Basic problems of literary theory

Notes on Tao Dongfeng's Basic Problems of Literary Theory (Revised Edition)

Chapter 0? Introduction-Reflection and Reconstruction of Literary Theory

First, the crisis of literary theory

1. literary theory

(1) meaning

Literary theory is a discipline system that appears with the differentiation of disciplines in modern society. It is generally believed that literary theory is a branch of literary discipline (literature), including literary theory, literary criticism and literary history.

(2) The relationship between literary theory, literary criticism and literary history.

differentiate

Literary theory is the study of the principles, categories and standards of literature, while literary criticism and literary history are the knowledge and study of specific literary works and literary phenomena (literary criticism studies individual literary works and phenomena, while literary history studies literary works series in the process of time).

get in touch with

Literary criticism and the study of literary history provide a large number of concrete research results for literary theory, which further summarizes and deepens these results and provides them with basic categories and methods.

2. China's theory of modern literature.

(1) Overview

The discipline system of China's modern literary theory happened almost at the same time as the modern transformation of China society, and it has a history of more than one hundred years.

(2) Crisis

All kinds of essentialist thinking modes about "literature" seriously restrict the self-reflection ability and knowledge innovation ability of literary theory research, which makes it impossible to keep the attitude of continuous innovation with the changes of specific forms of literary and artistic activities and space-time environment.

The active connection between literary theory research and public sphere, social reality and actual cultural activities, literary practice and mass aesthetic activities is losing.

Literary theory can no longer actively and effectively intervene in the current social, cultural, aesthetic and artistic activities, and can not satisfactorily explain the great changes in the mode of literary production, communication and cultural consumption since the reform and opening up, especially since the1990s.

Blindly avoiding or rejecting the profound changes in recent literary and artistic activities, in turn, strengthens the original essentialism tendency in literary theory.

(3) Social and cultural transformation in contemporary China.

general situation

The social and cultural transformation of contemporary China began in the early 1980s and accelerated in the 1990s, which greatly changed the production, dissemination and consumption patterns of literary and artistic activities.

affect

Literary and artistic activities are increasingly deeply marketized, commercialized and industrialized.

Commercialization, the popularization of mass communication, the rise of cultural industry, video industry and physical industry have led to the aestheticization of daily life and the daily aesthetic activities.

The way and purpose of practical and utilitarian acceptance of literature and art, the leisure and daily acceptance of literature and art.

Art brokers, booksellers, cultural and artistic curators and other "new culture media people" appeared. They wander between the government, the public and the market, and communicate between literature and art and the market, public demand and official policies. They play a leading role in literary and artistic production, and their importance is no less than that of writers and artists.

Types and nature of cultural production institutions and communication institutions (such as publishing houses, galleries, concert halls, museums, etc.). ) and the emergence of various cultural and artistic institutions with China characteristics (such as book publishing studios, record companies and film and television production centers) have all led to the overall transformation in the field of literature and art, and even changed the classic definitions of "literature", "art" and "aesthetics".

Second, the essentialist way of thinking in literary theory.

essentialism

(1) meaning

Essentialism refers to a rigid dogma in the research and teaching of literary theory, which regards certain fixed features or "essence" as eternal and universal elements and attributes them to specific literary phenomena, leading to the rigidity of literary understanding. In ontology, essentialism assumes that things have a super-historical, universal and eternal essence; In epistemology, essentialism sets up a series of binary opposites with phenomenon/essence as the core and firmly believes in absolute truth.

(2) limitations

Essentialism often generalizes the knowledge of literature generated by certain groups for specific purposes and interests in a specific period, especially the dominant knowledge of literature in a specific period, as the "general essence" or "eternal essence" of literature. Such as the "instrumental theory" during the "Cultural Revolution".

Essentialism tends to be over-generalized, ignoring the internal differences of literature in different time and space environments and even different types of literature in the same time and space environment. For example, the "three unifications" produced during the French classicism period became the so-called "universal characteristics" of drama, and then rose to "universal norms".

(3) influence

The knowledge production and teaching system of literary theory, especially the teaching materials of literary theory, always regards literature as an entity with "universal law" and "fixed essence". It does not put forward and discuss specific literary theoretical questions in a specific context, but presupposes the questions and their "answers" a priori.

(4) Current situation

Influenced by the anti-essentialist postmodernism and cultural studies that rose in the second half of the 20th century and are still popular today, some contemporary western literary theorists have begun to adopt a historical and non-essentialist open attitude towards "literature" and the "essence" of literature, emphasizing the specific social and cultural background of various definitions of "literary essence".

(5) Conversion method

In the emerging field of cultural studies, many scholars believe that the best way to replace essentialism is the view of social constructivism. Literature is gradually becoming "literature" instead of being born for "literature".

