Abstract
The classical Chinese concept of literature takes written forms (Chinese characters) as a prerequisite, with the mastery of them as a fundamental requirement for composing essays. In ancient China, the legitimacy of ci-poetry, qu-poetry and analects as literary forms was strongly questioned due to their reliance on oral transmission. This distinguishes classical Chinese literature from modern Western literature, where creation precedes the written word. Furthermore, because classical Chinese literature was closely tied to practical daily use, literary styles were primarily classified based on their application scenarios. Thus, the success of an essay depended crucially on the appropriateness of the chosen literary style rather than on the ornate, lyrical, or impractical features advocated by modern scholars. Additionally, the Confucian tradition of “telling without creating” restricted creative power in ancient China to formal aspects. Unlike modern Western literature, which values original content creation, classical Chinese literature did not encourage it. This is a key reason why the novel, a major genre in Western literature, remained marginalized in ancient China. These fundamental differences from modern Western literature suggest that the literary self-awareness advocated by certain theories never truly emerged in ancient China. The so-called self-awareness in the Han and Wei dynasties is merely a modern scholarly projection influenced by Western literary frameworks.
Keywords
classical literature, essay, literary independence, literary self-awareness
First Page
71
Last Page
82
Recommended Citation
Cai, Zhili. 2025. "An Exploration of the Characteristics of the Classical Chinese Concepts of “Literature”." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 45, (1): pp.71-82. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol45/iss1/7
