没有“五四”,何来晚清——兼与王德威先生商榷

"No May Fourth Movement,No Late Qing": A Discussion with Wang Dewei

王德威先生提出"没有晚清,何来‘五四’的命题,并由此得出中国现代文学的起点在晚清的结论。这个命题貌似无懈可击,实质上存在严重的理论误区。他误将母亲受孕的那一刻当作了新生儿生命的起点,并且忽视了"五四"相对于晚清文学的艺术创新,从而无限放大了晚清对中国现代文学的独立价值和意义。晚清对中国现代文学的价值和意义需要"五四"来凸显,与其说"没有晚清,何来‘五四’",倒不如说"没有‘五四’,何来晚清"。

Mr. Wang Dewei proposed that 'no Late Qing Dynasty, no May the Fourth Movement' in The Methods of Imagining China and The Modernity Suppressed, thereby arguing that the modern Chinese literature started with Late Qing Dynasty. This proposition seems to be impeccable, but actually, it has serious theoretical impropriety. His problem lies with the fact that he mistook the moment when the mother becomes pregnant for the starting point of the new life, neglecting the artistic creation of May the Fourth Movement in relation to the literature of Late Qing Dynasty, thus limitlessly magnifying the independent value and meaning of Late Qing for the modern Chinese literature. The value and meaning of Late Qing Dynasty for the modern Chinese literature needs May the Fourth Movement to display its status. Therefore, it is better to say 'no May Fourth Movement, no Late Qing' than 'no Late Qing, no May Fourth Movement.'