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BULLETIN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CHINESE LITERATURE NATIONAL CHENGCHI UNIVERSITY NO.10
Publication date： 2008-12
Special Article Shanghai Literary Magazines of the 1910s
Lyric’s interpretation of the diversity is not uncommon in practical literary criticism. This article believes that the interpretation is a communication between authors and readers, rather than a speaking alone. Interpretation is an art, not a science. Ideally, however, the multiple research maybe the best way to reach to that richness, depth, and complexity intention and experience of the work. Although there are diversification in the interpretation, their value can not be treated the same.
According to Chen Shi-xiang's articles such as “The Lyric Tradition in China”, compared with the Western tradition which focuses on epic and drama, the tradition of the Chinese literature can be called a lyric one, aiming to express the inner self of the authors. Deduced and elaborated by many scholars, this idea is prevalent and influential in the field of Chinese studies, and becomes a powerful explanatory system in Taiwan and Hong Kong. However, Mr. Chen's denomination is found doubtful, since he only treated the Chinese poetry with the model of Western lyrics, but neglected the notable differences of ethics, study of human nature, theory of poetry between China and the West. As the result, Mr. Chen exaggerated the features of lyrics and concluded the Chinese literature with them. His argument therefore is questionable in methodology, point of view and ideology, and what he denominated is a tradition which never exists in China.
In 1970s, Kao Yu-kung, Professor of the Princeton University, established his fame among Chinese critics outside Mainland China with a series of expositions on Chinese regulated verses and literary aesthetics. He continued his works on the conceptions of “Chinese Lyric Aesthetics” since then, and came up with a very ambitious formulation of the “Chinese Lyrical Tradition” with studies on various modes Chinese cultural production such as music, literary theory, calligraphy, and paintings. This paper tries to elucidate the theoretical foundation of Kao’s conception of “Lyric Aesthetics” and its significance in the study of Chinese literature and culture.
The concept of “Chinese literature” attains its meaning and boundaries itself by the concept of “China” as is a representation of “nation”. The word “China” goes beyond a country’s name and presents Chinese people’s inherent notion of nation. As a result, the explanation of “Chinese Literature” may contribute to people’s understanding on characteristics of “China” which confers aesthetic and literary meaning by temporal and spatial dimensions.
This article want to discuss the book of Mengxi Bitan which was writted by older Shen Gua who was a man of liberal intellect on North-Song dynasty. In order to disclose his asserts about destiny and Symbolic-mathematics, I will select and analyze the part of “Symbolic-mathematics”. After interpretation,I come to the conclusions basically: Shen Gua gave a affirmation to the Symbolic-mathematics,especially when people wanted to calculate something on technology.But there is a limited application,especially facing the category of destiny.For Shen Gua ,the most important thing on prophecy is a mystical intuition.Destiny can not be calculated, but it can be intuited by a man of insight.Fianally, Shen Gua did not rely and believe destiny totally because he gained the wise heritage from Confucianism,Buddhism and Taoism.
The phrase of “the universe is full of hsin (mind/heart)” is one of the most important propositions by ZhongXi. This proposition refers to the realms of metaphysics, ethics, ontology, epistemology etc., and its rigorous meanings can be induced as follows: First, for the Heavan is qi, for the human being is hsin (mind/heart). Huang ZhongXi takes qi as the cosmological substratum, he thinks qi and hsin as the primary substance of universe and human being. Second, all particulars refer to the metaphysical identity: not to deviate from the hsin. The patterns of things may be different, but the ethics and value of things are unique. The moral noumenon and the fundamental value still settle in the principles of jen, yi , li ,zhi. Third, the fundamental destination is unique, but the contents of dao are endless. It means to affirm the meanings and values of all particulars. So limiting everybody to the only one activity and discarding others means the atrophy of life and academic research.. Finally, all entities are named by me.In the process of defining and settling phenomenal world, both the subject and object are accomplished and integrated. The assertion involves the attenttions of epistemology, ethics and metaphysics.
