Bachtin (1899 - 1975) was a famous German literary critic. His theory of literary criticism was called "the psychology of literary criticism" or "cultural psychology". It mainly focused on the nature, function and purpose of human culture, art and literature. Bachtin believed that works of art were an important part of human culture, the expression and summary of human social experience. He believed that the creators of works of art were certain people in human society who expressed their inner world, values, and beliefs in a specific way. The form and content of a work of art reflect the creator's culture, history, and social environment, as well as the variety and complexity of human culture. Bachtin believed that literary criticism should study the nature, function and purpose of art works from the perspective of psychology. He emphasized that works of art should be viewed as a psychological phenomenon rather than as simple visual or auditory objects. Literature criticism should start from the psychological needs of people to explore the cultural significance and human experience behind the works of art. Bachtin's theory of literary criticism had a profound impact on the later literary criticism and research, especially in the fields of cultural psychology, art philosophy and cultural studies.
The history of literary criticism could be traced back to the ancient Greek period, which mainly involved the evaluation of the form, content, and author's personality of literary works. In ancient Rome, critics began to pay attention to the impact of literary works on society and human life. During the Middle Ages, critics began to combine literary criticism with other disciplines such as philosophy, history, and philology. During the Renaissance, literary critics began to emphasize the creativity of literary works and the individual talent of the author. In the 19th century, critics began to pay attention to the ideology and political significance of literary works. In the latter half of the 20th century, critics began to pay attention to the cultural and social significance of literary works. The development of modern literary criticism has gone through many changes and challenges, but at the same time, it has also made many achievements.
Lu Xun (September 25, 1881-October 19, 1936) was one of the most important figures in modern Chinese literature and cultural history. His literary works and ideas had a profound impact on modern Chinese literature and culture. Lu Xun's literary criticism mainly included the following aspects: 1. Criticizing the novel: Lu Xun believed that the novel was a literary form that exposed the social reality. He criticized the eulogizing descriptions and false plots of some novels at that time, emphasizing that the novel should reveal the dark side of society with true and vivid descriptions. 2. Criticizing poetry: Lu Xun believed that poetry was a literary form that expressed emotions and thoughts. He criticized the mediocrity and lack of depth of some poems at that time, emphasizing that poetry should reveal social reality with profound thoughts and feelings. 3. Criticizing prose: Lu Xun believed that prose was a free and casual literary form. He criticized the standardized and stylized prose at that time, emphasizing that prose should express thoughts and emotions in a free and casual style. 4. Criticizing the theory of literature and art: Lu Xun advocated that literature and art should be a spirit of realism and humanism. He criticized the hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness of some literary theories at that time and emphasized that literature and art should pay attention to social reality and human destiny. Lu Xun's literary criticism reflected his deep understanding and concern for the form and spirit of literature and art, which had a profound impact on the development of modern Chinese literature and culture.
Modern literary theory and criticism originated from the early 20th century. It was a method of literary criticism aimed at exploring the nature and laws of literary creation by analyzing the language, structure, theme, plot, and other elements in literary works. Modern literary theory criticism mainly includes the following aspects: 1. Language analysis theory and criticism: mainly studies the use of language and rhetoric in literary works to explore the charm of language and the relationship between language and thinking. 2. structural criticism: mainly studies the structural arrangement and layout of literary works, and probes into the influence and function of structure on literary works. 3. Thematic criticism: It mainly studies the theme and meaning of literary works. It probes into the relationship between theme and plot, language, and the influence of theme on literary works. 4. Plot criticism: It mainly studies the plot arrangement and turning point of literary works. It probes into the relationship between plot and theme, language, and the influence of plot on literary works. 5. Cultural criticism: It mainly studies the cultural environment and social background of literary works, and probes into the influence and role of cultural factors on literary works. The development of modern literary theory and criticism has gone through many stages, from the initial single theory criticism to comprehensive theory criticism, from traditional literary criticism to modern literary criticism, from static analysis to dynamic analysis. Modern literary theory and criticism provided a more in-depth and comprehensive theoretical support for literary creation and promoted the development and prosperity of literature.
Both literary theory criticism and literary criticism theory are disciplines that study literary phenomena and literary works, but the research objects and methods of the two are different. The theory of literary criticism is a theory that studies the essential characteristics, internal structure, and historical evolution of literary works. Its purpose is to analyze and explain literary works in depth to help readers better understand and appreciate literary works. The research methods of literary theory criticism include literature research, comparison research, historical research, etc. On the other hand, the theory of literary criticism is to study the internal laws and development trends of literary phenomena and literary theories. Its purpose was to carry out a systematic study of literary phenomena and literary works in order to promote the development and progress of literature. The research methods of literary criticism theory include literature research, positive research, and cross-disciplinary research. Therefore, literary theory and criticism are more focused on the analysis and explanation of literary works themselves, while literary criticism theory is more focused on the study of literary phenomena and literary theory, aiming to reveal the internal laws and development trends of literature.
