Collection of Chewing Flowers · Collection of Chewing Flowers II

Author: Jianyu Li
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Jianyu Li (1906—1982), pen name Liu Xiyue, made outstanding contributions to fiction, prose, literary criticism, drama, translation, and the study of French literature throughout his life. He was a renowned Chinese writer, critic, and translator. During his lifetime, he served as a researcher at the Institute of Foreign Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The Bitter Orange Collection was published in 1936, and The Second Bitter Orange Collection in 1942. These two books contain relatively few texts, and at first glance, they resemble a young, tender tree. Yet, they already possess all the qualities necessary to grow into a towering tree. Li Jianwu believed that criticism is independent, not bound by the author's right or wrong, and critics have the freedom to interpret. Upholding the dignity of criticism does not come at the expense of devaluing the status of creation. Critics and creators are equal, yet critics are also humble, adopting a dialogical stance. However, a critic's humility does not mean the loss of the critical subject. On the contrary, the establishment of the critical subject is not manifested through instruction, judgment, or even cold condemnation, but rather through the exchange and integration with the creative subject, enriching and reinforcing it. Criticism is also a form of expression, and therefore can be beautiful. Li Jianwu is the most literary critic China has ever had. The intersection of Western "aesthetic criticism" and China's tradition of literary and poetic criticism has created a holistic, comprehensive, and direct appreciation and observation centered on impression and metaphor. This is Li Jianwu's criticism—a free criticism, a wise form of cultural conservatism. The articles in this book are based on the first editions of The Bitter Orange Collection and The Second Bitter Orange Collection, with the replies of the criticized removed. To respect the original works, certain conventions and phrasing in this book remain as in the original text, except for minor punctuation marks and obvious printing errors. For those that may not align with current practices, we kindly ask for the readers' understanding.