MindMap Gallery Chapter 1, the nature of literature
Introduction to Literature Chapter 1 Mind Map. It is super detailed and can be memorized directly. It is full of useful information. Interested friends can refer to it!
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Chapter 1, the nature of literature
Section 1: Literature is social ideology
Marx pointed out that it is not people’s consciousness that determines people’s existence; on the contrary, it is people’s social existence that determines people’s consciousness. (Provides a scientific worldview and methodology to answer the political and economic relationship between literature and art and social life and to understand the nature of literature.)
According to the perspective of historical materialism, literature belongs to social ideology and is restricted by the economic basis of social existence. At the same time, it also plays an active role in them.
At the same time, literature and art are different from other superstructures. In Engels's view, they belong to the "ideational superstructure", which shows that literature has both general ideological commonality and its own particularity.
Specifically, literature, as a social ideology, is the artistic creation of writers based on their local standpoints, viewpoints, and methods in social life. It is cognitive, tendentious, and practical.
First, the cognitive nature of literature.
Literature helps people understand the characteristics of the natural, social and spiritual world. It reflects life in a way that is different from science and logic by creating artistic images.
(1) Literature is the product of the objective world reflected in the writer’s subjective world.
Mao Zedong pointed out that literary and artistic works as ideological forms are the reflection of certain social life in the human mind. (Elucidating the importance of writers and artists penetrating into people’s lives.)
Balzac regarded literary works as mirrors reflecting the life and thoughts of a nation.
Marx praised: a group of outstanding novelists in modern Britain who have revealed political and social truths to the world in their outstanding and vivid books. More than all the politicians, commentators and moralists put together can reveal.
"Wind", "Ya" and "Song" in the Chinese Book of Songs vividly reproduce the life content and emotional experience of different classes in the Zhou Dynasty. Cao Xueqin's "A Dream of Red Mansions" is an encyclopedia for people to understand the late ancient Chinese society.
(2) Literary works contain the writer’s understanding of social life
Lu Xun's "The True Story of Ah Q", the contradictory "Midnight" and Gorky's "Mother" all show a broad picture of social life and their deep feelings about the society in which they live.
Although some writers have not formed a scientific worldview, they can sincerely face reality and show a certain sense of progress. Writers adopt an objective attitude and critical spirit towards social reality, and can overcome the limitations of their own worldview and social stance to reflect the true face and history of society. development trend
For example, Balzac was a "royalist", but he had a clear understanding of the inevitable victory of the bourgeoisie over the feudal aristocracy in his works. Engels commented that "I think this is one of the greatest victories of realism."
(3) Literature is the overall grasp of social life
Literature's understanding of social life belongs to the way Marx said that art masters the world. This way can often transcend the limitations of general ideologies that reflect too abstract and tortuous life, and provide a true, rich and complete reflection of social life.
For example, Leo Tolstoy's "Resurrection" vividly expresses the social nature of Russian social relations, especially the thoughts and emotions of Russian peasants who are opposed to the aristocracy.
It requires literature to play the role of social ideology and not avoid important social conflicts. However, this does not require literature to become a major social subject matter. It does not require literature to display all aspects of social relations. It requires literature to be unique. The artistic image depicts the overall relationship and shape of social life and helps people understand the true face of social history.
2. Literary tendencies
The tendency of literature refers to the value orientation that literature reflects or reveals in a specific social life. It is the conscious or unconscious manifestation of the writer's certain worldview, outlook on life, and values, including political, ideological, moral, religious and other tendencies.
(1) Political and ideological tendencies are the main manifestations of literary tendencies
It is related to two factors. One is the class position, thoughts, feelings and value orientation of the writer, and the other is the political and ideological content contained in society.
Political and ideological tendencies are a relatively common attribute of literature. Engels clearly affirmed the political and ideological tendencies of literature: "The modern Russians and Norwegians who have written excellent novels are all writers with tendencies."
Karl Liebknecht also believed that "from a historical and aesthetic point of view, "unbiased" and "true" art is a myth. ... In the most ideal aesthetic system, it is required to serve the interests of society and the people. The tendency to serve interests is regarded as the sacred duty of art."
The greatness of Dante's Divine Comedy lies in its expression of the revival of the new humanity of the oppressed class under the rule of theocracy in the Middle Ages. The value of the radicals of Shakespeare's drama lies in its expression of the full bloom of the bourgeois humanistic spirit after its awakening.
