摘要
Literature is the art of language, so in the light of the profound influence of linguistic transformation on the development of modem Chinese literary forms it is appropriate to present the history of the development of modern Chinese literature as the art of language. Modern Chinese literature starts with the linguistic transformation of the May Fourth Movement＇s rejection of classical Chinese and promotion of the vernacular. This language revolution and the transformation of literary language during each subsequent historical period have exerted a profound influence on the overall development of modern Chinese literature, including literary forms, and hence have become an inner source of the development and evolution of modern Chinese literary forms and of the shaping of their main characteristics. An in-depth discussion of the interaction between linguistic transformation and the development of modem Chinese literary forms as well as the roles governing this process will not only disclose the universal linguistic context of literary creation created by the transformation of language but will also enable us to find the historical sources of the phenomena of literary genres and forms, writers＇ choice of literary styles, the formal characteristics of literary works, etc., and will offer a correct explanation and evaluation of the May Fourth vernacular movement and the subsequent series of new literary forms andstyles. This is instrumental to achieving a better summation of the experience and lessons of the development of modem Chinese literary forms and to finding historical clues to the development of our present-day literary forms.
文学是语言的艺术,应从语言变革对中国现代文学形式发展的深度影响这一视角,呈现一部作为语言艺术的中国现代文学发展史。中国现代文学是以"五四"反对文言文、提倡白话文的语言变革为起点的,这场语言革命以及其后各历史阶段的文学语言变迁,对包括形式在内的中国现代文学的整体发展都产生过深度影响,从而成为中国现代文学形式发展、演进和主要特征形成的内在根源。深入探讨语言变革与中国现代文学形式发展的互动关系及其规律,不仅能揭示语言变迁所营构的普遍的文学创作的语言环境,而且能发现包括文学体裁和文体形式现象、作家的文体选择行为、文学作品的形式特征等形成的历史动因,能对五四白话文运动及其后的一系列新的文学形式和文体现象,作出准确的阐释和评价。这有利于更好总结中国现代文学形式发展的经验和教训,并为我们当今文学形式的发展找寻历史的启示意义。
