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7/26 Vickey
Period Style and Periodization by Tak-wai Wong
I.    The writing of a history of literature without periodization is unworkable.(46)
A.    In 60s’ problem: terminology, various conceptions about synchrony and diachrony of periodzation. (46)
B.    Different ideas about periodization
1.    Croce: “reject of literary history as a survey of culture epochs on its merely pedagogic and didactic junction”(46)
2.    Edward H. Carr: “not a fact, but a necessary hypothesis or tool of thought; see the “significant characteristics of the dominant style/style-complex and/or the prevalent world-view of their respective periods.(46)
3.    Henry Remak: A period scheme is only a scheme(47)
4.    Marxist Scholars: The denominators of a period should be established by criteria indicative of social or economic changes.(47)
5.    Mario Praz: A literary period should be established by purely literary criteria such as stylistic traditions or literary genres that have regulative value during the period. (47)
6.    Aldridge: Literary terms should not exclude recognition of the interplay of forces (social, political, religious) and complexity of life. (47)
7.    Another way: Period style(ex: Baroque, Rococo) a trend represents writers’ common preference for certain rhetorical devices, imagery patterns and syntactical structures to reflects the Zeitgeist, the historical and social dynamics of the period. (47)
8.    Wellek: see it as a dynamic regulative concept. (48)
9.    Gullen: see it as a representation of the process of historical time,
a.    Multiple-periodization: suggestive of relations with historical and social developments(Ex: Baroque period, see it as a blending of Baroque, classical and mannerist currents) (49)
b.    See it as a “symbolist period, literary history plus process in poetr, aesthetics, novel, coincident and…(49)
c.    A literary period should be a a “conjuncture.”(49)
10.    Frand Warnke: “No one literary style can give voice to the entire range of values accessible to a literature(49)
C.    The monolithic and pluralistic conception
1.    The monolithic conception: each period has only one style, based on a simplistic historicism; regards period style as the expression or mirror of the predominant Weltanschauung. (50)
2.    The pluralistic conception: Period style is a cluster of related styles. (Ex: The structuralist view: see it as a structure; it concerns the relational transformational and self-adjusting aspects of the structure. (50)
D.    Weissenberger: outlined another approach: 1. The Formal-Aesthetic 2. The Aesthetic 3. The Cultural-Sociological 4. The Literary-Sociological 5. The Psychological 6. The Existential 7. The Organological 8. The Statiscal.
II.    Period Style and Periodization in the west (53-54)
A.    Century or the name of the ruling monarch(Ex: Elizabethan , Victorian)
B.    Major literary figure (Ex: The age of Chaucer, Milton)
C.    Movement (Ex: Romanticism, Realism, Symbolism)
D.    Cultural phenomenon, or a prominent characteristic (Ex: Renaissance, the age of Enlightment)
E.    Linguistic stage (Ex: Old English, Middle English)
F.    For historians: a general and stationary pattern of periodization, either in terms of centuries, or historically established divisions(Ex: The Middle-Ages, the Renaissance, The Restoration, The Neo-Classical Period, The Period of Romanticism, The Victorian Age, The Modern Period).
III.    Period Style and Periodization in the east:
A.    Fu Ssu-nien 傅斯年:adopt the dynasty and the genre categories.
1.    The early ancient or the period of free literary development(文學自由發展期): From 商to 戰國(54)
a.    Poetry:國風、變雅
b.    The historian’s prose:戰國策
c.    The philosopher’s discourse:　老子、莊子、墨子、中庸
d.    The fu賦　literature
e.    The Ch’u tz’u　楚辭　
f.    The fold airs and ballads: 歌謠之文學
2.    The middle ancient or the evolution period of the P’ien-li style駢麗文體演進期: From 秦to 唐(55)
a.    Prose: 李斯
b.    Fu賦:　司馬相如
c.     Writings: 徐陵
3.    The late ancient or the period of the rise of new literary genres新文學代興期: From 唐to 明: 七言詩、詞、曲、傳奇(56)
a.    Literti: poetry(杜甫、白居易), prose（韓愈、柳宗元）and prose-poetry(散文七言詩，宋朝作家)
b.    Popular literature: Vernacular fiction 方言小說、詞、曲、雜劇
4.    The modern or the neo-classical period of literature 文學復古期:from 弘治to present(57)
a.    Fu refers as the “Chinese Renaissance, represents a “rebirth” of classical modes of expression
b.    Be couscous of “文必秦漢詩必盛唐”, observing the decorum found in writing of the past.
