Judgment and Construction: Modern Chinese Literary Historiography

Author: Zhu Defa
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2003-01-01
Features: As a research project under the Ministry of Education's Humanities and Social Sciences Research Program, the publication of this work underwent arduous efforts. "Although scholars both at home and abroad have achieved some results in the study of 'literary historiography,' the construction of 'Modern Chinese Literary Historiography' has rarely been addressed. The task of 'pioneering' is indeed difficult to undertake. Several times, I wanted to give up, but each time, I picked up the burden again. It was timely that Dr. Jia Zhenyong dared to take on the heavy responsibility. Through the joint efforts of teachers and students, we finally completed this arduous journey" (as stated in the Postscript). Because of its "pioneering" nature, it was challenging, and it was precisely because of this challenge that it achieved its depth. Academia recognizes that this work embodies the essence of Professor Zhu's nearly 40 years of thought and theory in the study of modern Chinese literature, possessing the character of "meticulous thinking, majestic momentum, passionate thinking, and historical-philosophical quality," making it a foundational work for establishing the discipline of "Modern Chinese Literary Historiography."
"Meticulous thinking" lies in its systematic nature. The academic community has now reached a consensus that the "History of Modern Chinese Literature" and the "History of Contemporary Chinese Literature," as divided by traditional methods, represent a fragmented literary perspective, a product of mechanical class theory, which determines the fate of contemporary writers and restricts the vision of researchers. With the arrival of a new era, the liberation of thought also provided spiritual relaxation for academic research. Breaking the control of monolithic discourse over literary history studies and freeing oneself from the constraints of mechanical binary opposition has made it an inevitable requirement to return literary history to its academic position, thus becoming the necessary demand of "rewriting literary history." As a result, literary concepts and practices of literary history writing, such as "The History of Twentieth-Century Chinese Literature," "Sixty Years of New Literature," and "The General System of a Hundred Years of Chinese Literature," have created a pluralistic coexistence in the study of modern Chinese literary history: mainstream ideological studies, folk studies (e.g., Xie Mian), and personalized studies (e.g., Hong Zicheng). However, the "silence" caused by "freedom" and the cacophony of multiple voices have called for thinkers to organize and integrate the "Modern Chinese Literary Historiography" perspective into a true academic system, proposing a high-level, overarching guiding principle with commonality. Thus, Professor Zhu Defa has reviewed the achievements of "Modern Chinese Literary History" since Wang Yao's "Draft of the History of New Chinese Literature" in 1951, proposed a research framework that emphasizes both modernity and nationality, and elevated "literature of humanity" as the cornerstone of literary history research. In his book "Judgment and Construction," he explores aspects such as disciplinary consciousness, core concepts, "three major sections," subject thinking, convergent thinking, perspective transformation, value norms, aesthetic interpretation, classic text analysis, discourse practice, framework and structure, as well as the academic trends, modernity imagination, non-intellectual factors, and textual examination of "rewriting literary history." He generates "literary historiography" as a system of "literary philosophy."
"Majestic momentum" lies in its comprehensiveness. Professor Zhu once said, "Research is a matter of naming." The theoretical innovation of Professor Zhu first lies in the proposal of the concept of "Modern Chinese Literary Historiography." This distinction from "Modern Chinese Literature" is not merely a change in word order but contains profound ideological and scientific implications. This literary concept avoids the temporal and spatial limitations brought by traditional methods of literary history writing, which mark literary history with political events and rigidly divide it according to the requirements of "On New Democracy," and it also expands the connotation and extension of concepts such as "Modern Chinese Literature," "Twentieth-Century Chinese Literature," "Sixty Years of New Literature," and "A Hundred Years of Chinese Literature." It integrates with China's modernization process and coexists with human modernization, forming an open literary history temporal and spatial framework that is "unlimited at the top but not at the bottom," accommodating a broader range of literary sub-systems: New Chinese Literature, popular literature, ethnic minority literature, literature from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao, traditional literary forms, folk literature, and more. This is an integrated, symbiotic, and non-exclusive system. Due to this foundation, corresponding changes have also occurred within the system of modern Chinese literary history. Personally, I believe that "tolerance" is an important sign of modernity. Professor Zhu's literary historiography, like his personality and scholarship, is grand and majestic precisely because of its tolerance.
"Passionate spirit" lies in the poetic nature of the work. Professor Zhu believes that "literature itself is history." To me, his literary historiographical research is no less than a poetic essay. Professor Zhu excels at writing long essays, with a surging momentum and a literary flair, all written in one breath. Yet, scholars generally find it easy to read. Some have studied his writing style and identified three reasons why his works are enjoyable to read: First, his articles are highly logical, with each theme presented in a separate section, progressing layer by layer and step by step, with clear directions of "where it comes from" and "where it is going." Second, he often uses poetic language to make vivid metaphors in the depths of his reasoning, adding lubrication to the gears of readers' thoughts that might wear down. Third, like Liang Qichao, his pen is always filled with emotion, especially when writing about the writers and thinkers he admires. He often comments on them with just a few words, yet his insights are sharp and moving.
"Historical-philosophical essence" lies in its historical insight and philosophical thinking. True scholars never reject past classics but seek their finest aspects through "discovering reason." In his new work, Professor Zhu employs humanistic reason, scientific reason, Marxist reason, and even non-rational spirit to dismantle some towering giants and critique some wavering phenomena, with only one purpose in mind—to oppose "anti-intellectualism" and thus build a scientific discipline. Professor Zhu has nearly 40 years of experience in literary history research, and his depth is self-evident. As for his "philosophical thinking," he is well-versed in the classic discussions of Western philosophers since the Renaissance, using them flexibly and effectively. This is something that ordinary literary historians find difficult to achieve. It is hard not to sigh in admiration: the historical brush makes Professor Zhu's works like a vast abyss, capable of accommodating; the philosophical thinking makes him devoted to the core of "humanology," enabling him to look far ahead. Bredesen once said: "Literary history, in its deepest sense, is the study of the human soul, the history of the soul." We also recognize: "All literary history is contemporary history." Therefore, studying the "soul history" of modern China can help us understand the history of the Chinese soul: where we have shone with the spirit of humanity, where and why we have experienced "alienation," what our standards of "modernity" are, and how we can rewrite literary history.
Thus, the significance of Professor Zhu's work lies in making it clear: how is it possible to have the "literary history" of the "modern," "Chinese," "human"? Where is it headed? Undoubtedly, "Judgment and Construction" is a part of the trend and practice of China's "academic history" since the 1990s. When Chinese society entered a relatively relaxed environment, the times pushed Professor Zhu to the forefront of organizing "Modern Chinese Literary Historiography." With his courage, he compiled this work, though some of his views may be debatable, his "pioneering" efforts are of great significance.