In a class society, the political and ideological tendencies of Chinese literature are largely class-based. Literature as an integral part of ideology will reflect different class interests, ideas and aspirations in different societies. This is determined by social class relations and the writer's own class attributes.
Lu Xun pointed out, "Literature has class characteristics. In a class society, although writers think they are free and think they have copied the class, they are unconsciously dominated by the class consciousness of their own class. Those creations are not the culture of another class."
Mao Zedong also pointed out that “all culture or literature and art in the world now belong to a certain class and a certain political line.”
In a socialist society, the political and ideological tendencies of literature are more reflected in the attitude towards the people.
Literary creation must adapt to the prosperity and development of socialist literature and art in the new era, the needs of building a socialist cultural power, and the expectations of people of all ethnic groups to live a good life. It must adhere to a people-centered creative orientation and insist on serving the broad masses of the people and Express the main body and care about the suffering of the masses. Understand the wishes of the people, grasp the needs of the masses, and create various forms of art. To better meet the cultural and artistic needs of the people and enhance their cultural and artistic accomplishments and ideological and moral realm.
(2) The political and ideological tendencies of literature must be consistent with the authenticity of literature.
Literature has political and ideological tendencies, but it cannot therefore become a conceptual propaganda tool for the politics of the times. It should be reflected in a form that conforms to the laws of art and should be based on literary reality.
Marx pointed out that "literary works should be more "Shakespearean" and not "Schiller-like, turning individuals into mere mouthpieces for the spirit of the times."
The humanistic tendencies of Shakespeare's plays are not presented in a diagrammatic and conceptual way. It is a combination of his deep understanding and grasp of human nature and his true feelings and understanding of historical conditions.
Engels pointed out, “The tendency should flow out naturally from the scenes and plots without specifically pointing it out. The author does not have to force the historical and future solutions to the social conflicts described on the readers.” “It should not be for the sake of conceptualization. Forget the realist stuff for the sake of joy, forget Shakespeare for the sake of joy.”
The authenticity of literature originates from life and is higher than life. Writers can neither make subjective inventions in isolation from social life nor make naturalistic copies of social life. Only by unifying tendency and authenticity can successful literary works be created.
3. Practicality of Literature
Literature is not only a response to human social practice, but also can have a positive influence on human social practice through its special way. The practicality of literature refers to the characteristics of literature that reflects social practice and actively affects the social practice behavior of readers by influencing their minds.
(1) The influence of literature on political practice
Both literature and politics belong to social ideologies, so compared to the role of economic foundation, literature has a more direct impact on political practice.
The Book of Songs has long been regarded as a mirror for examining political gains and losses. "The wind above is used to soften the bottom, and the wind is used to stab the top." The 300 poems have become an important means to express political emotions and implement political enlightenment. The satirical novels at the end of the term, the May Fourth period issue novels, later revolutionary literature, and anti-Japanese war literature. The scar literature and reflective literature in the new era all had an impact on the social and political development of that time.
In the history of Western literature, French writer Hugo's "Notre Dame de Paris" and "Les Misérables" fiercely criticized the cruelty and injustice of the bourgeois laws at that time.
However, the political practice of literature does not mean that writers need to directly express political opinions in their works. Literature must implicitly reflect its political practice through original characters and other artistic images.
(2) The impact of literature on economic and social changes.
Literature develops in social life based on economy.
Engels pointed out, "People must first eat, drink, live and clothe themselves, and then they can engage in politics, science, art, religion, etc."
On the other hand, literature and economic and social development have an active influence. Engels emphasized that the determinants of history are ultimately the production and reproduction of real life. Don't be opposed to economic factors being the only determining factor.
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" exposed the evils of southern serfdom and strengthened the determination of the American government and people to abolish the backward economic and political system. Chinese novels in the 1920s such as "The Sun Shines on the Sanggan River" and "The Storm" timely echoed the land reform movement led by the Communist Party of China and promoted the transformation and progress of China's rural production methods. The "reform literature" that emerged in the early 1980s, such as "The Taking of Factory Director Qiao" and so on, also promoted the development of reform, opening up and modernization to varying degrees.
(3) The influence of literature on human spirit and concepts.
