Title

Lu Xun, Zhou Zuoren, and “Oldness”

Author

Liu Cheng-chung

Genre

Article

Pages

505-544

DOI

10.6503/THJCS.201909_49(3).0004

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese

Key words

May Fourth era, rejuvenation, the charms of oldness

Abstract

Although Lu Xun 魯迅 and Zhou Zuoren 周作人 have repeatedly given public discourses on “opposing the elders,” in reality, they are unable to completely break with “oldness” culture. What is more, they are afraid of the “evils of oldness” and fascinated by the “charms of oldness”; that is the difference between them and the “new youths.” Chinese culture has a profound tradition of respecting the aged and even aestheticizes and ideologizes “oldness.” However, in modern China, facing national crisis, intellectuals are filled with the desire for “rejuvenation.” While the Zhou brothers are participating in this trend, they can also transform traditional resources and separately construct ways of thinking about “oldness” to confront the youths. Finally, this paper explores the Zhou brothers’ development processes and internal contradictions and, in doing so, illuminates the spiritual world of the May Fourth era literati.