Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No. 2, 2025

Aesthetics and Philology: Two Approaches in the Study of Early 20th-Century Chinese Literature

(Abstract)

Chen Xuehu

In the early 20th century, Chinese literary studies followed different strategies and approaches, three of which took shape at the turn of the century, evolving both implicitly and explicitly and leaving a lasting influence. The most influential was the “l(fā)iterary history” approach, which emerged from late Qing educational reforms and was formally established in the early Republican period. It flourished in the decades following the May Fourth Movement, becoming the dominant framework for literary scholarship. Alongside this, two other approaches developed with significant impact. The “aesthetic” approach, represented by Wang Guowei’s literary research, emphasized subjectivity, aesthetic autonomy, and the independence of literature. The “philological” approach, championed by Zhang Taiyan’s classical literature and Lunheng (discussive weighing), focused on the study of language and texts, positioning literature as a means of communication between past and present. Due to the early disarray in the field and subsequent specialization, the philological approach has often been overlooked. A retrospective look at these paths in early modern literary studies offers valuable insights, encouraging a more integrated approach that bridges aesthetics, philology, and history, and enriches the study of literature from multiple cultural and methodological perspectives.