The practicality of literature has its own special ways and means of realization. It does not have clear normative provisions and concepts to guide and restrict people like other ideologies. Instead, it usually relies on aesthetic literary images and artistic means to inspire and enhance people's spirit. to fulfill.
Wang Fuzhi, a poetry critic in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty, called the spiritual stimulation of literature "Xing" and spoke highly of its significance. "Those who can be Xing will be heroes. Those who are Xing are those whose nature is deeper than Qi." Wang Fuzhi believed that the spiritual inspiration of literature is "Xing". "Xing" can cultivate the personality of a hero who wins with virtue.
Literature can indeed play a unique and important role in carrying forward the national spirit and the spirit of the times.
Lu Xun compared literature and art to the "light" of the national spirit. "Literature and art are the fire of the national spirit, and they are also the lights that guide the future of the national spirit."
Section 2 Literature is an aesthetic art
As a kind of social ideology, literature also has its special aesthetic attributes. It is the unity of social ideology and aesthetic art.
Belinsky believed that determining the degree of a work's aesthetic merit should be the first priority of criticism.
Marxist literary theory attaches great importance to the aesthetic attributes of literature. And do not ignore the aesthetic and spiritual traditions of different nations. The "spirit of Chinese aesthetics" emphasizes expressing one's aspirations through objects, embodying reasoning and emotion, emphasizing conciseness and conciseness, conciseness and moderation, emphasizing both form and spirit, and profound artistic conception. Emphasize the unity of knowledge, emotion, intention and action.
The characteristics of literature as an aesthetic art are mainly emotional, figurative and transcendent.
1. The emotional nature of literature
The emotionality of literature refers to the characteristic of literature expressing emotions and stimulating readers' resonance and promoting social emotional communication.
(1) Emotion is the basic characteristic of literary aesthetic activities.
Beauty is not an objective natural thing. Beauty can only exist in specific human aesthetic activities. It is a value judgment that people make on aesthetic objects during activities, and this value judgment is mainly reflected in emotional evaluation.
Brandes believes that everything can be viewed from three aspects: a practical perspective, a scientific perspective and an aesthetic perspective, thus forming three attitudes and evaluations of things. , among which aesthetic value has three characteristics compared with the other two types of value evaluation.
First, aesthetics is a non-practical activity that brings emotional pleasure to people. (The focus is not on the materiality and materiality of aesthetic objects for consumption and utilization. But on their external form and appearance.)
Second, aesthetics is a process that is non-conceptual (the concept here refers to something scientific and formulaic) but can cause the free and coordinated movement of emotion and cognition.
Third, aesthetics is an inner emotional experience that is both individual and universally communicated and communicated.
Aesthetic feelings can transcend the barriers of interpersonal relationships, realize free communication, resonate with social groups, and have extensive sociality.
To sum up, emotions constitute the psychological basis of aesthetic activities, and emotional factors play a dominant role in literature. Therefore, emotion is the main characteristic of literature as an aesthetic art.
Susan Lange pointed out: "Artworks are emotions that are presented for people to appreciate. They are emotions transformed into visible or audible forms."
Ancient China has always attached great importance to the emotional factors in literary aesthetics. Zhong Rong's "Preface to Poems" describes it this way: "Everything touches the soul. How can it express its meaning if it is not a statement, and how can it express its emotion if it is not a long song." (These kinds of feelings sent to my heart are not poetry. What should I do? ? Expanding, its meaning is not Brother Cheng. How should I express my feelings?)
The specific expression of literary emotion in literary activities has various forms. It can be yearning for beautiful things, or criticizing ugly phenomena, etc. The forms of expression are different, but they must show true emotions and cannot complain without reason.
(2) The blending of emotion and reason is a realistic manifestation of literary aesthetic activities.
Although aesthetic activities mainly correspond to the human emotional field, in fact many beautiful things as art involve cognition and morality, and are creative activities under the guidance of certain ideological concepts. Therefore, they are the interaction between intuition and cognition, emotion and rationality. Unite.
Yan Yu, a poet in the Song Dynasty, believed that literature has nothing to do with the abstract concept of book knowledge and needs a unique talent and interest. The unique style and uniqueness here refer to special content and interest of aesthetic nature, but at the same time it cannot be completely separated from knowledge and interest. reason. Otherwise, the ideal state cannot be achieved.
