A Brief History of European Literary Theory — China Collection

Author: Wu Lifu / Weng Yiqin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-04-21
Features: "The Chinese Library" primarily selects outstanding works and translations published in China since the 20th century in the fields of philosophy, social sciences, literary and artistic creation, and science and cultural popularization. These works and translations have had a significant positive impact on China's political, economic, cultural, and social development over the past century and remain highly valuable to this day. They are classic and essential works that Chinese readers must read. Great works are always the intellectual theories that shake the wisdom of each era, the classics that enlighten the people, and the works that touch the hearts, embodying the treasures of the times and national culture. They should achieve immediate success and lasting benefits, passed down through the ages. "The Chinese Library" collects and publishes classic works over the past century from a historical and realistic perspective in the new century, providing a macro review of publishing achievements in the 20th century and actively promoting future publishing endeavors. It contributes to the construction of advanced Chinese culture and the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Some titles in "The Chinese Library" require reformatting due to technical reasons, with adjusted layouts, while most retain their original designs. A library of this scale, with a thousand books, spans a wide range of styles, from solemn to humorous, refined to popular. A uniform layout may not always be suitable. Moreover, layout design is also an aesthetic aspect of book form. While readers absorb knowledge and appreciate works, they can also enjoy the stylistic features of layout designs from different publishing institutions in different periods, which is a small pleasure left for readers. This book concisely discusses the development of literary criticism theories in Europe from ancient Greece to the end of the 19th century. It is suitable as a textbook for college students studying literary theory and can also be read by the general public. The chapters and sections are organized with the historical context as the vertical axis and critics and critical schools as the horizontal axis. Each era combines its political and philosophical aesthetic trends, listing representative literary criticism theories and main arguments. It provides a precise overview of major European literary phenomena, such as classicism, romanticism, and realism.