Evaluation and Construction (Modern Chinese Literary Historiography)

Author: Zhu Defa et al.
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: As a project under the Ministry of Education's Humanities and Social Sciences Research Program, the publication of this work underwent arduous efforts. "Although scholars both at home and abroad have achieved some results in the study of 'literary history,' the construction of 'Modern Chinese Literary History' has rarely been addressed. The task of 'pioneering' is indeed difficult to undertake. Several times, I wanted to give up, but each time, I picked up the burden again. Fortunately, Dr. Jia Zhenyong dared to take on the heavy responsibility, and through the joint efforts of teachers and students, we finally completed this arduous journey" (as stated in the Postscript). Its difficulty stems from being a "pioneering" work, and its depth is also a result of this very difficulty. Academia recognizes that this work embodies the essence of Professor Zhu's nearly 40 years of thought and theory in the study of modern Chinese literature, possessing the character of "meticulous thinking, majestic momentum, passionate insight, and philosophical depth," making it a foundational work for establishing the discipline of "Modern Chinese Literary History."
"Meticulous thinking" lies in its systematic nature. The academic community now holds a consensus that the "Modern Chinese Literature History" and "Contemporary Chinese Literature History" divided by traditional methods represent a fragmented literary perspective, a product of mechanical class theory, which determines the fate of contemporary writers and restricts the vision of researchers. With the arrival of a new era, ideological liberation also loosened the spiritual constraints on academic research. Breaking the control of monolithic discourse over literary history studies and escaping the of mechanical binary opposition has become an inevitable requirement for "rewriting literary history." Thus, literary concepts and practices such as "Twentieth-Century Chinese Literary History," "Sixty Years of New Literature," and "The General System of a Hundred Years of Chinese Literature" have led to a pluralistic coexistence in the study of modern Chinese literature: mainstream ideological studies, folk studies (e.g., Xie Mian), and personalized studies (e.g., Hong Zicheng). However, the "loss of voice" caused by "freedom" and the cacophony of multiple voices have called for thinkers to organize and integrate the "Modern Chinese Literary Historical View" into a true academic system, proposing a high-level, overarching guiding principle. Thus, Professor Zhu Defa has reviewed the achievements in "Modern Chinese Literature History" since Wang Yao's Draft of the History of New Chinese Literature in 1951, proposed a research framework that balances modernity and nationality, and elevated "literature for humanity" as the cornerstone of literary history studies. In Judgment and Construction, he explores aspects such as disciplinary consciousness, core concepts, "three major sections," subject thinking, convergent thinking, perspective transformation, value norms, aesthetic interpretation, classic text analysis, discourse practice, framework and structure, as well as academic trends in modern literary history studies, modernity imagination, non-intellectual factors, and the textual examination of "rewriting literary history." He generates a system for "literary historiography" as "literary philosophy."
"Majestic momentum" lies in its comprehensiveness. Professor Zhu once said, "Research is a matter of naming." The theoretical innovation of Professor Zhu first lies in the proposal of the concept of "Modern Chinese Literary History." This is not merely a change in word order but contains profound ideological and scientific implications. This literary concept avoids the temporal and spatial limitations brought by traditional methods of literary history writing, which mark literary history with political events and rigidly divide it according to the requirements of On New Democracy, and it also expands the connotation and extension of concepts such as "Modern Chinese Literature," "Twentieth-Century Chinese Literature," "Sixty Years of New Literature," and "A Hundred Years of Chinese Literature." It integrates with China's modernization process and coexists with human modernization, forming an open literary historical space that is "unlimited at the top but not at the bottom," accommodating a broader range of literary sub-systems: New Chinese Literature, popular literature, ethnic minority literature, literature from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao, traditional-style literature, and folk literature. This is an inclusive, symbiotic system, not an exclusive one. Due to this foundation, corresponding changes have also occurred within the system of modern Chinese literary history. Personally, I believe that "tolerance" is an important sign of modernity. Professor Zhu's literary historical view, like his personality and scholarship, is grand and majestic precisely because of its tolerance.
"Passionate insight" lies in the poetic nature of the work. Professor Zhu believes that "literature itself is history." To me, his study of literary history is no less than a poetic essay. Professor Zhu excels at writing long essays, with a surging momentum and a brilliant style, yet his works are not difficult for scholars to read. Some have researched his writing style, identifying three reasons why his works are enjoyable to read: First, his articles are highly logical, with each theme presented in a separate section, progressing layer by layer and step by step, with clear directions of "where it comes from" and "where it is going." Second, he often uses poetic language to make vivid metaphors in the depths of his reasoning, adding lubricants to the gears of readers' thoughts that might wear down. Third, like Liang Qichao, his pen is always filled with emotion, especially when writing about his beloved writers and thinkers. He often comments on them with just a few words, yet his insights are sharp and moving.
"Philosophical depth" lies in its historical insight and philosophical thinking. True scholars never reject the classics of the past but seek their finest aspects through "discovering reason." In his new work, Professor Zhu employs humanistic reason, scientific reason, Marxist reason, and even non-rational spirit to dismantle some towering giants and critique some confused phenomena, with only one purpose in mind—to oppose "anti-intellectualism" and build a scientific discipline. With nearly 40 years of expertise in literary history research, Professor Zhu's depth and steadiness are self-evident. As for his "philosophical thinking," he is as familiar with the classic arguments of Western philosophers since the Renaissance as if he had them in his own hands, skillfully "borrowing" and applying them to his work. This is something that ordinary literary historians find difficult to achieve. It is no wonder that one cannot help but sigh: the historical brush makes Professor Zhu's works like a vast abyss, capable of accommodating; "philosophical thinking" makes him devoted to the core of "humanology," enabling him to look far ahead. Bredesen once said: "Literary history, in its deepest sense, is the study of the human soul, the history of the soul." We also recognize: "All literary history is contemporary history." Therefore, studying the "soul history" of modern China can help us understand the history of the Chinese soul: where we have shone with the spirit of "humanity," where and why we have become "alienated," what our "modernity" standards are, and how we can rewrite literary history.
Thus, the significance of Professor Zhu's work lies in making it clear: how is it possible to have the "modern," "Chinese," "human," "literary," and "historical" intertwined? Where is it headed? Undoubtedly, Judgment and Construction is part of the trend and practice of China's "academic history" since the 1990s. When Chinese society entered a relatively relaxed environment, the times also pushed Professor Zhu to the forefront of organizing "Modern Chinese Literary Historiography." With his courage, he compiled this work, though some of his views may be debatable, his "pioneering" efforts are of great significance.