CONTINUITY AND CHANGE IN MODERN CHINESE LITERATURE
In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Band 321, S. 90-99
ISSN: 0002-7162
The Chinese Literary Revolution of 1J1'(, originally concerned with the problem of replacing the classical language with the living language of the people as a medium for written communication, introduced a period of rapid change & experimentation in Chinese literature. During the 1920's & 1930's, pol'al as well as literary issues were involved in the debates over literary theory & practice. Nationalism & realism were dominant themes, & left-wing influence grew steadily. The Chinese Communist (C) approach to literature, specifically defined by Mao Tse-tung in 1942, was translated into a nationwide program for the writers with the C victory in 1949. Since then, `socialist realism' has been the guiding principle for all writing although C policy has selectively accepted certain segments of the Chinese literary heritage which meet their pol'al criteria. While the wide-spread use of new forms, techniques, & emphases resulting from the Western impact on China has been a notable feature of modern literature, nevertheless the element of 'realism' has definite historical antecedents in Chinese literary history. Thus both continuity and radical change have been present in the stream of modern Chinese literature. AA.