Issues such as the Westernization and nationalization of Chinese literature have always been problems that plagued Chinese literary creation in the 20th century. Should the modernization of Chinese literature follow a Westernization route or a nationalization route? Its development process is a tortuous process of alternate growth and decline. This article attempts to conduct some discussions on the issues of Westernization and nationalization, and proposes a positive direction of globalization based on the contemporary situation of my country's literary development. 1. The "Westernization" tendency of my country's modern literature
The modernization of my country's literature began with the "May 4th" New Literature Revolution. It is characterized by "vernacular" in terms of language form, and in terms of inner spirit Characterized by "human literature", both of them were Westernization theories at the time, that is, they advocated that the modernization of Chinese literature must follow the path of Westernization. Westernizationists characterized by "human literature" believe that ancient Chinese things are in our blood forever just like genetic genes, so there is no need for us to deliberately inherit or imitate them. At the same time, we should use the fresh blood of the West to make them Chinese literature gained new spiritual impetus. Of course, this kind of borrowing must be based on "hereditary national character" and is a fusion of "heredity" and "borrowing". During the "May Fourth" period, an important symbol of my country's literary modernization was the development of modern cross-sectional short stories, related to which were the traditional chapter novels. The "May 4th Movement" people regarded "writing" as one of the standards of modern novels. Its essence was to observe and compare Western "written novels", and they did not see the oral style advantages of ancient vernacular novels, especially Huaben novels. . During this period, Westernization theorists comprehensively denied the literati tradition of ancient classical Chinese literature, as well as the ancient vernacular literary tradition, especially the tradition of vernacular novels. Their core motivation was "Westernization." And this "Westernization" was characterized by the "enlightenment" of literature at that time. The "May Fourth" Westernizers positioned the literary revolution horizontally in the West, rather than vertically in a certain (vernacular) literary tradition in ancient my country. The reason why they emphasize that ancient literature has a vernacular tradition is because "vernacular literature has existed since ancient times", thereby providing public opinion support for the "May Fourth" new literature revolution, but did not really use it in creative practice, and it also had no impact on the development of new literature. It did not provide sufficient guidance.
After the liberation of New China, the wave of westernization in literature gradually disappeared. But in the early 1980s, with the implementation and gradual deepening of the reform and opening up policy in mainland my country, the wave of westernization in literature once again surfaced. This wave of Westernization was first manifested in poetry. The rise of misty poetry was its first sign, followed by the popularity of Westernized modern novels and dramas, which emphasized that novels should reveal the contradictions of modern society, explore the inner world of characters, express complex human nature, and try new expression techniques. These were in sharp contrast to the class theory, typical theory, and instrumental theory of literature at that time, and were naturally criticized. In the eyes of critics, the creators blindly pursue the so-called "new, strange, and strange" and blindly imitate certain techniques of modern Western literature. However, literary creators have proposed that if Western modernist literature itself is part of bourgeois ideology, then its artistic expression techniques are non-ideological and can be used for reference and learning by proletarian literature. In a true sense, the techniques used by modern bourgeois writers in the West to embody bourgeois thoughts, tastes, and feelings in their novels can be used as a reference for our contemporary proletarian writers to embody proletarian thoughts, tastes, and feelings. Techniques have no class character. Western modernist literary techniques can be used as a reference for our country’s proletarian literature, and we can use the Western modernist form to express the content of our country’s proletarian literature. However, younger theorists are not satisfied with this veiled "Westernization theory." In their view, the modernization of Chinese literature cannot simply be obtained by borrowing the expression techniques of Western modernists, but more importantly, it must learn from Western modernists in terms of ideology. They believe that there is Western modernist form but no Western modernist content. This is the crisis of our literature. We must make up our minds to make our literature Western modernist in both content and form. This radical view of Westernization was fiercely criticized as soon as it appeared. "Chinese literature in the twentieth century is permeated with a sense of crisis and anxiety, and an aesthetic feature that is completely different from the rationality, justice, romantic passion, or grace and splendor of nineteenth-century literature. Overall, Chinese literature in the twentieth century "The aesthetic consciousness it contains has profound similarities with world literature of this century." He believes that Chinese literature in the 20th century is modernist literature isomorphic in nature with Western modernist literature in the 20th century. This is a reflection on Chinese literature in the 20th century. The re-interpretation of the trend of thought, and this re-reading trend of thought also appears in the works of specific writers.
“Literature and art cannot become new literature and art without borrowing something from it.” This is the typical logic of Westernization theory. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Westernization proposition in my country's literary world was linked to the Enlightenment concepts of democracy, freedom, and science. The "use doctrine" proposed by Mr. Lu Xun does not mean blindly taking and using other people's things, but "possessing and selecting", "or using, or storing, or destroying". In short, we need to arm ourselves with Western things. It can be said that "appropriationism" is one of the most important slogans of the Westernization school in the development of literature in my country in the 20th century.
