中国现代、当代文学的总体估价问题

Overall Evaluation of Chinese Modern and Contemporary Literature

如何估价共和国以来的中国当代文学?如何估价晚清以来的中国现代文学?这是一个庞大而又复杂的问题,作家、学者往往各执一词,见仁见智。而要想令人信服地解说,必须有一个整体的背景和宏观的视野,必须将68年的中国当代文学与此前的中国现代文学、乃至中国古代文学相比照,否则是很难说清楚的;必须建构一个解析的、结构性的、整体性的综合坐标,我们才能对一个较长时段的文学作出相应的估价;同时,对于一体多面的中国当代文学还必须分类对待,避免笼而统之或"眉毛胡子一把抓"。如果我们把文学的影响力作为衡量文学的一个标尺的话,那么,现代文学的成就和当代文学的成就相比是占一些优势的,因为现代文学接受、评论、研究的时间长于当代文学。但新时期以来的文学生态是多元复杂、一体多面的,我们可以进行总体估价,更应该进行分类评价。否则,极有可能以偏概全。

How to evaluate Chinese contemporary literature since the Republic？ How to evaluate Chinese modern literature since the late Qing Dynasty？ These are huge and complicated problems. To these problems, writers and scholars often stick to their own opinions. However, to explain convincingly, there must be a holistic background and a macro perspective. Chinese contemporary literature in the past 68 years must be compared with the earlier Chinese modern literature and even the ancient Chinese literature; otherwise it would be very hard to give a clear explanation. An analytical, structural and holistic integrated coordinate system must be constructed so that we can make a relevant evaluation of the literature which covers a longer period of time. Meanwhile, Chinese contemporary literature with diverse classifications must be treated differently and specifically. If we regard influence as a measure of literature, the achievements of modern literature are more advantageous than those of contemporary literature, because modem literature takes longer time for acceptance, discussion and study. The ecology of literature since the new period is diverse and complicated, so we can make an overall evaluation and should even make an evaluation according to the classification. Otherwise, it would be a hastily-generalized evaluation.