【外文摘要】 Abstract The formation of Chinese modernity, marked by the gradual establishment of its enlightenment value system from "strengthening th...
Abstract The formation of Chinese modernity, marked by the gradual establishment of its enlightenment value system from "strengthening the country and protecting the genes" to "enlightening the folks" and to "becoming enlightened people " has gone through its physical and institutional to ideological changes during the late Qing Dynasty and the May fourth period. The literal works created during those periods have reflected the historical changes. And they are, therefore, identified as literature of enlightenment. The key concepts in the enlightenment value system such as "genes", "folks", "people" and "characters of the folks" implicate the research field of folklore. The gradual formation of the enlightenment value system from "strengthening the country and protecting the genes" to "enlightening the folks" and to "becoming enlightened people " actually indicates the progress of folklore as a scientific discipline starting from initial period to the application and establishment stages. Based from what she mentioned from above, the author has made an attempt, from the viewpoint of folklore by exploring the relations of traditional literature and living habits, to analyze the transformation of the modern Chinese literature from its starting to its development and changes of the literal styles and the contents. The author has clarified the integral relations between the folklore concepts evolved from the late Qing and the modem transformation of Chinese literature. The author has put her emphasis on how important roles the folklore and folklore concepts have played on the whys and hows of the literal transformation and existence.
The dissertation is divided into six chapters. In the first chapter "The Context of the Modern Transformation of Chinese Literature: the Formation of Folklore", the author has devoted her attention to have explored the social and cultural environment of the late Qing Dynasty. The criticism and the call to reform the Chinese social customs due to the gradual ideological and social conventional transformation under the western influences, the evolvement of the new factors of literal movement and the cultural influences from the missionaries have formed the folk enlightenment movement, thus having paved the social and cultural background for Chinese literature to transformation from its classical form to modern style. With the introduction of Darwin's evolutionism, western ethnology, anthropology and sociology are also introduced to China, thus stimulating the beginning of Chinese folklore. These folk conscious factors have attribute to the transformation of Chinese literature to its modernity.
In Chapter Two "The Beginning of the Literal Concept Transformation: the profound folklore influences", the author has explored the ideas of folklore which have influenced the transformation of the literal concepts. Novels and operas, which have been looked down upon traditionally, have been regarded as the best representation of literature. Literature, which has been mouthpiece of politics has gradually gained its position as an individual artistic genre. The transformation is on one hand due to the spread of evolution and on the another hand due to the impetus to change the social customs when the intellectuals have compared others' customs during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic period. Lianf Qichao, the first creator of the new literature, has put forward the idea to enlighten the folks. The idea is the theoretical representation of "everybody cares about customs" starting from the late Qing Dynasty. What Liang Qichao advocates in the revolution in three fields concentrates on enlightening the folks. His revolution in novels focuses on reforming the characters of the folks. The function of novels has reached unprecedented position.
In Chapter Three "the establishment of Modern Transformation: the Integral Relations Between Literature and Folklore ", the author has discussed the integral relations between folklore and the literal works created during the May Fourth Period. The author has specifically analyzed from the changes of cultural concepts and the establishment of folklore, the literal folklore during the May Fourth period, the relations between new poetry and folk songs, problems in problem novels and the research objects of folklore and the establishment of novels describing countryside In Chapter Four "What Literature Should Portray and the Folks in folklore" and in Chapter five " The Aim of Literature and the folk Behaviours in Folklore ", the author has explained from the contents the relations between folklore and literal creations during the transformation period. The concentration on the concept of "folks" starting from late Qing Dynasty stimulates the progressive intellectuals to realize the importance to enlighten the folks so as to strengthen the country, thus causing the literature to describe the common folks. Common people, such as women, children, youngsters, intellectuals and farmers become the main objects of the writers during the May Fourth period. These common folks are the main objects folklore studies. "Enlighten the folks" and "becoming enlightened people" are both concerned about reforming the bad habits of the folks. Chapter Five concentrates on how literature has stimulated the discarding the bad and cultivating the new by discussing specifically what the novels of late Qing Dynasty described: the attacks of the bad habits and yearning for new habits; the exposure of the characters of the folks and the construction of the healthy individuals.
In Chapter Six "The Secularization of Literature and the Secular Spirits of Literature", the author has explored from the styles the secular aspects the literature of transformation period has demonstrated. The author has discussed the topic from three aspects: the folk speech—vernacular successfully replaces the classical written form in new literature; folk genres ( novels and operas) become the main forms in literature and the popular literature (one form of modern literature) has widely accepted by the public.
Key Words: modern transformation of Chinese literature, folklore context, profound folklore structure, establishment of the main portrayal, the aim of literature, secular spirits of literature
