Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 10, 2024

The Fourfold Vision of the Criticism of Online Literature

(Abstract)

Qiao Huanjiang

Online literature is a multifaceted literary phenomenon that requires a multi-dimensional, holistic perspective. Addressing key issues in contemporary online literature criticism and considering the practices and development of online literary production, four perspectives can be further developed to enhance and shape its critique. The overall vision of Marxism serves as the fundamental approach to online literature criticism: historical materialism requires viewing online literature as a part of social production and reproduction, and dialectical materialism aids in understanding the specific realities and contradictory phenomena within online literature. The digital humanities perspective in the era of new media is essential for understanding the mechanisms of online literature production, where digital media technology has profoundly transformed the nature of literary activities. The media revolution, big data algorithms, and generative artificial intelligence continuously reshape the production patterns of online literature. The situational perspective of the online literature scene, allowing criticism to immerse in observation and touch upon the mechanisms of online literary activities, helps grasp the complexity of online literature production within the “holistic scenario.” The imaginative vision of “striving for a new civilization” helps to reposition online literature on the continuum of human literary activities and within the Chinese path to modernization, uncovering advanced literary productivity within it.