A Study On The Concept Of "Individual" In Literary Research Society During The "May Fourth" Period

The introduction of the "individual" thought of "New Shensizong" provided a brand new ideological basis for the "May Fourth" social reform movement and the development of new literature,and also became the origin of the "individual" concept of literary research in the "May Fourth" period.On the basis of inheriting the core proposition of "New Shensizong",Zhou Zuoren,Ye Shaojun and Zheng Zhenduo,the core members of the Literature Research Association,received the baptism of modern humanitarian thought and formed a unique humanitarian "individual" view through systematic theoretical transformation and conceptual construction.The concept of "individual" in literary research society has three basic connotations: first,the premise of the existence of "individual" is as "subject of freedom";Second,the essence of "individual" is a member of "human";Thirdly,the ultimate value of "individual" is to cultivate "true self" for "human beings",so the transformation of "individual" should be taken as the fundamental way to transform "human beings".Under the influence of the new concept of "individual",literature Research Institute defines literature and art as the "small self" of the "big self",and writers express the life and common emotional experience of all human beings as "a member of human beings".With their understanding of the nature of literature and art,the Literature Research Institute further established the views of "universal" and "sincere" on the characteristics of literature and art.They firmly believed that the appealing literature and art could help people establish a correct view of "individual" and break the emotional "separator" between people,so as to realize the spiritual union of mankind.The new cognition of "individual" / " human " not only profoundly influenced the construction of literary and art view of the Literary Research Society,but also prompted its members to carry out a series of literary creation practices.Zheng Zhendo,Ye Shaojun,Bing Xin and others examined various "inhuman" phenomena in society with the ideal "individual" view.They not only strongly criticized unreasonable human relations,but also deeply revealed the emotional "separator" between people.Secondly,the Literary Research Institute also creates a unique spiritual world of "individuals" in the works,and meticulously presents the psychological process of individual consciousness awakening with extremely delicate sensitivity,and expresses the sense of powerlessness of "individuals" in the process of social transformation.At the same time,the Literary Research Society has repeatedly presented the individual’s new feelings towards the world,described the delicate and touching love of compatriots,and tried to cultivate the empathy and sensibility of the "new people" by emotional revolution,so as to realize the rehabilitation of "human" and the fundamental transformation of society.One of the most important contributions of the May 4th Movement of modern humanitarian thought is the rediscovery of the essence of "man".In the process of "human discovery",the Literary Research Association was the social group that paid the most attention to the issues of "individual" and "human".Its unique "individual" view of the establishment of the free subject and the judgment of the essential identity of "human" guided the development direction of China’s ideological culture and social reform movement around the May Fourth Movement.An in-depth study of the concept of "individual" in the literature research society during the "May Fourth" period can further restore the historical scene of the "May Fourth" modern humanitarian social transformation movement and explore the ideological origin and construction process of the early new literature.