“意图同实践总有距离” - 关于《子夜》批评问题的若干探析

Abstract

Critical balance is an expression used to explain the judgment or evaluation of a critic. However, this can be also used when the attitude of a critic toward objects is assessed. When we want to use this expression relating to a critical attitude of MaoDun, what we want this to mean is the critical balance between creation and criticism or between theory and practice. If it is put this way, some people would think that this expression has an intention to imply that the critical attitude of MaoDun is somewhat moderate and relaxed. However, we don't say the balance to obliquely refer that his criticism is moderate and relaxed. Rather, we want to emphasize his active attitude to understand the difference between creation and criticism or between theory and practice and seek a harmonized and balanced communication between them in the left-wing literary circle where the rift between those creation and criticism was deepening. In the end, no critic could approach criticism and critical mind for it more actively from a position of a writer than MaoDun among Chinese contemporary writers. This is, of course, greatly based on his unique literary career where he made debut as a novelist in the midst of actively working as a literary critic and then returned to the literary critic. Among his literary career, the 1930's, when his creation and criticism were concurrently carried out, can be said as a kind of exploration period for functional relation between the two.