The Sinicization Paces Of Western Theory: Evolution And The Variation Of Chinese Literary Theory

This dissertation is centered round the Sinicization process of Western theories and its influence on the variation and transformation of the Chinese literary theory. Any theories, when traveling in a heterogeneous civilization, must be to some extent misunderstood and adapted by the recipient country. Such transformation and adaptation must be based on the discourse and academic regulations of the recipient countries, which is called the foreignization of theory, and for the Western theory, it is the Sinicization of Western theory. Western theory plays a very important role in the variation and transformation of the Chinese literary theories, as is remarkably shown in the Sinicization of evolutionary theory and its influence on the Chinese literary theories.In the studies of Chinese literature, the attention drawn on the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theory has been far from enough, and the probe into the problem of how the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theory take place also lags far behind, or even suspended and avoided completely. So the variation and transformation process has always been confused so far, much room left for our further exploration, thus making it a very urgent and necessary task to study the relations between Western theory and the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theory. The examination of the literature in late Qing Dynasty provides an opportunity for possible progress in our study of the variation and transformation, but the examination is not deep and penetrating, and never breaks the traditional study paradigms. In addition, for a long period of time, the study of the development process of Chinese literature never includes the researches which regard the New Literature as an organic part of the variation and transformation process. This kind of study leads to the isolation of New Literature from the panoramic background of Chinese literature, and many problems still remain untouched and unsolved till now. Such being the case, this dissertation, regarding New Literature as a part of the variation and transformation of Chinese literature, posits that it is in the period of New Literature that the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theory actually start. In this way, we can more accurately combine modern literature and ancient literature, more efficiently analyze the process of literary transformation from the past to the modern time, and more clearly explicate the relationship between Chinese literature and Western literature, because in that specific and special cultural context, the problem of Chinese literary development and variation from the past to the modern is in essence the problem of Chinese literature and Western literature.Focusing on the Sinicization process of Western theory, this dissertation makes an exclusive inquiry into Evolution, and gives a detailed description of its Sinicization process and its far-reaching influence on the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theory. Based on this, the dissertation chooses to analyze a few key terms which are crucial to the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theory, and also traverses the literary phenomena and arguments occurring in the variation and transformation process. From the angle of the Sinicization of Western theory, based on such theories as traveling theory, discourse, and archaeology of knowledge, this dissertation is meant to recover the historical setting and resort to the principles of dialogue, and finally explores the variation and transformation process of Chinese literary theory and its significance.The dissertation can be divided into four parts as follows:Part One deals with the relation between modern media and the variation of literary theory. Before the New Literature Movement, our attention is attracted to the translation of Western literary works rather than to literary theory. Modern media are closely connected with the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theory, as is reflected in the following four aspects: the mediating function of modern media, the expansion of the carriers of literary transmitting, the promotion of Chinese literary ideas, and the expansion of readership. The most powerful influence modern media exert on Chinese literature is literary ideas, and the dialogue between Chinese literary ideas and Western literary ideas turns into the very beginning of the comparative literature between Chinese and Western literature, thus making the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theory doomed to happen urgently.Part Two briefly concerns the origin, development, and variation of Western evolutionary theory and its influence on Chinese ideology. In the Western context, the word "evolve" is really ambiguous. At its early stage, the word does not limit itself to a linear and one-dimensional development, and it even means deterioration. But when Evolution moves to China, its meaning is changed and reduced to that of a linear and one-dimensional development by Chinese intellectuals at that time encouraged by certain advanced ideology and the desire to reform China. Yan Fu's purposeful misreading and rewriting Huxley determines the meaning of Evolution in our Chinese context as advancement. In its realization, the term implies abrupt and radical changes in our context rather than the gradual development in the Western culture. Therefore, our Chinese view of time and development separates itself from the original ideas of circulation, and finally the influence reaches our ideologists and literary writers at that time.Part Three chiefly deals with the relationship between evolutionary theory and New Chinese Literature. That is, with regard to Chinese intellectual context right before New Chinese Literature, the theoretical foundations of literary revolution as well as the construction of new literary views the author explores the relationship between evolutionary theory and New Chinese Literature. we focus on the view of literary history. With the Sinicization process of Evolution, Chinese literary history changes from the earlier listing of literary phenomena into the study of literary evolutionary history. This view of literary history is formed from and dominated by literary evolutionary ideas, and thus permeated with a strong sense of evolution and advancement. In the cultural context at that time, the West is the sign of advancement, and its literary history is well accepted