks down the barriers of elite literature with populist creation,further promotes the development of popular literature,and provides a writing mode different from that of intellectuals.From the perspective of social impact,the "civilian" tendency of Guangzhou’s essays during the period of the Republic of China greatly satisfied the demands of ordinary people to narrate daily life,participate in public affairs,and express opinions.It also increased the circulation of Guangzhou’s newspapers,promoted the development of Guangzhou’s newspaper industry,and became an important document reflecting the life of ordinary people in Guangzhou during the period of the Republic of China,with high historical value.The fifth chapter reflects on the limitations of the civilian tendency of Guangzhou’s essays during the period of the Republic of China.Although civilian writing has unique value,it is also due to the low cultural level and low literary and artistic accomplishment of civilian identity that the foundation of Guangzhou’s essay writing team during the period of the Republic of China was generally weak and it was difficult to achieve significant development.The uneven level of education of civilians,the overly lenient requirements of newspaper solicitation,and the lax editing and screening of manuscripts have led to a mixed content of essays published by Guangzhou newspapers.In addition,various newspapers are competing to adopt strategies that cater to the vulgar tastes of the public in order to attract readers,leading to the increasingly kitsch and decline of essays. |
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