Literature theory is a discipline that systematically analyses and studies literary creation and literary phenomena. It aims to reveal the nature and laws of literary phenomena and provide theoretical support and guidance for literary criticism. Therefore, literary theory should reflect the essence of literature and the essence of literary criticism. The essence of literature referred to the essential characteristics and cultural implications of literature as an artistic form. From these aspects, literary theory should explore the origin, development, changes and characteristics of literary phenomena. For example, how the form of literature reflects the symbols and symbolic meaning in the literary works, how to convey and explain the time and space layout of the literary works, how to affect the reader's experience, and so on. The essence of literary criticism refers to the process of evaluating and deciphering literary works, which aims to reveal the meaning and extension of the works and provide readers with valuable literary information and reference. Literature theory should provide theoretical support and guidance for literary criticism to help readers better understand and evaluate literary works. For example, how to evaluate the quality and value of a literary work from the aspects of literary form, theme, plot, and characters, how to understand and explain the symbols and symbolic meanings in literary works, and how to analyze the historical and cultural background of literary works through literary theory. Therefore, literary theory should reflect the essence of literature and the essence of literary criticism. The analysis and study of literary theory can help us better understand the meaning and extension of literary works, provide theoretical support and guidance for literary criticism, and promote the process of literary creation and development.
The theory of literary essence pointed out that the essence of literature was the way to express human emotions and thoughts. Its purpose was to convey human emotions and thoughts through words. The essence of literature was an eternal art that was not limited by time, place, or cultural background. The theory of literary development refers to the historical development of literature as a process of constant evolution. Every era has its own literary tradition and literary form. The development of literature is related to the times, society, politics, culture and other factors, and is also influenced by the characteristics of literature itself. The development of literature was not isolated but intertwined with history, philosophy, art, and other fields.
The theory of literary essence was a philosophical point of view put forward by James Joyce in his book Ulysses in the 20th century. He believed that the essence of literature was to reflect and express the essence and contradictions of human life. In Ulysses, James Joyce described the nature and contradictions of human life by describing the life experiences of the protagonist Bloom. He believed that the essence of human life was to seek meaning, and Bloom experienced a series of setbacks and contradictions in the process of seeking meaning. Finally, through the dialogue with his wife, he revealed the contradictions and sufferings of human life. As an art form, literature could reflect and express the essence and contradictions of human life through fictional stories and the use of language. Joyce's point of view meant that the essence of literature was not to express thoughts or emotions, but to reveal the nature and contradictions of human life and help people better understand themselves and the world. The theory of literary essence promoted the understanding of the nature and function of literature, which was helpful to the understanding of literary creation and reading, and also provided new ideas and methods for literary research.
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.
The Metaphysical Theory of Literature is a theory of literature that believes that literature itself is a supernatural existence whose existence and significance transcend human rationality. This theory claimed that literary works were not only the expression of human emotions and thoughts, but also a deeper existence beyond human emotions and thoughts. This kind of existence did not rely on human experience and rationality, but was related to supernatural concepts such as the universe, soul, and fate. Supporters of the theory of literary essence believe that the images, plots, language, and structure of literary works are all manifestations of this supernatural existence. They believed that the meaning and values of literary works were not determined by the author's personal feelings and will, but were directly related to this supernatural existence. Therefore, the theory of literary essence was also known as "Existentialist literary theory" or "Cosmological literary theory". The theory of the essence of literature had a far-reaching influence not only on literary theory, philosophy, psychology and other fields, but also on literary criticism and literary creation.
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.
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.
The essence of literature refers to the characteristics and rules of the real world and human life reflected by literature, as well as the artistic characteristics and aesthetic value of literature itself. The essence of literature and art refers to the cultural values, aesthetic concepts, and artistic laws contained in the creation and appreciation of literature and art. The essence of literary aesthetics refers to the aesthetic feelings and evaluations expressed by literary works. The essence of beauty refers to the psychological structure and behavior characteristics of human beings 'pursuit and perception of beauty.
Literature and art aesthetics is composed of text analysis, literary history, theory, value, literary criticism, and formal aesthetics. Text analysis referred to the analysis of literary works to understand their thoughts and language expressions. The value of literary history theory referred to the analysis of the status and influence of literary works in the history of literature. The theory of literary criticism referred to the evaluation and analysis of the value and significance of literary works. Formality aesthetics referred to the analysis of the form and structure of literary works, including language, plot, characters, and so on. These elements together form the aesthetics of literature and art. Through the study and understanding of literary works, we can better understand the charm and value of literature.
1 Dream of the Red Chamber-Qing Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty 3 Water Margins-Ming Dynasty 4 Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty 5 The Scholars-Qing Dynasty Ordinary World-China's Modern Era 7 One Hundred Years of Solitude by Colombia Márquez 8 How Steel Was Tempered-Soviet Union 9 The Catcher in the Rye-America·D·Salinger War and Peace-Tolstoy, Russia
In the history of literary criticism in China, the first work that systematically and systematically elaborated on literary theory was "Theory of Literature". This book was written by Lu Xun and others in the early 20th century. It is one of the important milestone in the history of literary criticism in China. The book systematically elaborated on the definition of literature, the nature of literature, the emergence of literature, the development of literature, the types of literature, the evaluation of literature and other aspects of knowledge, which laid the foundation for the development of literary theory in China.