China and the West at the Crossroads: Essays on Comparative Literature and Culture (China Academic Library)

Beginning with a retrospective of the past century, this book offers a panoramic picture of Chinese comparative literature, from its nascence in the early 1920s, through its evolution in the 1980s, to the new development at the turn of the century, ending with a prospective look at the future of comparative literature in the 21st century. The articles presented here reveal the author's deep understandings of the literature and culture of her own country and those of other countries. A rich array of case studies and in-depth theorizing make it an extremely interesting and enlightening read. Prof. Daiyun Yue is a prominent professor at Peking University and a leading figure in Chinese comparative literature. She has served as Head of the Institute for Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies, PKU (1984--1998) and the third president of the Chinese Comparative Literature Association (1989--2014). Further, she is the founder of Dialogue Transculturel, a much-acclaimed journal of comparative literature. Prof. Yue approaches outstanding literature as a bridge to link people of different cultural traditions: "The reason why interdisciplinary literary research between two alien cultures is possible is because dialog between alien cultures, along with exchange and understanding, is more readily realized through literature." Herein lies the value of comparative literature Front Matter....Pages i-ix Front Matter....Pages 1-1 The Establishment of the Discipline and Its Champions: Chen Yinke—Qian Zhongshu—Zhu Guangqian—Zong Baihua....Pages 3-29 A New Beginning for China’s Comparative Literature: Qian Zhongshu’s Limited Views—The Establishment of the Chinese Comparative Literature Association....Pages 31-64 Enter the International Cultural Dialogue Pro-Actively with Uniqueness and Originality....Pages 65-74 Problems and the Current Development Status of Chinese Comparative Literature....Pages 75-80 Front Matter....Pages 81-86 History—Literature—Literary History: A Distinguished Meeting on Comparative Literature in the 1980s....Pages 87-92 Renovating Methodology: The Development of Hermeneutics and Comparative Literature....Pages 93-93 Linking Up with the Perspicacity of Foreign Climes: André Gide and His Chinese Doctoral Student, Zhang Ruoming....Pages 95-106 The Last Decadent in China: Shanghai’s Shao Xunmei....Pages 107-112 Nietzsche and Modern Chinese Literature....Pages 113-121 Front Matter....Pages 123-125 Using the Wisdom of the East to Resolve Cultural Conflict....Pages 127-139 Some Special Features of China’s Traditional Literary Criticism....Pages 141-144 “Harmony, Homogeneity” and Literary Research....Pages 145-151 The Mirror Metaphor in Chinese and Western Poetics....Pages 153-178 Lunar Appreciation and Legends Across Different Cultures....Pages 179-179 Front Matter....Pages 181-191 Looking at Yangtze River Culture Through the Legend of the Goddess of Mount Wu....Pages 193-199 Revenge and Memory....Pages 201-208 Front Matter....Pages 209-216 The International and National Nature of Comparative Literature....Pages 217-226 Poetics and Eurocentrism: In Memory of Yang Zhouhan....Pages 227-231 The Question of Discourse in the Dialog Between Chinese and Western Poetics....Pages 179-179 Cultural Difference and Cultural Misunderstanding....Pages 233-238 Misreadings in the Search for Commonality Between Chinese and Western Culture....Pages 239-241 “Death of a Discipline” and the Birth of a Discipline....Pages 243-245 Escaping the Trap of Modernity....Pages 247-247 Will “Sino-Centrism” Succeed “Eurocentrism”?....Pages 249-258 Comparative Literature in the Era of Globalization—The Chinese Perspective....Pages 259-264 Front Matter....Pages 265-273 The New Humanist Spirit of the Twenty-First Century....Pages 275-278 On the Third Phase of the Development of Comparative Literature....Pages 279-282 An Alternative Globalization on the Basis of Reflection and Negotiation....Pages 283-287 New Opportunities in Twenty-First Century Literary Research....Pages 289-291 New Humanism and Postmodernism....Pages 293-295 A Few Thoughts on Comparative Literature and World Literature....Pages 297-305 The Urgency and Difficulty of Cross-cultural Dialog....Pages 307-307 New Thoughts on Ecological Civilization....Pages 309-319 Front Matter....Pages 321-330 Looking into the Future....Pages 331-335 Back Matter....Pages 337-343 ....Pages 345-348