中国文学的特质与中国文论

CHARACTERISTICS OF CHINESE LITERATURE AND LITERARY CRITICISM OF CHINA

20世纪的中国文论需要认真反思。其致命缺陷是"西化"导致的自我消解。实际上,中国文学的特质是情采———言志缘情的情本体和讲究文采的辞本体;中国文论的主要特征是体验感悟的人文性;诗性呈现是中国文论的言说方式,具有整体性、意象性和暗示性的特点;创作论是中国文论的核心;未来的中国文论由文道论、文体论和文术论组成。文道论是中国文论的基础理论,主要从学理上回答中国文学的来源、特质等"道"的问题;文体论是中国文论的分支理论,重点研究中国文体的要素、嬗变等"学"的问题;文术论包括创作论和批评论,着重探讨"术"的问题。

A scrutiny of Chinese literary criticism in the 20th century shows that Its fatal drawback is self-effacement caused by westernization in this academic area. On the whole, Chinese literary criticism to date falls into two categories. One is a body of study focused on ethics and human emotions. The other is a bulk of explorations centered round the craftsmanship of literary works. The chief feature of Chinese literary criticism is its humanism manifest in the inclination toward worldly feelings and insights. The preferred mode of its expression is versification, which is marked by unity, imagism and suggestiveness. The core of Chinese literary criticism is the theory of literary creation. Chinese literary criticism now seems to be moving towards a future form of three components: nature-oriented study, style-oriented study, and methodology-oriented study. The first constitutes the basis of Chinese literary criticism. It probes into such philosophical issues as the source and nature of Chinese literature. The second is the branch of literary criticism that deals with such academic issues as the essential rules and transformation of Chinese genres. The third concentrates on such methodological issues as theories of literary creation and approaches to literary criticism.