Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.2, 2023

The “Young Germany” Origins of Engels’ Critique of “Tendentious Literature”

(Abstract)

Chang Peijie

Engels’ critique of “tendentious literature” in his late years had a profound impact. His thinking on the relationship between the political tendencies and truth of literature and art, and especially his emphasis on literary specificity, can be traced back to his literary practice during his “Young Germany” period, in particular to his in-depth discussion of the concept of “modern style.” In his critical activity, the young Engels in fact used the “modern style” as an “ideal style” to examine and criticize the literary and art production of his time. This idea was transformed in Engels’ subsequent critical practice into a push for “Shakespeareanisation” and a critique of the “Schillerian” in literary style.