Modern Classic Way

Mao Dun's status as a great master of new literature was challenged and repudiated by some critics in 1980s,which was caused by the ideological trend and the change of literary environment at that time. Whereas Mao Dun's literature , a new pattern after Lu Xun's in new literature movement, gained quite high artistic achievement and had great significance in literature history. Thus it is of great necessity to reinterpret the phenomenon of Mao Dun's literary production.A t the beginning , Mao Dun didn't emerge as a literature producer on the stage of Chinese new literature, but attracted attention as an innovator of literary publication and a literature critic in the literary circle. He also took part in a lot of party activities as a social activist at that time. He wavered between literature and politics during the period of the May 4~th, known as one straddling two boats. The failure of the great revolution led to his final choosing of literature. And then he began to write novels. Mao Dun participated in and recorded the course of development of Chinese modern revolution with his literary creation, from his early works such as Erosion, Multiflora Rose etc. ,which were created to dispel his gloom, disillusionment, pessimism and disappointment, to Daze town, Way etc. , trying to reflect new ideology, and then to his great success Midnight . The revolutionary development promoted him a lot in his creative course. Among these were the criticism of the radicalrevolutionary creative organization and Sun Agency's critics' and the cultural policy and art of leadership of the Communist Party of China, which all made significant influence on his literature creation.At the age of enlightenment and saving the nation from extinction, Mao Dun's literature, integrating with revolution greatly, was far enough to represent a time and become a modern classics in the first half of 20th century when revolution was the most important theme of the day and social event. The classics of his literature is mainly manifested in his epic pursuit, advocation of rationalism and portraying of youth of the day. The epic pursuit made his works both modern and social. At the same time, they also tried to reflect the social life wholly and objectively. It is somehow inevitable that Mao Dun initiated the rational tradition of narration which laying stress on social analysis in the history of modern literature. Both the spread of Marxism in China, the introduction of creative method of materialist dialectics and the debate of China's social nature pushed that forward greatly. One of the manifestation of his works' rationalism is the opitomized description of the society, the other is the deep analysis of the society. Mao Dun created a series of figures of national bourgeoisie and women in new era. The strong color of times and distinctive ideology is vital and the soul of the characters in Mao Dun's works.Mao Dun 's literary works have its distinct individuality and uniqueaesthetic sense. They are remarkably characteristic of dispirited aesthetic tendency and romantic individualism. Decadence ,which revolts against social beings by dejection and dissipation and makes itself full of modern quality, is regarded as one of modern characters of Chinese modern literature by Li Ou-fan. All of the description of abnormal sexual love and modern city's phenomenon, the exaggeration of petty bourgeoisie's spirit of decadence and disillusionment have shown this aesthetic tendency. Mao Dun has also portrayed two kinds of outstanding figures of women of the day and national bourgeoisie. In fact he placed his romantic imagination on these rare modern women and national capitalists who were described almost as heroes and cavaliers. Mao Dun's early novels embody lots of his personal and sentimental elements. All of these are the romantic individualistic quality in his novels.Mao Dun's literature, as 'modern classics', a pattern in new literature ,had deep and lasting influence on 20th century Chinese literature. For its non-fungible classics, unique aesthetic tendency and aesthetic sense, Mao Dun's literature will be ever-lasting fascinating and valuable.