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A Chinese interpretation of the history of world literature

Author  :       Source  :    Chinese Social Sciences Today     2013-10-08

In the early 21st century a group of Western scholars, the main representative of whom was Professor David Damrosch of Harvard University, gave birth to a research trend known as "the new construction of the history of world literature", which gradually received the attention of international academia. Fang Hanwen, a professor at the School of Humanities of Suzhou University, holds the post of chief expert within a research group engaging in the study of "a Chinese interpretation of the new construction of the history of world literature", which is a major program supported by the National Social Science Fund of China. Professor Fang endeavors to explain the history of world literature using Chinese subjective discourse.

Focusing on the mutual interaction of different civilizations' literature

While being interviewed, Fang Hanwen claimed that the new construction of the history of world literature aims to transcend the traditional Western-centric concepts, something which has become the consensus among both Chinese and overseas scholars. However, Fang added that although some scholars have produced serious reflections on Western-centric theories, they have still not expressed any theoretical criticism of the core of the Western viewpoint on the history of literature, which is based on instrumental rationality and the epistemology of the history of literature, and ontology and practice theory.

Chinese dialectical reason, and the diverse Chinese concepts of poetics, can dispel the influence of the theoretical framework and practical model of a Western-centered history of world literature. According to Fang, global literature can be divided into different regional groupings according to culture, with the three main groupings being western literature (including Europe and America), eastern literature (Asia) and the third region (Africa, Oceania and Latin America). This way a history of world literature which is both global and based upon the different national languages can be constructed.

Combining traditional Chinese poetics and western theoretical criticism

When discussing the innovation of the research methods of the Chinese interpretation of the "new construction of the history of world literature", Fang said that it is necessary to combine Chinese traditional poetics with western theoretical criticism, create a subjective discourse by blending value evaluation, aesthetic logic and interpretation, and then conduct research on the theoretical system of the history of world literature.

Zhu Anbo, a professor at the Foreign Language Department of the Capital University of Economics and Business, also claimed that the research method of reconstructing the history of world literature proposed by Chinese scholars better integrates China's traditional understanding of critical talk with the western theoretical framework. In addition, he said that Chinese breakthroughs in the current research methods used to study the history of world literature reflect an understanding of classical theories.

To explore the development path of the history of world literature

Professor Zhang Yu'an, from the Research Center of Eastern Literature of Peking University, claimed that first of all it is necessary to base oneself on rich and accurate historical materials during the process of creating a diverse theoretical system for the history of world literature. However the issue of how to effectively assure the objectivity and the accuracy of historical materials needs to be urgently resolved, since they are currently affected by mistranslations and other problems. Fang Hanwen also claims that the dilemma caused by the issue of translation and linguistic and cultural differences is one of the major challenges faced in the process of researching the new construction of the history of world literature.

In addition, Zhang stressed that the Chinese interpretation of the new construction of the history of world literature not only showcases the differences and interactions between multi-dimensional literatures, but also reveals the development path and the historical laws of the history of world literature.

Zhao Xiaoqi, a professor at the College of Chinese Language and Literature of Wuhan University, presented his idea that scholars should emphasize comparative consciousness and reflect on the issue of how diversity influences the construction of literature and culture in their own country.

 

 

Translated by Chen Meina

Revised by Gabriele Corsetti

Editor: Chen Meina

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