On The Aesthetic Angle Of View In Shen Congwen's Novels Based On City Life

There are two aesthetic angles of view in shen congwen's novels based on city life , one is the criticism of the country folks, the other is the criticism of the town folks' modern consciousness. His criticism and excessive negation for the citizens and intellectuals reveals his contradictory psychology, thought, culture and aesthetic state. On one hand, he loves village and hates city, on the other hand, the rural ignorance and backwardness makes him yearn for the urban civilization in his subconscionsness.Shen congwen's city novels make a mirror for the high-class people in the city. This mirror reflects the loss of morality, the shrink of vitality and the materialism of desire. In his novels about Xiangxi, on one hand, he heartily eulogizes the life style of natural unity, the most kindhearted earthly true feelings, and the intrepid vitality full of vigor, On the other hand, he discovers rationally that the former "rural paradise" has gradually faded away with the corrosion and impact of money and power in modern society, the cultural chronic illness which injures humanity cruelly still exists in Xiangxi world. Shen Congwen accepts neither modern urban civilization nor modern rural civilization completely, he stands neither on the position of rural standard nor on the position of urban standard. He resists the modern viliage and criticizes the morbid state of the modern urban civilization through the imaginary "Xiangxi world". Shen Congwen hates the power abused politics which ignores the benefit of the country, nation and people, treats human life as no more than grass and puts the common people in deep distress. Chen Congwen's criticism of metropolis world and town folks has the same significance with his criticism of Xiangxi world and the ignorance and backwardness of country folks. All these criticisms are subordinated to his aesthetic pursuit for "gazing at the distant view of life".