Comparisive Study On Liang Qi-chao And Wang Guo-wei's Literature Theories In The View Of "Modernity"

Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei both had important position in Chinese literature history.They both had profound Chinese culture and plentiful external culture. In the background of the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century, the collision between Liang Qi-chao and the literature of Wang Guo-wei's literature literature theories,in a sense,is the expression of Chinese literature modernity process.On the one hand,"Modernity"is the topic of the end of 19th century and the beginning of 20th century.On the other hand, Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei had complementary opinions on many aspects,for example,on the character of literature,on literature function,and on the relationship between literature and politics, etc. The study comparing Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature theories under the angle of modernity will help us understand the two great men's literature ideologies, Chinese ideology, western ideology, the Chinese character,the character and function of literature, the relationship between literature and politics,etc. more deeply.Though the study on Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature theories was abundant,the study was not thoroughgoing.Some study lacked the angle of comparing,some study lacked the angle of modernity.Though some study compared the two people's literature theories with the angle of modernity,the study was not systematic and thoroughgoing.Therefore,this thesis will compare Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature theories in the view of "modernity"."modernity should be defined as the culture state which has the contrary character compared with the traditional culture."Both Chinese culture and western culture's modernity shows respect for the people.However,the oppression was from the religion culture in the west,and the oppression was from the feudal culture in China.The modernity of Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature was the initiative.Though Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature theories both showed modernity,their modernity had some differences.Liang Qi-chao used literature to enlighten the people,while Wang Guo-wei gave more attention to emotion and appetite.Using the individual and colony,sensibility and logos as the breakthrough points,the thesis compared the two persons'literature theories from their different ideas of "the essence of human".Their common characters are as follows.First,both of them insisted that literature should work for the life.Second,both of them upgraded fictions'status.Third,both of them had enlighten modernity and aesthetic modernity.The differences are as follows.Liang Qi-chao insisted that the essence of human should be a colony.Therefore,Liang Qi-chao believed that literature should be a tool to maintain the colony.On the literature function,Liang Qi-chao hoped that"new fiction"can "enlighten the people".Wang Guo-wei insisted that "pure knowledge"and"subtle sentiment" should be the essence of human.Therefore,Wang Guo-wei believed that literature should have its independent evalue,and the function of fiction should be "probing the truth of thousands and thousands of generations all over the world".To accomplish the task,this thesis will compare Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature theories in the view of modernity.There are three parts in the thesis: the introduction,11 chapters,and the concluding remarks.The introduction reviews the former study on Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature ideology,analyses the accomplishment and the deficiency, explains the reason about why studying Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature theories,and why use the comparison means and the modernity view.Then define the meaning of modernity,explain the intention,the clue,and the means of this thesis.The first chapter,the differences and the similarities between Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei in experience and culture accumulation.Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei had the same growing backgroud.They both received traditional culture.In their youth,both of them had the experience of going abroad. Both of them were famous scholars.But Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei also had many different aspects.First,Liang was a scholar and politician,yet Wang was only a scholar.Second,Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei absorbed different thoughts from traditional culture and foreign culture.Third,Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei had different attitudes towards the life.The second chapter,comparison between Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature ideologies in modernity. Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature theories both presented modernity factors,however,there are many differences between Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature ideologies.This chapter's goal is to explore the deeply reasons that resulted in their differences.The third chapter, Liang Qi-chao's colony consciousness and Wang Guo-wei's individuality concern, "colony standard"is the essential character. "Colony standard"brings its positive influence, however, at the same time,it brings its limitations.There are some modernity factors both in Liang Qi-chao's colony-undertaking and in Wang Guo-wei's individuality-undertaking, which are different from the traditional culture. Both Liang Qi-chao's colony-undertaking and Wang Guo-wei's individuality-undertaking affirmed the independence,freedom and right,which belonged to the modernity concepts.however, Both Liang Qi-chao's colony-undertaking and Wang Guo-wei's individuality-undertaking had limitations.The fourth chapter, Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's understanding about the function of fiction. In the past,many scholars held the idea that Wang Guo-wei's literature ideology was non-utilitarianism and Liang Qi-chao was realistic utilitarianism.In fact,Liang Qi-chao's literature ideologies are different during his former and later period. Though,we can said that Liang Qi-chao's literature ideologies are utilitarianism generally,however, the former utilitarianism is more directness and more intensity than the latter.Because of being exerted a gradual influence by the Confucian school, Wang Guo-wei's literature ideology has no possible to be non-utilitarian thoroughly.What Wang Guo-wei's insisting is nothing but aesthetic utilitarianism.The fifth chapter, Liang Qi-chao's overlooking the World & Wang Guo-wei's keeping-and-watching the homestead——comparing Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's fiction angle. There are different opinions because of their different angles. There are many different opinions not only in Liang Qi-chao's literature but also in Wang Guo-wei's literature.One of the reasons is that Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei surveyed novels from different angles.Simply speaking,Liang looked fictions from an angle of view in favor of the nation and the people,while Wang Guo-wei surveyed novels from an angle exceeding the nation and the people. Even exceeding "human",Wang Guo-wei used the "overlooking"angle of view to survey novels.Without the slightest doubts, the angle of keeping-and-watching the homestead played its historical role,however,only the overlooking angle can reveal the realistic and the complicated life. The sixth chapter, the interest of Liang Qi-chao & the hobby of Wang Guo-wei. "'interest'is the philosophy foundation and the core of Liang Qi-chao's aesthetic ideology......'interest'is the root character of Liang Qi-chao's aesthetic ideology." "'hobby'is an important concept of Wang Guo-wei's aesthetic ideology".For these reasons,this thesis compares the interest of Liang Qi-chao & the hobby of Wang Guo-wei from different angles.The seventh chapter,Liang Qi-chao's social development and Wang Guo-wei's self redemption.The fast development of modern science and technology supplies more and more material products,however,on the other hand,tool-logos goes after the development of modern science and technology. Tool-logos is gradually making a "prison"which exists everywhere. Moreover, to keep the fast economic development,people have to consume excessively,which are often controlled by the public opinion.Apparently,people had a rich life,however,people's heart had never got a good rest.The interest of Liang Qi-chao & the hobby of Wang Guo-wei have a good effect to conquer the alienation in working and lying fallow.The eighth chapter, optimism of Liang Qi-chao and pessimism of Wang Guo-wei.Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei had different life attitudes:Liang Qi-chao was optimistic,while Wang Guo-wei was pessimistic. The factors which resulted in the difference are as follows:their family factors,their experiences, their different favor to the culture.The different life attitudes determined their different opinions about literature function.Liang Qi-chao looked literature as a weapon to enlighten the people,however, Wang Guo-wei looked literature as the good medicine to relieve life pain.The ninth chapter, the Evolution Theory of Liang Qi-chao & Wang Guo-wei. The Chinese intellectuals were shocked when the Evolution Theory was introduced at the end of 19th century.In using the Evolution Theory,there were some differences between Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei. Liang Qi-chao pursued Using ideology.He publicized the idea of survival competiton by using the Evolution Theory. Liang Qi-chao wanted to save the nation from extinction. Wang Guo-wei claimed that the learning should be independent,and there was no boundary between the western and the eastern in learning.Wang Guo-wei studied the literature history with the Evolution Theory.On the Evolution Theory,though there are some differences between Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei,their ideas both have modernity factors.The 10th chapter, Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's understanding about the essence of fiction.Though Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei both attached great importance to fiction,Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei had different understanding about the essence of fiction,which resulted from the different understanding about the essence of human.The 11th chapter,the comparison between Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature receiving. This chapter analyses the reasons why Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature ideology had different receiving during different ages from the angle of M.H.Abrams' four-factor-in-literature.The conclusion:There are many differences between Liang Qi-chao and Wang Guo-wei's literature theories.Liang Qi-chao attached more attention to colony and hoped to enlighten the people.Wang Guo-wei attached more attention to individual and hoped to comfort the people.There are many differences between the two people's literature theories.One of the reasons is that they received different Chinese and foreign culture.