On Foreign Literature Study In Republican Period

Viewing from the course construction perspective, we think that a discipline cannot develop well and become mature without the track of its academic history. Compared with the studies in Chinese ancient and modern literature, the track of the academic history of foreign literature lags behind. Considering the current but few academic history works of foreign literature concerned in China, we find that the studies of foreign literature in Republic are neglected by scholars. Some scholars totally negate it from the academic history of foreign literature. Others classify it as a part of translation of foreign literature. Obviously, the treatment of academic history is incomplete for the discipline of foreign literature and need to be improved.In view of the above-mentioned reasons, the dissertation takes the foreign literature research in Republic for consideration, treating some important literature periodicals, such as "New Youth","Novel Monthly","Modern","Foreign Literature","National Literature","Time and Tide Literature", as longitude, and the change of discourse in China modern society as latitude. The dissertation will draw an overall style of foreign literature in Republic with the help of the two lines and shows its status and significance of the Chinese foreign literature research in these hundred years. The body of the dissertation consists of six chapters:Chapter One, mainly considering Liang Qichao, Lin Shu and Wang Guowei, makes an overview of foreign literature studies in the late Qing Dynasty, which paves a way for latter discussion. Under the national discourse of saving the nation through science in the late Qing Dynasty, Liang Qichao publishesapanese political novels in "Qingyi Newspaper" and broadcasts he ideology of political reform, which marks the debut of foreign literature as a subject of discourse in China, and it also indicates that the Chinese foreign literature studies are inevitably influenced by social utilitarianism. Wang Guowei’s papers of foreign writers’ biography published in the "Education World" not only represent biographical research mode of China foreign literature studies in the past century, but reflects the first appearance of the individual aesthetic discourse in the study of foreign literature which is beyond the national discourse. The introduction and research of foreign literature in Republic has a close connection in its spirit and blood with the studies in the late Qing Dynasty. Sun Yuxiu’s "European and American novels" of the early Republic is the case in point.Chapter Two takes "New Youth" as an example to analyze theoretical meaning of the foreign literature study in Republican period."New Youth", taking foreign literature as a critical discourse, tries to seek a breakthrough point for the ideological revolution and literary revolution, which can be found easily in the papers published on it from Chen Duxiu’s "Modern European Literature History", Hu Shi’s "Ibsen" and Zhou Zuoren’s "Human Literature". Thus the evolution of literary history, realism and Euro-centrism become main tune in that period. Among them, Zhou Zuoren’s literary concept of "human" makes the great turn for foreign literature discourse from national discourse to man’s discourse. The study of Russian literature and the literature of small and weak nations gain vitality because of humanitarian discourse. Therefore, the chapter holds that to some extent the "New Youth" is the theoretical source of foreign literature in Republican period.Chapter Three, taking "Novel Monthly" as an example, makes an overview of the foreign literature study of1920s. In the discourse of literary revolution,"Novels Monthly", imitating "New Youth" directly, becomes an important battle field for the study of Chinese foreign literature of that period."Novel Monthly" regards Russian literature and literature of small and weak nations as its main support of "literature for life", puts the humanitarian discourse into practice in the study of foreign literature, and thus forms its center of19th century realism and its foreign literature study mode which pays special attention to Russian literature and the literature of small and weak nations. This research mode represents the concept of foreign literature study among Chinese scholars in the1920s, and also becomes the fine tradition of introduction and research of foreign literature in new China which is called "Lu Xun Direction" by Mao Zedong. At the same time it also foreshadows the "realism" understanding of modern literature in twentieth century.Chapter Four, mainly taking "Literature" and "Modern" as examples, makes an overview of foreign literature research in the1930s. With the intensification of national conflicts between China and Japan, Chinese literary discourse shifts from the "literary revolution" to "revolutionary literature". The total environment of foreign literature study divides from western humanitarian tradition, and new literature after the Second World War and the top literature build the order of foreign literature study. Among these, left-wing publications, such as "Pioneer" and "sprout", take the world proletarian literature of the Soviet Union and Japan as their main research targets. In contrast, the researches of classic writers, such as Ye Gongchao’s study of T. S. Eliot and Li Jianwu’s study of Flaubert, suggest the achievements of foreign literature research in academic level, which are beyond the revolutionary and class perspectives in1930s. The magazine "Modern" which has double perspectives of left-wing and liberalism draws a picture of world literature. In addition, the debate about "literary heritage" in the magazine "Literature" makes Shakespeare research a hot topic.Chapter Five, mainly taking "Western Literature" and "National Literature" as examples, tries to summarize foreign literature studies under liberated districts, the enemy occupied areas and Kuomintang-rule areas respectively in1940s. Zhou Libo’s lecture of foreign literature in Lu Xun Art College of liberated districts indicates the spirit of Mao Zedong’s "Speech in Yanan Forum on Literature and Art". The publication of "Western Literature" becomes one of the most important spiritual comforts in enemy occupied area. The two magazines,"The Warring States" and "National Literature", strongly advocate cultural reconstruction in the wartime. They take Schopenhauer’s and Nietzsche’s theory as the main discourse, and make endeavor research on Ibsen and Goethe, which highlights the different foreign literature research in Kuomintang-rule areas, while the magazine "Time and Tide Literature" shows the characteristics of the school academic research, and becomes the richest and concentrated publication of that time.Chapter Six mainly analyzes the whole foreign literature studies of the scholars in Republican period. In literary journal papers published in Republican period, we can find that the scholars of that age not only have a unique perspective on foreign writers, works and literary phenomenon, but have rational thinking and judgment on the ontology of foreign literature study from a commanding height. The debate of the introduction and research of foreign literature between Mao Dun and Guo Moruo in1920s has legalized the status of foreign literature study. The discussion of "How to Study Western Literature" in1930-1940s arouses the great attention among great scholars. In general, foreign literature studies at that time not only stay in the stage of Enlightenment of introducing the common sense of foreign literature, but have entered the academic research level.