China Social Science Review

No.1, 2021

“Literature/History/Philosophy” as a Methodology for Textual Analysis: Intentions and Frameworks

(Abstract)

Jing Huaibin and Zhang Shanruo

As a symbolic expression of such achievements of civilization as human cognition, thought and emotion, texts contain intellectual, value and emotional mechanisms; this is the fundamental basis for their longevity. The traditional Chinese way of thinking about literature, history and philosophy can provide unique methodological support for revealing the meaningful functioning of textual concepts, intellectual structures, ways of thinking and emotional mood, and this is especially true of classical texts. Here, “literature” refers to the semantics of the text and its expression, including textual context, lexical and semantic meanings, and discourse; “history” refers to the conceptual and intellectual resources of the historical dimension of the text, including historical consciousness, the historical context made up of “time, place, and people,” and historical events; “philosophy” refers to the cognitive characteristics of the text, including its field of vision and its cognitive style. The ultimate goal of this threefold methodology is the construction of meaningproducing mechanisms including the text’s thought and concepts and their realization through theorization. This demands the possession of abstract research skills on the part of researchers, and implies that the main factors in their content and their choice of dimensions can be differentiated according to individual research needs.