A TV series adapted from Lu Yao’s Ordinary World

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Since the 1980s, aesthetic value has been regarded as the primary standard for evaluating a literary work. This concept was greatly influenced by text-centered and  human-centered theoretical approaches. The literary criticism built upon these theoretical foundations concentrates on the texts themselves and their aesthetic value while overlooking other factors embodied in a literature, like the politics, market, morals and humanistic concerns.

Critics thought they could stay away from the secular world and maintain their objectivity under these theories. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that this view on literary criticism weakens the ability of literature to connect with society and results in an imbalance in literary works in terms of aesthetic value and social value. 

Text-centered criticism views the aesthetics, especially beauty in form, as the essence of a literary work, while ideological, social and historical elements in the text are derivatives. From this perspective, these derivatives are insignificant because a literary work is autonomous once it is produced and can fulfill its purposes by itself. Its value isn’t necessarily associated with the social environment, the times and the writer’s experience.

Therefore, this theory advocates appraising a text in terms of its language use, rhetoric, structure and other formal aspects rather than the writer’s personality, the work’s connotations or the social and historical background.

Text-centered theory, which places language, structure, and narrative mode above all else, greatly impacted China’s literary criticism and some researchers have even deemed it to be the main principle for literary criticism. In this way, some works that use exotic language, varied narrative forms and skilled structures were highly praised while those with plain language but distinct themes, deep thinking and figures well-described were regarded as outdated. And also this is why modernist and postmodernist literary works were complimented and realist ones belittled after the 1980s.

Human-centered criticism supports the practice of divorcing the human from society, thus a human being can achieve freedom and independence in the modern sense. Critics under this theory stress the significance of individual life and its primitive vitality, exploring the irrationality of a human being. They tend to ignore a person’s responsibility to the nation and society.

However, a human is a “natural person” and a “person belonging to certain groups.” One person can only manifest his significance of presence in interactions with groups, like a country or a society. In traditional Chinese aesthetics, aesthetic activity is not only a personal experience but also an act of cultural innovation in a social context. In addition to beauty and aesthetic value, it should also consider moral values.

Literary criticism should draw on the intellectual resources of other countries, but we should reflect on these theories and absorb them critically. If we take text-centered and human-centered criticism as the model, then the mind of critics will be fixed and their vision narrow. Then, some works with deep social and intellectual implications will be neglected. For example, Ordinary World by the late Chinese author Lu Yao (1949-92) enjoyed a big audience, but didn’t draw due attention from professional critics. Some literary works that focused on social reality or major political and historical events were underestimated or even ignored because of their so-called poor aesthetic or artistic quality.

 

Yan Qiuxia is a professor from Taiyuan Normal University.