“Love” as the Key Word: New Sexual Morality and New Literature in the Late Qing and Early Republican Years(1900-1920)

“恋爱”作为关键词:清末民初新性道德与新文学(1900-1920)(英文)

Courtesy of translation, the word ＂love＂ （lian ＂ai 恋爱） entered the modem Chinese language in the early 20th century, leading to changes in the mode, experience, meaning and evaluation of ＂feelings between men and women＂ by virtue of this new nomenclature. The word entered public discourse and became the point of entry for new Chinese ethical construction, spawning a series of new moral propositions from the late Qing to the May Fourth Movement together with corresponding works of new literature. The ＂free marriage＂ advocated in the late Qing confirmed the modem consciousness of marriage premised on love and determined primarily by the will of the parties themselves, initiating a new style of civilized marriage. In the early Republican period, the word ＂love＂ was temporarily stigmatized in the course of sinicization, with the result that it was generally avoided in romance fiction. However, the widespread cult of the ＂spiritual character of love＂ in novels of tragic love laid the foundation for the emergence of＂the sanctity of love＂ in the May Fourth period. The theory of love constructed at this time under the influence of Western theories made a subtle distinction between the ＂freedom of love＂ and ＂free love,＂ reflecting the ideological divergence within the New Culture community. In terms of spatial imagery and descriptions of love, the pioneering creation of romantic literature during the May Fourth period deconstructed the patriarchal authority that suppressed individual freedom, undermining traditional morality and opening up new fields for literary expression. But since the one-dimensional pursuit of individual freedom also led to weaknesses such as superficial emotionalism, May Fourth romantic literature could not take the experiences and expression of love to a deeper level.

借助翻译,"恋爱"一词在20世纪初进入现代汉语,使"男女之情"在方式、体验、意义与评价上,因新的命名而发生改变,并进入公共话语,成为中国新伦理建构的突破口,产生了从晚清到"五四"一系列新道德命题及与之相应的新文学作品。晚清倡导的"自由结婚",确立了婚姻以恋爱为前提、以当事人自决为主导的现代意识,并开创了文明结婚新风尚。民初,"恋爱"一词在本土化过程中一度污名化,导致专写恋爱的言情小说普遍规避此词;但哀情小说对爱情精神品质的普遍推崇,却为五四"恋爱神圣"的出场奠定了基础。西方理论影响下建构的五四时期恋爱理论,有"恋爱自由"与"自由恋爱"的微殊差异,后者将新文化激进主义导向极端。五四恋爱文学在空间意象和恋爱描写上的创造,解构了压抑个人自由的家长权威,颠覆了传统道德,也开拓了文学的表现领域。但个人主义的单维描写,未能使恋爱体验向纵深挖掘,而是引向浮浅。