Basic Situations of Modern Consciousness in Chinese Literature During the First Half of 20~(th) Century

Modern Consciousness is the concept inviting various understandings or associations. Rooted in the western culture and literature, it is generally held as a consciousness which finds its kernel in the cultural trend and literary and artistic creation of modernism. As for the modern consciousness in Chinese literature, the relations between Chinese and western literature have to be discussed, but in this paper, the focus is neither on the relations between Chinese and western literature, nor the western influence on Chinese literature. The modern consciousness in Chinese literature is taken as a separate subject which was born in China and which is significant in Chinese history, though it is closely related to or even inspired by modern consciousness in the West.