2. Main literary textbooks and literary concepts in the new period.

(1) Basic Principles of Literature edited by Yiqun (revised edition 1983)

In the Introduction, on the one hand, it recognizes the historicity, variability and openness of literary theory of literature. But at the same time, all kinds of literary views in Chinese and foreign history are classified as "idealism" and "materialism", which are actually "truth" and "fallacy", denying the pluralism of literary theory and literary essence.

In the Introduction, according to the social structure theory of Marxism, it is considered that literature is ideology and literary theory is also ideology, and bourgeois literature and literary theory are a reflection of bourgeois interests, so it is a kind of "false consciousness"; However, it firmly believes that the proletarian literary theory does not lose its unquestionable objectivity, scientificity and authenticity because it is the expression of the interests of a particular class.

(2) A Course of Literary Theory edited by Tong Qingbing.

content

It emphasizes the practicality and historical variability of literary theory, and fully considers the historical dimension in the definition of "literature".

On the basis of understanding literature as an activity, this paper defines literature and its nature from the perspectives of culture, aesthetics and customs, showing a relatively open literary view.

The book has a special section on "Dilemma and Solutions in the Definition of Literature", which emphasizes the tension between absolutism and relativism in the definition of literature, and advocates "literary concepts centered on narrow literature and aesthetics, blending literary concepts of broad literature and culture, and compromising literary concepts of righteousness and convention".

The essence of literature is still defined as "aesthetic ideology", but its understanding of "aesthetics" is dialectical.

meaning

It promotes the pluralistic understanding of literary essence and literary concept, and represents the new level of literary theory teaching materials in the new period.

3. Main literary thoughts in the new period

(1) literary autonomy

the west

/kloc-the literary theory concept gradually established since the 0/8th century advocates "art for art's sake", and Kant's aesthetics is its classical theoretical construction. It is believed that the essence of literature is super-utilitarian aesthetics, and the aesthetic essence of literature has nothing to do with cognition and morality. Aesthetic feeling is a kind of pleasure far away from material needs and physical pleasure. The separation and autonomy of cognitive-instrumental rationality, moral-practical rationality and aesthetic-expressive rationality establish the premise of literary modernity.

China

China's independent concept of modern historiography appeared in the early 20th century (embodied in Wang Guowei's literary thoughts) and was established in 1980s.

(2) Aesthetic essentialism

Aesthetic essentialism regards the non-utility of aesthetics and the autonomy and self-discipline of literature and art as the special essence or "internal essence" of literature, the ideology, politics, cognition and commodities of literature as the "external essence" opposite to "aesthetics", and divides "aesthetics" and "ideology" in a binary way, without seeing that "aesthetics" itself is an ideology.

(3) The theory of distance and non-utility in literature appreciation.

background

Mainly influenced by Kant's aesthetics, and supported by the political and cultural requirements of China's local reform and opening up in the 1980s. /kloc-since the 1980s, literary theories have gradually established the theory of literary autonomy, which is manifested in the utilitarian theory of literary appreciation and the theory of aesthetic psychological distance.

limit

This appreciation theory can't explain the acceptance phenomenon that actually happens in popular culture, nor can it explain the aestheticization of daily life. In these phenomena, there is no strict distance between the receiver, the appreciator and the object of appreciation, and it is impossible to find a "pure" aesthetic attitude without utility.

The right attitude

Revise and expand the theory of aesthetic attitude and art appreciation, see the inherent complexity and diversity of aesthetic attitude, or find the phenomenon of mutual penetration of utilitarianism and non-utilitarianism, or classify and analyze different acceptances, different art types and different artistic acceptances to find out the differences.

(4) Cultural studies

meaning

Cultural research refers to the specific perspective and method of studying culture (including literature and art). It is generally believed that the Center for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS), established in Birmingham, England in 1964, marks the formal establishment of cultural studies.

trait

Cultural studies break the boundaries between disciplines, and reflect the characteristics of flexible use of various ideas and knowledge resources for creative research in interdisciplinary free walking.

The characteristics of cultural studies are also reflected in its practical, strategic, political, highly participatory and radical critical stance.

Representative figure

Terry Eagleton

First, in the introduction "What is literature" of Introduction to Literary Theory, it is pointed out that whether a text can become "literature" depends on various conditions rather than a single condition. What literary researchers need to explore is what determines a specific text to be called "literature" in a specific social and cultural context, rather than asking whether there is an eternal literary essence.

Second, it absorbed the achievements of Marxism, postmodernism and cultural studies. It is believed that the "essence" of literature is something that researchers and the social groups they represent need to construct out of objective interests. It is an ideology with an inevitable political nature. The realization of the meaning of "literature" depends on readers' reading, evaluation and social needs in a specific historical period.

