I.A.瑞恰慈在中国的接受与意义

The Reception and Significance of I.A.Richards in China

瑞恰慈是第一位与中国有直接接触的英国批评家。中国学界对现代批评理论的兴趣可以追溯至瑞恰慈1929—1930年间在清华大学的讲学岁月,其时,瑞恰慈所倡导的带有科学特质的文学批评理论与新文化运动以来普遍流行的科学话语相契合,因而在中国学界引起热烈反响。改革开放初期,国内对瑞恰慈的接受主要切合了对“新批评”的兴趣和当时的形式主义审美趋势。进入21世纪以来,学界对其批评原理、文化理想以及与中国的学术交往的研究进入了一个新阶段。本文在梳理和分析瑞恰慈在不同的历史时期接受过程和逻辑的基础上,指出瑞恰慈在中国的接受与中国学术的自身发展和中国现代化的进程密切相关,他对于中国的当下意义在于将其理论中所包含的人文理想、科学观念以及跨文化和跨学科意识融入文论创新和文学研究的具体实践之中。

I.A.Richards is the first English critic who has direct contact with China whereas the interest of the Chinese academia in modern western critical theory can be traced back to the time when he taught at Tsinghua University from 1929 to 1930.During this time his principles of literary criticism of a scientific nature was received warmly among the Chinese academics as they corresponded well with the so-called scientific discourse which had gained momentum since the New Culture Movement.In the earlier years of Reform and Open-up,the reception of Richards catches up with an emerging interest in“New Criticism”and aesthetics of formalism.Since the beginning of the 21st century,research on Richard􀆳s principles of literary criticism,his cultural aspiration and his academic contact with China comes to a new stage.This paper examines the situation and rationale of Richards􀆳reception across the time while pointing out the humane aspiration,the scientific idea and the cross-cultural and inter-disciplinary awareness contained in Richards􀆳theory is significantly relevant to the innovation and development of contemporary critical theory and literary studies in China today.