On Pursuit Of Poeticness In Modern Chinese Lyrical Prose

"Poeticness" is a key word for the interpretation of the modern Chinese lyrical prose. It occurs in literary writing as a form of poeticness or poeticalization of prose which is pursued by the modern Chinese literati of the 20th century and in literary criticism as a form of literary critical pattern by which a prose is estimated in its artistic effect.In the present paper, how the poeticness is generated in modern lyrical prose will be interpreted from aspects of traditional jingjie (artistic conception), psychological structuralism and poetic culture, depending on the theories in traditional poetics, modern poetics and literary psychology, etc. Also, the process of development is summed up in which the modern literary man pursues the poeticness in prose writing and criticism since May 4th Movement. The types of poeticness in modern prose are divided into three parts: daily poeticness, romantic poeticness and symbolic poeticness.Meanwhile, taking the relationship between "poeticness" and "modernity" in consideration, the author of this paper discerns the uniqueness of "modernity" in modern Chinese lyrical prose and argues for the legitimacy in its naming. Grounds for argument include: 1. Lu Xun's Wild Grass, as a work indicating the establishment of "modernity" in Chinese prose, marks the turn of "poetic jingjie" from classical style to modern one in modern Chinese lyrical prose. 2. Both decadence and progress are the expressions of "modernity". Expressing the emotional experience of decadence as a special poetic jingjie in their works is one of literary thoughts and spiritual themes in the prose of Chinese literary man of 1930's. 3. Compared with the ancient literati's works, "you" (travel), in China of the 20th century, is not only a kind of poetic experience, but also an experience of "modernity" which is in close relation to the modern Chinese prose. The prosperity of the modern prose on travels just reflects this spiritual experience. 4. The war between countries or nations in the world, as an evil consequence of the modern civilization, compels the "lyricism" and "poeticness" in modern Chinese prose to change in their types, and to be consequently marked with the brand of the modern countries, nations and times."Poeticness" expresses the artistic spirit of the modern Chinese literati. It is a necessary way for the literary inner research to interpret the modern Chinese lyrical prose from the angle of "modernity".