Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.1, 2021

Literary Debates and “Interpreting Texts in Converse Ways to Know Comprehensively”

(Abstract)

Yuan Jixi

Chinese literary criticism originated from the period of the Hundred Schools of Thought in the pre-Qin period, and philosophers of these schools set the example of criticism and counter-criticism. Classical Chinese literary criticism was good at constructing theories from the dimension of complementarity, conforming to the idea of “interpreting in converse ways to know comprehensively.” Critics often explored complex literary issues through repeated debates to reach a relatively consistent view and deepen their understanding of these issues. The wisdom and methodology of complementarity and interpreting texts in converse ways drove literary innovation and conceptual change, becoming a traditional resource that should be drawn upon when carrying out literary criticism nowadays. Many examples in the history of criticism show that through criticism and counter-criticism, we can gain a relatively correct understanding and explore the interior laws of literary creation and criticism, which is not only a historical experience worthy of attention, but also highly enlightening for the development of literary criticism today.