and enthusiastically pursued by Chinese literary history scholars. This part of the dissertation takes Hu Shi's literary history written under the guidance of Evolution and Western views of literary history as a case study, analyzes the facts Hu Shi has been influenced by Evolution, and finally points out that the essence of Hu's reference to the modes of Western literary development is actually a reference directed by Evolution. Therefore, to simply reduce Hu's literary history to a history influenced by the West is far from satisfactory, and it is the evolutionary idea that constitutes Hu's ideology. The later modes of literary history writing mostly copy and follow and even overstate Hu's choice, and due to this, the literary School of Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies in the late Qing Dynasty and the early periods of Republic of China is victimized by this view of literary history.Part Four mainly discusses the key terms which are closely related to the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theory, and also their influence on the variation, the transformation, and even the construction of literary theory in the perspective of Evolution.To begin with, we will center around "literature of human being". "Literature of human being" is obviously reflected in the variation and transformation process of Evolution in Chinese literary theory. From the angle of Evolution, "literature of human being" concentrates on evolutionary and present state of human being, thus rendering itself a little bit vague and ambiguous, and leading to the fact that two different literary views both serve the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theory, namely the view of literature for human being's sake and the one for art's sake. It is simply because of its concentration on the modern human being of "literature of human being" that makes the School of Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies the target for attacks. Meanwhile, the slogan of "literature of common people" resulting from "literature of human being" has been a formative factor in the inclination of paying close attention to the common people in the later literary history.Then, we will discuss the influence the "new/old" rhetoric in language exerts on the variation of Chinese literary theory. The binary opposition in our thinking mode of whether new or old is in actuality the reflection of Evolution in literature, a continuation of Evolution. This part, taking as cases the School of Jia Yin and the School of Xue Heng, analyzes the rhetorical devices of "new/old" and "life/death" and their influence on the transformation of literary theory. While the schools of Xue Heng and Jia Yin pursue gradual evolutionary thinking mode of the West, the proponents of New Literature Movement hold on to abrupt and radical evolutionary ideas. The binary thinking mode of "new/old" excludes what is half new and half old in the literary history, and this to some extent hides and obstructs the modernity of the variation and transformation process of Chinese literature.Finally, this dissertation will talk about realism. Borrowed from Western literary trends, and combined with the localized Evolution in China, realism becomes the essential requirement in the variation and transformation process of Chinese literary theory. Evolution reflects its concern about the present time, and the concern leads to the fact that realism occupies the literary writing after the transformation of Chinese literature, and also makes known the Chinese scholars' reflections on advancement and development. However, an inclination appears as a result, which pays too much attention to "what to write" instead of "how to write".In the Conclusion, from the perspective of modernity the author explores the influence Evolution exerts on people's view of time and development. However ambiguous and varied the meaning of modernity is, time must always be its main concern. Under the changes of the view of time and development, Chinese literary theory after its variation and transformation puts higher premium on the problem of time. Although this concern is really an invisible presence, it renders the varied and transformed Chinese literary theory a new look which is completely different from the traditional one. The ideas of Evolution and advancement become the inner theoretical support of the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theory. In this sense, the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theory realizes the pursuit of modernity in our Chinese literature. Furthermore, with time flying, the concern of time and the pursuit of modernity of the Chinese literary theory will be an unfinished process which bears great significance.The main creative values of the dissertation and its significance could be summarized as follows:1. In the perspective of sinicization of Western theories, the dissertation gives a survey of sinicizing process of the evolutionary theory in China in connection with the great transformation of Chinese culture and the Chinese intelligentsia's eagerness for the changes. Though it the main manifestations of the sinicized evolutionary theory could be seen--constant progress and a linear development. In the meantime, in the dissertation the author also points out the relationships between the sinicization of evolutionary theory, the variation of Chinese literary, the transformation of Chinese literary discourse as well as the great influences on Chinese literary discourse.2.With the sinicization of evolutionary theory as the starting point, in the dissertation the author regards New Literature as a key phase of the variation and transformation of Chinese literature and theories. After examining and analyzing the sinicization of evolutionary theory and the variation of the literary views launched by New Literature, we can not only know the results of the variations, but also find out the ignored cause for the variation, thereby revealing the mechanism of variation and transformation and its significance.3. When giving a panoramic survey of the variation and transformation of Chinese literary theories, the author also attaches importance to the close reading of the literary discourse to go beyond the previous research that realism was only regarded as a creating method. After tracing the development of realism, the author points out that it was the inherent need of Chinese literature in the course of variation and transformation, so the position of realism in Chinese literary literature in the was highlighted in the ontological spirit.