History, Criticism, and Theory of Literary Forms: Restructuring the Disciplinary Framework of the Study of Traditional Chinese Literary Forms

Abstract

Scholars dedicated to establishing and developing the discipline of the study of traditional Chinese literary forms, such as Wu Chengxue, have achieved significant accomplishments regarding research objects, research scopes, research methods, and concept maps. However, within this emerging discipline, traditional Chinese literary form studies and establishing the academic framework are still under exploration, with substantial areas still awaiting further investigation and extension. Inspired by René Wellek’s division of literary studies into three realms: literary history, literary criticism, and literary theory, this article proposes an academic framework of traditional Chinese literary form study, which also encompasses three realms: literary form history, literary form criticism, and literary form theory. Based on a review of the research achievements in the discipline of the study of literary forms and the three sub-fields over the past two decades, this article analyzes the uniqueness of each sub-field and their influence on each other. Furthermore, this article validates the theoretical soundness and rationality of restructuring the academic framework of the study of traditional Chinese literary forms, citing the original and historical forms of these three sub-fields.

Keywords

discipline of the study of traditional Chinese literary forms / literary form history / literary form criticism / literary form theory / the study of literature / the study of traditional Chinese literary forms

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2024 Higher Education Press