Literature criticism refers to the evaluation, analysis, and criticism of literary works. It is an indispensable part of literary research. The purpose of literary criticism is to better understand literary works, reveal their inner beauty and defects, and explore the intentions and characteristics of literary creation. The history of literature was a subject that studied the development of literature in a certain period, region, or school. It usually included the analysis and evaluation of literary works, literary schools, literary phenomena, and so on. The study of literary history not only helps us understand the historical evolution of literature, but also helps us better understand the essence and significance of literature. The theory of literature is the foundation of literary criticism and literary history. It is an abstract and summary of literary creation and literary phenomena. The theory of literature mainly includes the theory of literary structure, the theory of literary symbol, the theory of literary language, etc. It reveals the rules and characteristics of literary creation by analyzing the language, structure, theme and other elements of literary works. The application of literary theory helps us to better understand the meaning and extension of literary works, as well as the intention and characteristics of literary creation.
Wang Guowei's literary criticism theory mainly includes the following aspects: 1. The relationship between literature and society: Wang Guowei believed that literature and society were interconnected and influenced each other. The creation and acceptance of literary works were influenced by social background and the atmosphere of the times. Therefore, his theory of literary criticism emphasized the concern of the social reality behind literary works. 2. The types and characteristics of literature: Wang Guowei divided literature into different types such as official history, novels, legends, and operas. Each type had its own unique characteristics and ways of expression. He believed that the types and characteristics of literary works reflected people's understanding and pursuit of life, love, power and other topics in different cultural backgrounds. 3. Form and structure of literature: Wang Guowei believed that the form and structure of literature had an important influence on the content and expressiveness of works. He put forward the idea of "poetic aesthetics" and believed that the form and rhythm of poetry could enhance the expressiveness and appeal of poetry. 4. The value and significance of literature: Wang Guowei believed that the value and significance of a literary work lay in its inner thoughts and emotions rather than its external form and structure. He emphasized that the value and significance of literary works needed to be considered and analyzed from multiple perspectives. 5. The future development of literature: Wang Guowei believes that the future of literature needs to pay more attention to the real problems faced by mankind, explore more literary topics and expressions, and improve the quality and level of literature.
China's first literary theory and commentary book was An Introduction to Literature. This book was written in 1924 by Professor Wang Guowei of Peking University and others. It was the first book in the history of Chinese literature that systematically elaborated on literary theory and criticism methods. The book systematically analyzed the origin, development, characteristics of literature and its relationship with other disciplines. It put forward many important theories and perspectives, which had a profound impact on Chinese literary research and literary creation.
Wang Guowei's literary criticism theory mainly includes the following aspects: The relationship between literature and society: Wang Guowei believed that literature was a cultural phenomenon that reflected social life, so the creation, acceptance and evaluation of literary works should be related to social reality. He put forward the concept of "sociality of literature" and believed that the significance and value of a literary work lay not only in its content but also in the social reality and historical background it reflected. 2. The relationship between the form and content of literature: Wang Guowei believed that the form and content of literary works were inseparable. He put forward the idea that "content determines form" and believed that the form of a literary work should serve the content and not exist independently from the content. At the same time, he emphasized the unique position of poetry in the literary form and believed that the form of poetry should conform to its theme and emotional expression to enhance its artistic appeal and expressiveness. 3. The relationship between the style and genre of literature: Wang Guowei believes that the style and genre of literature are important components of literature. Each style and genre has its own unique characteristics and style characteristics. He put forward the view that "style is person" and believed that the style of literary works was determined by the author's personality, thoughts, experience and emotions. Therefore, when evaluating a literary work, we should judge its literary and artistic value according to its style and genre. The relationship between the history of literature and changes: Wang Guowei believes that literature is a cultural phenomenon with a long history, and its development and change is a complicated process. He emphasized the historical nature of literature and believed that the creation, acceptance and evaluation of literary works should be related to historical reality, and the meaning and value of literary works should be analyzed and understood from history.
Both novels and essays are literary forms, but they have different creative characteristics and development processes. A novel was a literary work that focused on the plot and the characters. It originated in Europe during the Renaissance and had developed for nearly a century. The development of the novel has gone through many changes from simple plot to complex story structure, from description to performance, from the main character as the center to the plot as the center. In the development of the novel, there were many important characters such as shakespeare, dickens, maupassant, tolstoy and so on. Prose was a literary work that expressed thoughts, feelings, and opinions. It originated from ancient China. With the change of the times, prose gradually developed into different writing styles and forms, such as lyric prose, argumentative prose, narrative prose and so on. In the development of prose, there were many important works such as Lu Xun, Zhou Zuoren, Zhu Ziqing, Bing Xin, etc. Generally speaking, the development of novels and essays has gone through many changes and evolutions, but their creative characteristics and expression techniques are different. Fictions pay more attention to the plot and the description of the characters, while essays pay more attention to the expression of thoughts and emotions. In different historical periods and different literary schools, novels and essays have played an important role in the development of literature and made indelible contributions.
In the history of Chinese literary theory and criticism, the first literary theory book with a strict system was Wen Xin Diao Long.