Jonathan kalle

First, the difference between literary texts and non-literary texts is not very important. Literature, like other human social and cultural phenomena, changes with the changes of the times and has no eternal literary characteristics (essence), so there is no eternal great literary theory.

Second, in a certain era and society, literary activities may show relatively stable characteristics, and various statements about literature may also show general consistency, so the definition of a literary feature or essence may gain a considerable degree of dominance in the intellectual community. The emergence of "consistency" and "* * * knowledge" makes what have specific social and historical conditions, interwoven with various non-literary factors, and constitutes a historical and local discourse construction.

meaning

By introducing the method of cultural research into literary theory, we can get out of the closed circle of so-called "pure literature", put literature in a broader cultural context, and understand literature from all aspects, especially the complex relationship between culture and power, so as to better promote the prosperity and development of literary research.

Third, historical geography understands the autonomy of literature and art.

1. Overview

The concept of literary autonomy and self-discipline is the dominant literary concept and theory in China literary theory circle at present. This concept has been in a state of separation and confrontation with the theory of heteronomy and instrumentalism in China's literary circles in the 20th century, and its ups and downs constitute the main line of China's literary history.

2. Emergence and development

The demands for self-discipline in contemporary China literary and art circles appeared in1late 1970s/early 1990s1early 1980s, and reached its peak in the middle of11990s, and gradually occupied a dominant position.

( 1) 1980s

background

The demand for literary and artistic autonomy was closely related to the public sphere at that time, which was supported by the political culture at that time (that is, the reform and opening up and the "ideological emancipation" movement) and directly supported by the political elite.

limit

The independent appeal of literature and art has social, cultural and political implications far beyond literature and art itself. The new ideological discourse has been transformed into "truth", as if the autonomy of literature and art is an objective and eternal entity, and the previous literary theory only "covered" this entity, while the literary theory in the new period "discovered" it.

This discourse transformation strategy conceals the autonomy of literature and literary theory, and is actually a literary theory discourse constructed by non-literary forces, which makes many literary researchers lose the ability to reflect on autonomy itself and cannot take it as the same object of knowledge sociology research.

meaning

The requirement of autonomy emphasizes the autonomy of literature and respect for "artistic law", which has become an important part of the cultural-literary policy established by the new generation of leaders. This new culture and literary policy itself was an important part of the new ideas of reform and opening up at that time.

(2) After1990.

background

In a certain historical period, the market provides artists with the possibility of getting rid of the interference of political power. We should look at the role of the market historically and dialectically (for example, giving writers and artists more choices than before). At this time, the critical object of literary autonomy has undergone subtle and important changes. /kloc-the critical object of literary autonomy in the 1990s has been transformed into market and commerce.

express

the west

The creative activities of literary and art workers are closely combined with their funding methods and economic sources, and the funding methods of literary and art activities are also undergoing historic changes. Before the emergence of capitalism and market economy, writers mainly relied on the support (asylum) of nobles, courts or churches. After entering the capitalist era, market mechanisms (such as the system of remuneration and royalties) have replaced the traditional funding methods and become the main source of income for writers and artists.

China

Before the reform and opening up, Chinese literary and art workers were all compiled by state cadres, and institutions such as culture, literature and art were all state institutions. There is almost no connection between literary and artistic activities and the market, and the economic life of writers and artists depends entirely on the national government. /kloc-the marketization of literary and artistic activities in the 1990s has loosened the original literary and artistic system to a certain extent, and the writers' economic sources have become more diversified, resulting in the emergence of freelance writers who contribute for a living outside the system.

existing problems

Some scholars who need self-discipline often simply think that the market deprives artists of their freedom, erodes artistic autonomy, establishes a rigid and mechanical evaluation-screening-exclusion mechanism, and increasingly loses the ability of literary theory to engage in active dialogue with cultural-artistic activities in real life.

3. Significance

From the sociological point of view, the autonomy of literature and art refers to the establishment of an independent literary field and its own rules of the game. People who insist on autonomy usually set autonomy as an unquestionable, self-evident and transcendental essence; The independent appeal of writers and artists is closely related to the independence of literary field.

4. Ideology

From the perspective of social theory, non-utilitarianism-the concept of artistic autonomy-is a "theory" of aesthetic attitude put forward by a specific person for a specific interest in a specific period and environment, which has no historical universality.

5. Significance

A historical analysis of the social conditions of autonomy can clarify what constitutes the conditions and preconditions of autonomy, thus providing an epistemological premise for obtaining real autonomy. The freedom of artistic creation and reading comes from ignorance or wishful denial.