This kind of "appropriationism" thought has constituted an obvious shortcoming in Chinese literature and thought throughout the 20th century. It has kept Chinese literature in the shadow of "Westernization" in the 20th century and has not established a tradition that transcends the existing traditions of the East and the West. Truly "worldly" literature.
The "Westernization" idea, as a direction to guide the development of literature, has had a significant impact on the history of the development of literature and literary theory in my country in the 20th century. It plays a leading role in the history of the development of new literature in my country in the 20th century. , which contributed to the modernization of Chinese literature. At the same time, it also caused some shortcomings in Chinese literature and theory in the 20th century, such as the lack of its own original basic propositions, category concept system and philosophical stance. The shortcoming of the Westernization school of thought is that it denies Chinese tradition, but it does not mean to create a new world literature that is different from the West and the East. Instead, it leans towards the West and takes the path of "Westernization". It can only create A Westernized "Chinese New Literature" but cannot create a truly Chinese "worldly literature." Westernizers use their own Western literature to dialogue with Western literature. The dialogue spans the gap between China and the West, but it makes us lose ourselves. Their dialogue has no practical significance for our country's literature as a whole, but the fundamental purpose of the dialogue should be to enhance understanding and promote each other. The real dialogue should also be a democratic and harmonious discussion of common issues. 2. The "nationalization" of Chinese literature and its gradual integration with "Westernization"
Literati during the "May 4th" period have noticed the issue of "national literature", which is a kind of "born in Folk songs, popular among the people, are used to express emotions or describe facts." It can be seen that some Westernizers have realized that in order for Westernized art to take root in my country's literary world, it must be combined with folklore research. This is the supplement and reflection of the Westernization views of literature by the Westernization theorists in the May Fourth era, and it is also their thinking on the nationalization of literature. In the practice of literary creation, the “May 4th” Westernization Party explored the nationalization of literature in two ways. The first is to borrow forms from folk songs, focusing mainly on learning language forms from folk songs to form new styles of modern vernacular poetry. Most of their poems have strong local interest. The second is "spiritual return to hometown", which obtains spiritual space from reflection on local life. Among them, the local literary school represented by Lu Xun uses Westernized novel models to write about life full of local flavor, focusing on the rural life. Criticism of national character. For example, in Mr. Lu Xun's Ah Q, we see a spirit of laughter and laughter from the people. It is in the sense of banter and carnival that eating, drinking, singing, executions, and sex are placed first in life. Regardless of whether it is reasonable or meaningful, the drama of life must be played well. This is the survival skill and spirit of survival that our people have learned over thousands of years of history. It highlights the "human nature" under the appearance of laughter and fun. "The dominant force of this element is completely different from my country's orthodoxy, which combines the three religions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Therefore, it has been suppressed and obliterated in the orthodox language. Modern enlightenment intellectuals advocate novels and collect nursery rhymes, trying to draw nourishment from folk culture. However, they have not discovered the power of this kind of folk joking and joking, nor have they seen the influence that permeates this kind of joking and joking lifestyle. The power of resistance, pursuit, and desire. In this sense, the nationalist school is localized and national in the content of its novels, but it is Westernized (enlightened) in spiritual temperament.
On the whole, the mainstream concepts in my country’s literary world during the “May Fourth” period were dominated by the Westernizers. At the same time, the nationalization faction was also active. The "Westernization" school believes that Chinese new poetry as a whole must be Westernized, but under this general proposition, they are very wise in strategy and recognize the path of exploration based on the national foundation at the beginning of the birth of new poetry. After the May 4th Movement, the literary world was filled with a trend of Westernization. Literary styles such as novels, poems, and dramas were all directly taken from the West. Even the language was Europeanized. Another Europeanized language appeared. Although it was vernacular, it was different from that time. Spoken language creates obstacles to the development of new literature. In fact, our country's national literature is completely different from Western literature. The two literary codes are completely different and lack dialogue. After the National Revolution, our country established a nation-state in the modern sense, and national consciousness began to form. Nationalist requirements were formed in culture, which were then reflected in literature. If the Westernizers emphasize that the development of Chinese literature lies in learning from Western experience, then the Nationalizers are on the contrary. They emphasize "learning from ancient Chinese traditions or folk literature" so that Chinese literature can reproduce and reproduce itself. They think this is not the case. Chinese literature cannot maintain its own national characteristics. What needs to be pointed out in particular is that the purpose of the nationalization school is not to isolate Chinese literature from world literature. Creating a closed environment for Chinese literature that can ensure the self-replication and self-reproduction required by the nationalization school is only a means. Its purpose is the same as that of the Westernization school, which is to make our literature a part of world literature and to Get into it.