2. The image of literature
The image nature of literature refers to the fact that literature creates concrete and vivid artistic images to reflect the characteristics of social life. The emotional nature of literature focuses on the aesthetic subject, while the image nature of literature focuses on the aesthetic object.
(1) Imagery is an important manifestation of the beauty of literature and art.
The reason why literature is beautiful lies in the perceptibility of its images. The artistic value of literary works is also mainly condensed in the vivid literary images of operas created by writers.
Hegel believed that the form of perceptual attention is a characteristic of art, because art uses perceptual visualization to present reality to consciousness. (If art wants to reflect real life, it must resort to intuitive and perceptible images)
Gorky emphasized that works of art are not narratives, but descriptions of reality using images and pictures.
This image characteristic of literature is particularly vivid when compared with philosophy and science. Philosophy mainly uses concepts, and science mainly uses theorems and formulas to reflect events abstractly. Literature reflects the objective and subjective world with perceptual and concrete artistic images.
Goethe pointed out that poetry points out various secrets of nature and attempts to solve them with images. Lu Xun believed that although literary works cannot conduct detailed analysis of vision like science, they can directly let readers understand the principles of life through the images described in words and sentences.
(2) Literary images are creative, energetic and meaningful images.
This can be clearly reflected from the comparison of literary images with various daily artificial graphics (drawings, picture models, etc. that we can see imitating reality in reality.). The artistic image of literature contains richer and deeper connotations than the concrete perceptible images of everyday model images. (vivid and full of meaning)
Real images in life are the living material of literary images. But the difference is that literary images are products created by the writer's mind. It is the crystallization of highly creative spiritual activities. The writer's artistic atmosphere, emotional attitude, personality, social ideals, etc. can be put into it.
The image of Christophe. It reflects the writer Romain Rolland's belief in never giving up in life. The Chrysanthemum of East Li in Tao Yuanming's poem is a vivid portrayal of the reclusive poet's simple and straightforward character and indifferent and determined life.
3. Transcendence of Literature
The transcendence of literature refers to the characteristic of literature that enhances people's spiritual realm and obtains spiritual freedom through artistic imagination and aesthetic ideals. (Excellent literature always opportunities or projects people’s social ideals, life ideals and aesthetic ideals. Ideals are future-oriented and transcend certain current realistic situations.)
(1) Transcendence of the relationship between man and nature.
Human beings are originally part of nature and are subject to the laws of nature, but literature can enable people to temporarily transcend the constraints of natural laws in the moment of aesthetic appreciation and reach the realm of spiritual freedom.
First, people can actively portray nature and express their own feelings in literature. Zhang Xiaoxiang's "Niannu Bridge·Crossing the Dongting" "Take my boat with a leaf" and "sail the Xijiang River, pour out the Beidou carefully, and treat everything as a guest." It embodies the author's magnanimous mind, optimistic and bold character, and uses the natural and all-encompassing The master’s own spiritual state.
Second, people achieve spiritual transcendence of natural conditions in literature. Through imagination, people can actively control nature. Lu Ji's "Wen Fu" "Observes the past and present in a moment, touches the world in a moment." "Covers the heaven and earth in the form, suppresses all things in the pen." It is a vivid portrayal of literature's transcendence of natural agency. At the same time, literature can mobilize people's imagination, such as Du Fu's "Looking at the Mountains", "The bells of nature are beautiful, and the yin and yang separate the dusk." If you write a majestic image with magical beauty that can separate day and night, you will be as high as the top, and you can see all the mountains and small mountains at a glance, showing transcendence. The spiritual power of natural reality relationships.
The third person becomes a close friend with nature in literature. Li Bai's "Sitting Alone on Jingting Mountain" "I never get tired of looking at each other, only Jingting Mountain." Xin Qiji's "Congratulations to the Bridegroom·I'm already declining" "I see how charming the green mountains are, but I don't expect the green mountains to see me like this." The author. Able to freely transfer human feelings into natural objects. It shows that literature can convey the experience of being close to nature as a close friend and realize people's spiritual transcendence of nature.
(2) Transcendence of the real relationship between people and society (Real life is always dominated by social relationships, and literary aesthetics enable people to escape the constraints of social relationships in their imagination. Achieve spiritual transcendence.)
