Liang Shiqiu · Between Classical and Romantic

Author: Gao Xudong
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2005-01-01
Features: In the 21st century, world culture is facing a new turning point. To oppose cultural hegemonism and cultural fundamentalism, it is necessary to vigorously promote multipolar balance and the pluralistic development of culture. In this process, Chinese culture will inevitably become an important part of the construction of the new world culture. This requires us, on the one hand, to modernize the interpretation of traditional culture to facilitate its modern development and benefit the world; on the other hand, to urgently summarize the experiences and lessons learned from absorbing Western culture on the basis of Chinese culture, to sum up the modern culture of the past century, and to contribute to the construction of the future world culture. The core of this summary undoubtedly lies in the conflicts and collisions between ancient and modern, Chinese and Western cultures over the past century and the development trends they have fostered. The development of Chinese comparative literature over the past century has been driven by this historical mission. The 20th century was a century in which the history of Chinese academic culture transformed from tradition to modernity andly moved toward maturity and prosperity through the conflicts and integration of Chinese and foreign scholarship. During this century, comparative literature first emerged as a concept and method of academic research, and later as a relatively independent discipline, leaving a profound and unique mark on the history of Chinese academia. The emergence, development, and prosperity of comparative literature in 20th-century China were primarily based on the internal need for changes in the concepts and methods of literary research in China. This determined the fundamental characteristics of 20th-century Chinese comparative literature. Historiographical research shows that Chinese comparative literature was neither ancient nor imported; it was a novel and distinctive humanistic phenomenon rooted in the intrinsic needs of local literary development, emerging in the context of global exchange. The relationship and mutual influence between Chinese and foreign literatures over the past century are an important part of Chinese comparative literature. As Mr. Qian Zhongshu said, "From a historical perspective, one of the first tasks completed by countries in the development of comparative literature is to clarify the relationship between their own literature and foreign literature, and to study the mutual influence between their own writers and foreign writers." Over the past century, many scholars have made significant contributions in this area, but past research has largely been limited to the influence of Western culture on Chinese scholars and writers, with little study on how this influence developed within the transmission of Chinese culture itself, and even less on how traditional Chinese culture was reinterpreted under the influence of foreign culture, leading to its modernization. This series of books, starting from the current academic situation and the perspective of historiography, comprehensively explores and deeply studies how outstanding Chinese academic figures over the past century, on the basis of inheriting traditional Chinese culture, absorbed Western culture, and formed a unique modern Chinese culture according to the needs of the times and society. On this basis, it explores the laws of inheriting traditional culture, absorbing Western culture, and the coexistence of pluralistic cultures, aiming to elucidate the unique path of the formation of new culture in China, draw correct conclusions and predict future development directions through examples, and enable Chinese culture to truly become an advanced culture, occupying its rightful place and playing its due role in the pluralistic landscape of world culture. The inheritance of ancient and modern cultures and the communication between Chinese and Western cultures are important contents of cultural development in the 20th century, but academic research has focused more on general theoretical discussions and less on in-depth case studies that combine the integration of Chinese and Western cultures with the inheritance of ancient and modern cultures. This series of books, from the perspective of historiography, conducts in-depth case studies of Chinese academic figures who have made significant contributions to the development of Chinese culture and the communication of Chinese and Western cultures. On the coordinates of the intersection of ancient and modern, Chinese and Western cultures, it comprehensively elaborates on their lives, ideals, careers, achievements, and their contributions to the development of Chinese and foreign scholarship. It places particular emphasis on how, over the past century, they inherited traditional Chinese culture, absorbed Western culture, and formed a modern Chinese cultural landscape completely different from the past. The focus on case studies aims to highlight their unique contributions to the development of Chinese and foreign scholarship through the lives, ideals, careers, and achievements of key figures, as well as their inheritance of traditional culture and absorption of Western culture, elucidating the unique path of the formation of new culture in China. It seeks to draw correct conclusions and predict future development directions through examples regarding the century-long debate between Chinese and Western, ancient and modern cultures. The authors of this series are first-class experts and scholars with extensive writings in cross-cultural studies and modern literature, possessing profound cultural foundations and research capabilities. They are the new generation of leading figures who have emerged after the great scholars of the early 20th century, such as Qian Zhongshu and Ji Xianlin, who bridged Chinese and Western cultures. They have basically achieved the goal of famous scholars writing about famous figures, with in-depth research, compelling narratives, detailed materials, and unique perspectives. In summary, the research conducted in this series is not only extremely important for China but also has outstanding methodological and epistemological significance for the dialogue and communication of pluralistic cultures in the world. This series aims to fill the gaps in academia in this regard. This book begins with the passionate love in the twilight years of Liang Shiqiu, comprehensively examining his writing and personality, arguing that the "classical" and "romantic" not only appear in his literary choices but also represent the contradictions in his life and writing. After a thorough reflection on Liang Shiqiu's contemporary cultural charm, this book explores his poetry and literary criticism during his time at Tsinghua University, which were less studied by previous scholars, suggesting that his romanticism was intertwined with classical and aesthetic elements. Based on a comprehensive exploration of the ethical and cultural characteristics of Liang Shiqiu's literary criticism after returning to China, this book points out the strengths and weaknesses of his critique of May Fourth literature. From the perspective of Chinese and Western comparative literature and culture, this book considers him a "Confucius in a Western suit": he bridged the classical spirit of the West with the Confucian spirit of China, and the romanticism of the West with the Daoist concepts of China, thereby establishing a framework for comparative communication between Chinese and Western cultures.