From The Literrary Pioneer To The Academic Celebrity

As a member of the "New Youth" camp colleagues, Liu Bannong is the incarnation of "Path breaker" in the New Culture Movement who opposing the classical Chinese language, initiating the vernacular and propelling the ideological and the Cultural Revolution full of enthusiasm for reform. Then with the division of the "New Youth" colleagues and the differentiation of United Front, Liu Bannong exits the literary and turns into Academic. When working at the university, Liu Bannong puts most of the energy on the academic research, then gradually eliminates its "fighter" edge, becoming a "celebrity" and scholar in the cultural.The late stage Liu Bannong is the research object of this paper, which pays attention on the change of its identity, mentality, and literature as other aspects. Paper is divided into three parts. The first part is carding the historical process and the literary academic attitude which is different from "May Fourth" of Liu Bannong since him exits from the New Cultural Movement camp after the "New Youth" has divided. The second part is discussing from two aspects. In one hand, Liu Bannong’s mood has changed after the "May Fourth Movement", which is impassioned even extreme at "May Fourth" period, then goes through disappointment, loneliness, compromise, finally returns quiet and calm. His ideas have been backward gradually whth his academic progress. In the other hand, Liu Bannong’literature after the "May Fourth Movement" is change. While the literary form, content, style and the pubish position has changed, Liu Bannong has changed from positive and outstanding to leisure and mediocre in the literature. The last part is the Death. This part focuses on the memory and the evaluation from the world after Liu Bannong dead. Regardless of insiders or outsiders, Liu Bannong’s change from "May Fourth" pioneer to celebrity in the academic is an eternal topic. Some people identified Liu Bannong as outdated for he focusing academic and fading literary talent, getting away from the literary world after he turns into the academic. The other parts of people have the contrary voices. They appreciate Liu Bannong’s diligent efforts of academic attitude and the academic achievements, affirming his position in the literary world and the academia. This paper attaches importance to the historical facts and studies Liu Bannong under the broad background as a member of "New Youth", and then pays attention to carding and studying his life history and the attitude change. Although it is a case study, the writer hopes to keep an eye on the mentality of the Chinese intellectuals in the transition time.