A Study On The Image Of China In European "Oriental Letters" In The 18th Centur

Letters descended from ancient Greece and are called verse.The prosperous period of writing this rhyme style into a novel is from the beginning of Pamela published by Samuel Richardson in the 18 th century,from which a novel called "Oriental Letters" was born.By tracing the tradition of "Oriental Letters" in 18 th century Europe,this paper aims to review its historical evolution and development process in 18 th century Europe,and clarify how Europe borrowed China to construct the ideal image of "the other" to satisfy its own ancient imagination of the East,to complete its criticism and reflection on its own culture,to seek self-identity and to find a way out for the European society at that time,At the same time,it reveals the significance of China to 18th-century Europe,how China participated in the process of 18th-century European modernization,and discusses the manipulation of western conscious discourse behind China’s image writing of "Oriental Letters".Firstly,it traces the tradition of "Oriental Letters" in Europe in the 18 th century,and explores its historical evolution and source path from the macro level,so that this special genre has a clearer and more systematic historical orientation from its emergence,development,maturity and influence.Secondly,through the close reading of the text,under the guidance of iconology,we observe the image of China in the three letter-style literary works of France,Britain and Germany in the 18 th century,and explain the specific content and artistic characteristics of these "oriental letters" in a targeted manner.Finally,it discusses the cultural connotation of "Oriental Letters" in Europe in the 18 th century,and how European enlightenment thinkers used the East,especially China materials,to complete their own transformation towards modernization.Through a three-dimensional study of the image of China,the "Oriental Letter" in Europe in the 18 th century,we can also look at ourselves through the prism of the West.Especially in today’s world where globalization and multiculturalism coexist,we need to get rid of the cultural dilemma of Said’s Orientalism and Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations.As Habermas said,we need to know ourselves again in a "mutually subjective" way.There is no distinction between high and low culture,so it is particularly important to judge oneself by others.On the one hand,we use the mirror of the West to strengthen the cultural self-confidence of our nation and condense our own cultural power;On the other hand,by comparing with the West,we can achieve self-seeking,face the current turbulent times with a better attitude,and strive to promote the construction of Community of Shared Future for Mankind,and realize cross-cultural integration and co-construction.