Extreme Of May Fourth Discourse Under The Circumstances Of Colonial Language And The Present Reflection On Them

The traditional literature history regards May Fourth Literature as the beginning of modern literature. This case has lasted for a long time. So-called prophets came into literature history as forerunners, which makes offspring admire and worship them. Of course, we worship May Fourth generation very much, especially their courage of reestimating all things. However, when we put the selected history into the whole history, we seem to have some other opinions.In this article, I try putting May Fourth Literature into modern history, especially into modern particular historical setting and cultural taste. I enter special discourse of May Fourth Literature based on present western literary theory, in particular, post-colonialism. I reexplain May Fourth Literature and discuss the loss and gains brought to Chinese literature by May Fourth generation. I focus on the loss. I hope to offer a kind of method for Chinese literature in the face of globalization, that is, learning from the former, being rooted in tradition, and connecting reality. Thus, we can face western challenge to realize the prosperity of traditional culture and literature once again.The development and expansion of European capitalism consolidated bourgeoisie's ruling position and strengthened their greedy desire, too. They started to conquer the world with blood and fire. They made the globe come into capitalist ruling system and world market, including China. Chinese colony memory and experience is the same as other weak peoples. Judging from literature at that time, this kind of memory and experience has affected the persons at that time and following ones in some degree. In fact, this result is what colonists hope to see and connected closely with a series of colonial policies they carried out. In order to consolidate and stabilize colonial administration, every western power not only conquered other weak countries with force, but also brought western culture and value into these countries. The West hoped to cultivate its own agents. This kind of huge change and crisis made Chinese traditional intellectuals split and integrate to some extent. They began to learn from the West. Some even were assimilated. The organic intellectuals who accepted western colonists' cultivation and education not only recognized and appreciated western culture and view of value, but also started to betray their own tradition. When recognizing Orientalism, they broke up the traditional culture in inside. Thus, tradition was on the verge of culture. In this aspect, the radicals in May Fourth period went too far. Directed by the whole Occidentalizing, they attacked and denied traditional culture and literature without delay, completely and utterly and threw tradition into rubbish heap of history.May Fourth Movement is a new culture movement led by intellectual elite returning from overseas. It aimed to reform traditional culture and literature. These people were affected by western knowledge very deeply. They thought western culture advanced. Of course, they also accepted Orientalism which believed the Orient to be silly and backward. Facing a series of tramps of binary opposition and proposition of popularization, they formed their simple rude dictatorial words. They built Chinese modern literature which was deeply influenced by western powerful culture. So, this literature was covered with colonization thickly. Accepting and recognizing Orientalism and introducing fast and transplanting simply the whole Occidentalizing brought huge trouble and sorrow to Chinese people and made traditional culture and literature come into dumb case forever in the face of western culture and literature. Chinese culture and literature always lingered between introducing and digesting. Because of throwing out tradition and worshiping the West, Chinese people formed the sense of collective inferiority. This sense became a kind of colonial trouble and painful memory rooted in Chinese people. Chinese people felt that they were a weak nation. Until now, we can still feel this kind of influence.Now, information is very important. Globalization has come near. How to revive our traditional culture and literature and building up our national self-respect once again have become an unavoidable problem. Only by learning from ancestors' experience and lesson, returning to tradition, coming into reality and developing culture, we can revive Chinese nation greatly. We mustn't run after the West. We must surpass the West.