Aesthetic Paradox (New Perspectives on Avant-garde Literature and Art)

Author: Wang Hongyue
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: This is a highly spirited and unrestrained doctoral dissertation, with a topic of significant academic value. Moreover, its strength lies in its close connection to the realities of China—both social and artistic. The theoretical elaborations on Chinese avant-garde literature and art in this work hold positive implications for advancing current academic developments in literary theory and aesthetics, as noted by Du Shuying, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Since the reform era, Chinese avant-garde literature has been plagued by numerous disharmonious or even anti-harmonious "aesthetic of ugliness" phenomena, presenting an academic challenge worth studying yet difficult to explain. The author rises to this challenge, striving to grasp the "aesthetic sensibility" significance of this characteristic of ugliness within the context of Chinese culture, the influence of Western philosophy, and the intrinsic laws of art, demonstrating independent thinking and the courage to explore complex issues, as highlighted by Chen Yan, a professor at Shandong University.
This book draws on and applies interdisciplinary insights from philosophy, literary theory, psychology, semiotics, and more, proposing many valuable new perspectives. It not only breaks through traditional arguments and offers unique insights but also constructs a coherent theoretical system, as noted by Wang Desheng, a professor at Capital Normal University.
From the perspective of 21st-century aesthetics—aesthetic sensibility—this work draws on both Western and ancient Chinese thought on the aesthetic of ugliness, conducting an in-depth and thorough study of Chinese avant-garde literature since the 1980s in terms of its emergence, aesthetic orientation, formal characteristics, and aesthetic value. The book argues that the avant-garde literature at the turn of the century altered the course of Chinese literary development over two millennia, replacing the deceptive and false artistry that had prevailed. The aesthetic perspectives and experiences it provides hold epoch-making significance in the history of Chinese literary and aesthetic studies—specifically, in the field of aesthetic sensibility. The book also critiques the obsessive tendencies of avant-garde literature.
This work presents novel and bold viewpoints, daring to challenge conventional wisdom with a sharp academic courage and rigorous, solid scholarship. It stands as the first systematic theoretical monograph in China dedicated to studying the aesthetic characteristics of avant-garde literature.