c.    No longer a period of literary innovations
d.    A divorce of literature from life (except for 曹雪芹、吳敬梓
B.    Lu K’an-ju陸侃如 and Feng Yuan-chun馮沅君’s triadic division, based on the general trend of change in poetry. (57)
1.    Ancient (1401 B.C.—A. D. 220)
2.    Medieval (220-907)
3.    Modern(907—1911)
C.    Lin Keng 林庚: The development of Chinese society does directly affect the internal rhythm of its literary evolution, so he divides the periods according to major socio-political events such as dynastic changes or large-scale rebellions which anticipate substantial social changes. (60)
1.    Ex: 安史之亂
2.    Critic: What Lin emphasis on suffers from a monolithic historical perspective as well as from a limited representation of the larger unity of the period.
D.    James Liu劉若愚: Divides according to the “natural growth and decay of the poetic genres and style. (61)
1.    Three successive phases: formative phase (c.618-710)—a phase of full maturity (c. 710-70)—a phase of sophistication (c. 770-900) [ Tang’s poetry]
2.    Three phases vs. Italian art(Quatrocento, Cinquecento, and Baroque periods)
Three phases vs. English literature( Early Renaissance, the Elizabethan, and the Baroque periods)
3.    However, he did not relate how he arrived at the chronological divisions.
E.    Su Hsueh-lin蘇雪林: Tang poetry should be divided as following: (62)
1.    First period ending before 天寶之亂  (c. 713-55)
2.    Second period from天寶之亂 to mid-Tang (c. 756-820)
3.    Third period from 長慶to 大中(c. 821-859)
4.    Fourth period from 咸通to Tien-yu
F.    John C. H. Wu吳經熊: parallels between the associations of the seasons and the expressions or moods of the periods(Ex: Tang); similar to Jean J.jusserand’s remarks on Elizabethan literature.  (63);
1.    Spring: tears without griefs; cosmically-minded
2.    Summer: poets were so angry at the phenomena of social injustice and the uncalled-for miseries of their fellow-beings that they have little time to weep for themselves; historically-minded
3.    Autumn: griefs were assuaged by copious tears; philosophically-minded
4.    Winter: griefs without tears; cosmetically-minded.
G.    Yu Kuo-en游國恩: divide into 6 periods with dialectic way(64)
1.    Departed from the traditional “dynasty-period” concept
2.    Its dialictics still rests too much on social factors, being dynasty labels.
H.    Lee Chen-tong 李辰冬: based on the particular consciousness of writers(ex: escapism and loyalism); however, the division is oversimplify and arbitrary. (65)
1.    Expressionist period: 阮籍to 李白
2.    Anomalist period:杜甫 to 文天祥
3.    Melic歌詠: before 屈原
4.    Classical: 屈原to 陶潛
5.    Colloquial: from 關漢卿 on
G.    The division of period in China(65)
1.    Dynasty (Hang, Tang)
2.    Major literary figure ( the age of 杜甫)
3.    The title of the reigning monarch(the age of 大曆)
4.    Literary genres(the golden age of poetry, the rise of Tz’u, the development of novel)
5.    Literary groups/movement( 公安派、古文運動)
IV.    Conclusion: the problem of periodization in Chinese literature lies in the area of terminology and in the lack of an actual scheme of literary periods that are built upon a compromise between chronology and the phases or “periodicity” of the literary process; as well as how to establish the period styles with reasonable objectivity and reliable validity.