Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.3, 2020

 

The “Fusion of Feeling and Setting” in the Theory of Imagery: Theoretical Complementarity Based on Formalism and Psychoanalysis

(Abstract)

 

Sun Tao

 

If “imagery” is to develop from a term of Chinese aesthetics to a general theoretical concept with extensive explanatory power, it needs to be able to respond to important issues of aesthetic theory. One of the key points is to provide a theoretical interpretation of the “fusion of feeling and setting”. The formalist approach represented by Susanne K. Langer focuses primarily on “setting” but contains certain defects, whereas the psychoanalytic approach of Donald W. Winnicott and his followers is good at “feelings” and tends to fuse with the former. The complementarity of the two approaches increases the interpretative capacity of the theory of imagery and expands the potential space of its future development.