On Suwenxue 俗文學 and Its Status under Different Literary Views

Abstract

The connotation of suwenxue 俗文學 has an inextricable relationship with a particular view of literature. Different views of literature have their respective prescribed values, which bring different understandings of suwenxue and different evaluations of its status in literary history. Rather than defining suwenxue based on its external features, this article examines it from three representative literary views: the Chinese traditional literary view, the literary view under the Tang-Song transition hypothesis, and Zheng Zhenduo's 鄭振鐸 (1898–1958) literary view. The Chinese traditional literary view centers on articulating Confucian emotions and conveying the Confucian Dao. Accordingly, suwenxue falls within the scope of unorthodox literature and has a lower literary status. The progressive historical view of the Tang-Song transition hypothesis—that suwenxue originated from poetry and prose— represents the direction of literary development and should be accorded high status. Finally, Zheng Zhenduo takes suwenxue as a literary discipline, a fresh and original view that expands the territory of Chinese literature.