Abstract
Chen Duxiu's motive for writing "Towards a Literary Revolution" has been widely understood on the political level. This conception is based on its historical consequence and therefore controversial among scholars. To put the article into its original context, a solid correlation can be found between the debate on literary revolution and the slogan of "reforming national characters." Combined with the anti-Confucian revolution back then and the textual performance of the article, it can be argued that, for Chen Duxiu, the concern of ethics was more imperative than that of society or politics. In this view, to reconnect "Towards a Literary Revolution" with the practices of new literature and the concept of "literature of humanity" is conducive to reevaluate the article's significance to modern Chinese literature.
First Page
194
Last Page
203
Recommended Citation
Xu, Xu. 2019. "Political or Ethical: Chen Duxiu's Motive for Writing "Towards a Literary Revolution"." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 39, (4): pp.194-203. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol39/iss4/13
