A Study On Review Of Literature In The Early Days Of New China

The object for study in this dissertation is the review texts written during the period from 1949 to 1955. The reason why this period is selected to be researched into is that it basically helps reveal the process in which the Communist Party of China ideologically transforms the intellectuals, particullarly the intellectuals in the literary field, unfolding how the socialist ideology integrates and standardizes literary thoughts. It is believed in this dissertation that review text is an effective mode of operation to ideologically transform the intellectuals in the literary field. On the other hand, review text as an important approach transformed and standardized the literature in early times when China was newly founded.As early as Yan'an period, Communist Party of China deliberately implementd political leadership and management on literature, accumulating much experience including literary policy, literary institutions, literary press, writers management. In addition, Yan'an Reticificaiton Movement succeeded in transforming the writers ideologically, constructing the tradition of self-criticism and self-review. After the establishment of new regime, Communist Party of China was confronted with the historical mission of purifying and unifying the citizens' thinking with Marxism, making it unconditionally obedient to the construction of new China. This means in the process of new China's socialist construction various non-communist thougts had to be eliminated. As a result, in early times of new China a succession of campaigns on thoughts criticism were launched, intellectuals in literary field transforming ideological thoughts and demonstrating their political stances together with determination to be transformed with the approach of review. This paper makes an effort to re-examine the review texts appearing in the literary field.The first part of this paper analyzes the cause of review. The establishment of the China's contemporary literary system serves as an important precondition for its review. If China's contemporary literature had not found its way into the stage of institutionalized operation, the review would not have collectively and generally accompanied the development of contemporary literature.The second part of the paper discusses the universality of reviews written by traditonal intellectuals when china was newly founded. Criticism and self-criticism as an excellent virtue was formed and perfected in long-lasting practice of revolutional struggle, which plays a fundamental role in the growing and development of China's communists and which is completely duplicated into the ideological transformation of intellectuals. The same characteristic shared by these reviews is personal liquidation on old ideas including values, academic and literary achievements or even personality. reviews written by a majority of writers highlight self-denial and self-reflection, demonstrating an attitude of sincerely transforming themselves. Of course, some review texts were written with recluctance or deliberately in order to cater the current situation.The specific analysis of the review texts in literary creation and literary theory will be discussed in the third and fourth part. A series of critical campaigns conducted in external party deeply penetrated into internal party, extending people being criticized from Hu Shi who is the intellectual standing for grand bourgeoisie and his followers, to Hu Feng, the dissident in the core of left-wing literature, and then to Ding Ling who is a writer in the party and has a background of May the Fourth Literature. The final goal of continuous criticism is to completely eliminate all the non-Marxism and non-Leninism. The third part analyzes the review in the field of literary creation, such as the review texts written by Sun Yu, Xiao Yemu, Ding Ling and Chen Qixia. The fourth part analyzes the review in the field of literary theory, such as the review texts written by Yu Pingbo and Hu Feng. Although the writers made the review with different purposes their reviews ensure the establishment and implementation of literary standard, being an important component in establishing an integrated literary structure.