2007•Frontiers of Literary Studies in ChinaRequires access
Reflections on “literary awareness in Wei and Jin Dynasties”
Zhao Min-li
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Abstract
Literary awareness in the Wei and Jin Dynasties (Wei Chao 魏朝 CE 220–265; Jin Chao 晋朝 CE 265–420), as first proposed by Suzuki Torao, is not a “scientific” argument. From the relationships between “practicalism” and “literary awareness” as well as “individualism” and “lyric literature” in the Han (Han Chao 汉朝 BCE 206–CE 220) and Wei Dynasties, it can be seen that the fundamental drive of medieval literature was the social changes taking place during these dynasties, the emergence of the literati as a social stratum, and their attitude towards literature. The concept of “literary awareness in the Wei and Jin Dynasties” cannot describe the literary development in medieval China. As it misunderstands the essential characteristics in the development of Chinese literature, it should be discarded.