Reflections on the Study of Pre-Qin Prose in the 20th Century

Author: Chang Sen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: The purpose of this book is to stand on the current academic development, examine which works or methods from the past century still hold value today, and thereby inspire future directions and approaches in at least some important aspects, if not to provoke widespread attention and in-depth discussion among scholars on this issue. While the focus of this book lies in the historical progress and fluctuations of pre-Qin prose studies in the 20th century, it is by no means satisfied with simply listing the achievements of this period and this field in chronological order. Therefore, this book is not just a general history, nor is it a general historical critique. In some sense, in some aspects, it can be said to be a relatively systematic, thorough, and comprehensive monograph. The book will take the conflict between traditional and modern literary concepts as the background to delve into the difficult process of establishing the research concepts of pre-Qin prose in the 20th century. It will critically refine and deeply reflect on universal paradigms in 20th-century pre-Qin prose studies, such as the theory of geographical and temporal determinism, the idea that existence determines consciousness, elemental analysis, cultural anthropology research methods, as well as the marginalization, centralization, and systematization as interpretive methods (traditional commentary will also be discussed). It will meticulously analyze the profound changes in research concepts that some scholars since the 1980s have elevated cultural anthropology to the third form of evidence and the third method of argumentation in national studies, thereby exploring the principles and methods for the scientific positioning of academia in this regard.