Chinese Literary Theory:Its Traditional Characters and Modern Significance

Stephen Owen1,Cheng Xiangzhan2(1.Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations,Department of Comparative Literature,Harvard University,Cambridge 02138 US;2.Research Center for Literary Theory and Aesthetics,Shandong University,Ji'nan 250100,China)

Chinese literary lheory;traditional characters;modernity;comparison between China and the West

Traditional Chinese literary theory boasts a series of characteristics during its long history of development,while its "modernity" means its modern significance and its relationship with the Western literary theory.The relationship between the two is relevant to the basic conception and the method of the study of traditional Chinese literary theory,and therefore should be reflected and cleaned up.A common misconception is that all Western literary theories are systematic works,and the general understanding of the conception of the "West" is also too narrow.The popular way of research of "Comparing China with the West" is almost infeasible,because it dramatically simplifies and fragmentizes the huge and complex process of cultural development,comparing but in some so-called features.If necessary,comparison must be done among at least the traditions of China,the West and the South Asia.History keeps changing and it is impossible to return to the ancient literary theory,so what we can do is nothing but to keep on learning and using it.The core of academic research is to resolve questions clearly.It is not proper to transform purely academic issue into social problems or cultural issues.