For example, Qu Yuan was slandered in reality, suffering and resenting, but "Li Sao" depicts a noble personality image of "making lotus flowers as clothes, gathering hibiscus as clothes", which is the most spiritual transcendence of the dirty world where beauty and ugliness are not distinguished, Ba Jin's "Home" spiritually completely denies the decadent social system and lifestyle represented by saying goodbye to the old family.
(3) Transcendence of the human self (literary aesthetics is the free activity of the soul, and various spiritual elements of the aesthetic subject combine with each other to produce spiritual pleasure)
Zhong Rong commented on Ruan Ji's "Yong Huai" that "Yong Huai's works can cultivate the soul and inspire deep thoughts."
Literary aesthetic activities are conducive to literature cultivating moral sentiments, expressing beautiful human ideals, enriching people's art, and enjoying social development and progress. People have higher demands for spiritual culture. Literature will play an increasingly important role in enhancing people's spiritual strength and enriching people's spiritual world. role
Literary creation should convey truth, goodness and beauty, express ideals, guide morality, and inspire people to move forward. In Xi Jinping’s words, it should “let people see beauty, see hope, and see that dreams are ahead.”
Section 3: Literature is the art of language
The difference between literature and economic foundation is that it is a social ideology. The difference from other social ideologies is that it is an aesthetic art. The difference from other types of art is that it is a language art.
The media nature of language provides a material basis for the generation of literature and art, allowing literature to present indirectness, spirituality, and implication that are different from other arts.
1. Indirectness of Literature
Also known as non-intuitiveness, it means that literature cannot directly simulate and present the objects, sounds, actions, etc. of the real world like other arts such as painting, dance, drama, etc. It must be imagined and associated in the mind through language symbols, thereby indirectly presenting it.
Compared with other arts, the expression of language is obviously non-intuitive. In the process of creation and acceptance, people can feel these images through their inner senses to form corresponding psychological representations and emotional experiences.
The indirectness of literary language in expressing images makes literary and artistic images more uncertain (for example, even if you have read the solitary smoke in the desert and the sun setting over the long river in Wang Wei's "Shi to the Fortress", you have never seen the lonely solitary in the desert with your own eyes. It is difficult for Yan to imagine the description in the poem so concretely)
Of course, the indirectness of literary images can also give readers wings to indulge their imagination, leaving room for free creation.
2. Spirituality of Literature
The spirituality of literature refers to the characteristic of literature that conveys the richness and profundity of the human spirit through language symbols. Engels believed that "language is the direct reality of thought." This feature brings a spiritual profundity to literature that is unmatched by other arts.
Hegel believed that while literature had partially lost its perceptual intuition, it was closer to the human mind and spiritual world and used language, the freest means of expression, to present the depth and richness of the spirit.
The spirituality of literature is fully reflected in the psychological description of literary works. The spirit of realist literature is not only reflected in the depiction of the living social environment, but also in the ability to highly vividly display the richness and subtlety of the characters' spiritual world.
3. The implication of literature
It refers to the characteristic of literature that expresses profound meaning implicitly in the use of artistic language symbols.
The creation of ancient Chinese literary theory attaches great importance to the implicit nature of literature. Liu Xie's "Wen Xin Diao Long" calls this characteristic of literature "hidden" and believes that excellent literary works have infinite charm and rich meaning. Su Shi's "Inscribed on the Wall of the Western Forest" "I don't know the true face of Mount Lu, but I just know that I am in this mountain." One side writes about Mount Lu, and the other side is a philosophical theory. It is difficult to see the truth of things without stepping out of one's own circle. Another layer of praise is actually to praise the monks for being able to jump out of the mortal world and see through the true face of the world of life.
Thinking questions
How does Marxist literary theory define the nature of literature?
What are the main characteristics of literature as a social ideology?
In what aspects are the aesthetic attributes of literature specifically manifested?
What are the characteristics of literature as a language art?
Discuss your understanding of the nature of literature with specific examples.
Opening words:
The nature of literature refers to the inherent characteristics of literature itself that are different from other arts and humanities.
Literature is a historical phenomenon, and human understanding of the nature of literature has been developing and changing.
Marxist literary theory is based on historical materialism, integrates ancient and modern Chinese and foreign research results, and profoundly reveals the basic nature of literature from the aspects of social ideology, aesthetics and language.