Western Classical Literary Theory: A Selected Reading (Revised Edition)

Author: Zhang Zhongzai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Western literary theory can be intimidating for many students. Western literary theory differs from Chinese literary theory. Chinese literary theory emphasizes human emotions and personal experiences, focusing on literary style, genre, and aesthetic spirit, making it relatively easy to understand. Western literary theory, on the other hand, prioritizes theory and reason, placing less emphasis on intuition. Due to its emphasis on logic, reasoning, explanation, argumentation, and the basis of arguments, it tends to be abstract, obscure, and difficult to grasp. Many Western writers produce poetry, prose, and drama that are aesthetically pleasing to read. However, when they write literary theory, their articles become abstract and obscure, leaving readers baffled. Friedrich Schiller, an 18th-century German philosopher, is a prime example. This book helps Chinese readers understand this difficult Western literary theory, which includes a total of 30 essays. This book has two purposes: one is to address the problem of wanting to read but not being able to; the other is to attempt to make Chinese readers (primarily those who understand English and young students) comprehend this difficult English version of Western theory.