The Language Transformation In Late Qing Dynasty And Early Republic Of China And The Formation Of Modern Literary Ideas On Refinement And Vulgarity

Through analyzing the historical process of the language transformation in late Qing dynasty and early Republic of China, this dissertation aims at exploring the inherent transition link for the vernacular writing to transfer from "the pop" to "the refined" and end up with Chinese written language commonly used by the society, which is available to study the essential connotation of the modern literary ideas on refinement and vulgarity and the historical necessity of modern Chinese literary construction. From late Qing to the May Fourth Movement, Chinese literature started the journey of the transition from tradition to modernization as the structure of social culture developed holistically. It deserves to be mentioned that the modern transition of literature and language went along in the paralleling process during which classical style of writing, once the representative of "the refined", was inevitably marginalized. In the meanwhile, the vernacular writing, which was regarded as "the pop", gradually took the dominant position. Afterwards the vernacular writing was combined with Chinese literature which was in the evolution, which caused to form modern Chinese literature and modern literary ideas on refinement and vulgarity. Accordingly, if we penetrate into the complicated implications we need to reduce the static criterion of refinement and vulgarity to dynamic constructing process of its modern structure. This also predicate that we must re-enter the historical locale and make a detailed characterization and explanation for the innovative process of the language from the late Qing dynasty to the May Fourth Movement. And then, "The Language Transformation of the Alternation between Late Qing Dynasty and the Early Republic of China and the Formation of Modern Literary Ideas of Refined and Pop" becomes the research object of this dissertation.The dissertation consists of the preface and the body.The preface reviews the theory of "the repressed modernity" proposed by Wang De-wei in order to accentuate the signification of "modern literary ideas on refinement and vulgarity" for the research of modern Chinese literature , and consequently bring forth the theoretical background of the theme.The body is made up of the introduction, the four chapters and the conclusion.The introduction, based on defining the research subject and synthesizing the present study, illustrates the value of the study and the research methods of the dissertation. The two vernacular writing reform movements, respectively in Late Qing and Early Republic of China and the May Fourth Movement, are the milestones of modern language transformation. However, we should not study them separately but wholly with a wider vision to check and reflect the modern transformation of language. In other words, we should not only emphasize their difference but also grasp their internal connection when seeing through the logic of history. To study it broadly, the viewpoint of refinement and vulgarity is doubtlessly a proper angle. That Chinese written system evolved from tradition to modern means that the classical writing and the vernacular writing exchanged their social positions. The modern intellects who came from traditional society played a crucial part in the process, and their attitude towards vernacular writing and their language practice paved the way for language reform to some extent. Only when their language identity and personal identity corresponded to vernacular writing and the popular cultural system, vernacular writing was likely to take the place of classical style of writing and become formal written language. The dissertation, concentrating on vernacular writing newspaper of the Late Qing and the Early Republic of China which were neglected by some scholars in this field, tries to explore new information from the precious historical materials and combine historical description with the explanation of language theory. To be specific, the dissertation connects the whole language evolution by way of five kinds of newspapers and three intellectuals groups. The five kinds of newspapers are Competition Ten-Day Publication, Vernacular Writing Newspaper in Hangzhou, Vernacular Writing Newspaper in China, Vernacular Writing Newspaper in Anhui and New Youth, and the three groups are initiators for vernacular writing reform movement represented by Qiu Ting-liang, revolutionary intellectuals represented by Lin Xie, modern intellectuals such as Chen Du-xiu and Hu Shi. Lin Xie once edited Vernacular Writing Newspaper in Hangzhou and Vernacular Writing Newspaper in China; Chen Du-xiu, creator of Vernacular Writing Newspaper in Anhui and Hu Shi, editor of Competition Ten-Day Publication were elites of New Youth. Therefore, we can understand better their attitudes towards Vernacular Writing and their historical change if we compare the newspapers.Chapter 1, "the Conversion of the Refined and the Vulgar:the Internal Clue of the Rise of Vernacular Writing Movement" mainly discusses the language perception of advocators in Late Qing. Comparing the modern language reforms in China and in Japan, this dissertation makes it clear that in Late Qing the movement of vernacular writing did not regard language change as its target. Instead, vernacular writing was viewed as a tool of nationalism, and the true purpose of the language reform was to enlighten the masses. As a result, those advocators formed a kind of special language idea on vulgarness and refinement. And then they must make a choice between the upper intellectuals and the common people, the classical writing and the vernacular writing, the political utility and the appreciation of the beauty of refined scholars. There is no doubt that the intellectuals' idea on value would be repositioned between the refined and the vulgar so that their confrontation became a hidden power which dominated the vernacular writing movement.Chapter 2, "Media Enlightenment and the Adjustment of the Initiators' Idea on refinement and vulgarity" centered on Vernacular Writing Newspaper in Hangzhou in 1901, with the aim of investigating its impact on new intellectuals. At first those editors had planned to enlighten the people by vernacular writing, but did not agree with the vulgar culture themselves. In the process of enlightening the lower social rank, the newspaper, as a means of spreading new ideas, had taken an increasingly important role. Its value laid in breaking the strict class division, rendering information communicate wide-rangingly, creating a free public opinion space and shaping the cultural and psychological structure of the intellectuals indirectly. The editors who were directed by the media when enlightening the public surpassed social limit and contacted more with the vulgar. Meanwhile ,vernacular writing began to penetrate into middle and upper social class.Chapter 3, " Revolutionary Storm: Motivation of the Conversion of the Refined and the Vulgar" takes Vernacular Writing Newspaper in China as a case which described the revolutionary discourse's importance on vernacular writing in 1903. In that year, a series of key historical events caused social-cultural ideological tread to change dramatically. In the context, the trend of language reform changed accordingly. Beyond enlightenment, the intellectuals began to consider the vernacular writing from another perspective. Vernacular Writing Newspaper in China aimed at fostering national mentality which neglected the enlightening target and regarded the young students who were "marginal intellects" with new thoughts as potential readers. The editors attempted to make the revolutionists communicate and interact by means of Vernacular Writing Newerpaper in China and vernacular writing. However, the new thoughts needed new language system and the new class must have their own particular discourse. How the new modern noun merged into vernacular writing wholly and surpassed modern one was another significant topic for new intellects.Chapter 4, "From the Refined to the Vulgar: Two Kinds of Attitudes and Approaches" proves that vernacular writing can eventually turned into social common written language by analyzing the change of the language ideas of modern intellects such as Chen Du-xiu and Hu Shi. Chen du-xiu, who set up Vernacular Writing Newspaper in Anhui and chaired New Youth, underwent the process of political consciousness to ethic consciousness. At that time, he perceived many problems of language reform beyond the aim of social revolution, thus forming language reform idea theoretically at last. Hu Shi, who once edited Competition Ten-Day Publication, fulfilled personal and mental construction of a complete modern intellect when he finished his studies in America so that he could judge the shortcomings and mistakes of the language reform in Late Qing in a broader vision, and his theory of Literature Chinese and Chinese Literature symbolized a refined style of written language which came into being in the end.The Concluding is mainly about recalling different literary debates caused by modern vernacular writing since May Fourth Movement to indicate its complexity and potential restricting power.