“The more national style and characteristics there are, the more status it will have in the world.” This is the logic of the nationalization school.
It actually regards "international" as a "parallel body" of various isolated nations, and believes that as long as the personalities of each nation are mechanically mixed in the world literary world, a "synthesis" of world literature can be formed; as long as each nation If the literature of the world fully realizes individuality and maintains its particularity, then world literature can naturally achieve the effect of a hundred flowers blooming and a hundred schools of thought contending. Based on this logic, the nationalization school has an illusion: only by firmly adhering to its own characteristics and distinguishing itself from other literature in the world can it be recognized by world literature. Theoretically speaking, individuals can indeed be identified in a group only by virtue of their individuality. The same is true for literature and art. For example, Peking Opera is a literary and artistic style with Chinese characteristics. Although this art style is also world-class, we cannot say that Peking Opera has the supreme status in the world art camp. On the contrary, what really has a place in the world is that which embodies the uniqueness of the development laws of human literature and art, expresses the universality of human emotions and thoughts, and demonstrates the uniqueness of human aesthetic taste. Literary styles and works. Only something that transcends the narrow aesthetic tastes and value pursuits of a country, a place, or a people, truly organically integrates "Westernization" and "nationalization" and "takes the essence and discards the dross" can it be regarded as world-class. value. 3. How does Chinese literature transcend the binary thinking of "nationalization" and "Westernization" and establish the direction of "globalization"
How to liberate itself from the binary thinking of "Westernization" and "nationalization" , establishing a "globalized literature" that transcends "Westernization" and "nationalization" is a very important theoretical proposition facing today's literary theorists. Only literature that helps humanity as a whole become more united is world literature; in other words, world literature is by no means the kind that unites one part of humanity (class, race, nation, country) against another part. Human literature is definitely not the kind of literature that conforms to the aesthetic tastes of some people (class, race, nation, country) and derogates the aesthetic tastes of other people. It is definitely not the kind of literature that conforms to the values ????of some people and embodies the aesthetic tastes of some people. The pursuit of interests poses a threat to the values ????and pursuit of interests of other people. Cultural conflicts may have adverse effects on human development. How to avoid this kind of conflict and move the literature and culture of different nations toward a future of integration, mutual trust, and complementarity? With the acceleration of globalization, the formation of the world's largest single market, the birth of the international Internet, the broadcast of global satellite TV, etc., these have brought people closer than ever before, and communication, dialogue, and Communication has also become easier. On this basis, the possibility of constructing a world culture increases. True world literature is a kind of world literature with a human foundation. The difficulty of constructing a "world literature" that neither follows the path of "Westernization" nor "nationalization" is far beyond our imagination. World literature is and can only be neither purely Eastern nor purely Western, because only when it transcends the existing historical deficiencies of the East and the West, and transcends the dichotomy of literary development thinking between the East and the West, can it achieve human or World (an organic combination of Eastern and Western). Now, our society has entered the "modernization" process, and the problems encountered by our country's literature have begun to become "cosmopolitan". This cosmopolitan problem is the basis for true cross-cultural literary dialogue. On this basis, the problems that Chinese literature needs to solve and the problems that today’s world literature needs to solve have an isomorphic relationship. The solutions of Chinese literature have reference significance for world literature. At the same time, the solutions of world literature also have a reference for Chinese literature. Learning value. When our literature faces these global problems, which of its solutions are original? Only these original solutions will be needed by world literature. Therefore, the foundation of the cosmopolitan nature of contemporary Chinese literature is not issues borrowed from the West, nor issues inherited from national traditions, but based on these issues and coming up with its own original artistic expression plan. What we need to create is a schema for artistic expression. This schema is original and belongs to the world.
Since the "globalization" of our country's literature cannot be achieved on the road of "Westernization", nor can it be achieved on the road of "nationalization", it can only take the innovative path of combining China and the West. , nor is it literature borrowed (from the West) or inherited (traditional) based on any existing literary model. "Westernization" will make us lose the qualification to stand in the world literary world with our own independent character, and "nationalization" will make us isolated from the world literary world. Only by transcending the binary thinking between East and West can Chinese literature provide its own understanding in understanding the value and significance of the current wave of worldization (globalization), make its own contribution in the process of worldization (globalization), and then In this process, it has also been sublimated and become a part of world literature. We cannot equate Westernness with globality, neither worship Westernness nor despise and reject Westernness. We should truly distinguish Westernness from globality, open our minds to globality, and establish a true sense of , based on human world concept. This may be the most fundamental task of Chinese literature in the 21st century.