For too long the specter of Darwinism has haunted the narrative of Chinese literary history. It is told as a story of ＂evolution,＂ a triumphant confluence of folk and vernacular literature, along a chain of genre de...For too long the specter of Darwinism has haunted the narrative of Chinese literary history. It is told as a story of ＂evolution,＂ a triumphant confluence of folk and vernacular literature, along a chain of genre development from dynasty to dynasty. The 1917 New Culture Movement is seen as the teleological end of this evolution. Accordingly, vernacular literature has been taken to represent literary modernity, hence enjoying a monopoly in academic research. Classical-style poetry that continued to be written in the twentieth-century has been almost entirely neglected. Generations of writers produced verse in various classical-styles and genres over the last century. Many poets, known for their vernacular verses, turned to traditional forms and expressions, especially in moments of hardship or distress, to reinvent a voice or to find an emotional outlet. Little of their endeavor, however, has been honored by literary historiography. It is true that the winner writes history. But it is a scholar＇s obligation to address selective cultural amnesia.展开更多
文摘For too long the specter of Darwinism has haunted the narrative of Chinese literary history. It is told as a story of ＂evolution,＂ a triumphant confluence of folk and vernacular literature, along a chain of genre development from dynasty to dynasty. The 1917 New Culture Movement is seen as the teleological end of this evolution. Accordingly, vernacular literature has been taken to represent literary modernity, hence enjoying a monopoly in academic research. Classical-style poetry that continued to be written in the twentieth-century has been almost entirely neglected. Generations of writers produced verse in various classical-styles and genres over the last century. Many poets, known for their vernacular verses, turned to traditional forms and expressions, especially in moments of hardship or distress, to reinvent a voice or to find an emotional outlet. Little of their endeavor, however, has been honored by literary historiography. It is true that the winner writes history. But it is a scholar＇s obligation to address selective cultural amnesia.
