Impact of Western and Chinese Literary Trends on Contemporary Interdisciplinary Research〔*〕

Wang Wei

(Department of Foreign Languages and Literature Tianjin University of Commerce,Boustead College,Tianjin 300384)



Impact of Western and Chinese Literary Trends on Contemporary Interdisciplinary Research〔*〕

Wang Wei

(Department of Foreign Languages and Literature Tianjin University of Commerce,Boustead College,Tianjin 300384)

The traditional Chinese philosophy and modern literary trends laid a significant influence on her Intertexuality Theory.Furthermore,by introducing Psycho-analysis Theory into her semeiology system,Kristeva established Semi-Analysis Theory exploring the motivation of significance production.Along with her deep research on Psycho-analysis Theory,she achieved her turning from linguistic study to psycho-analytical,inter-disciplinary study.Keristeva’s visit to China helped her study to expand from semeiology to feminism which was made unique in western culture with the introduction of psycho-analysis,traditional Chinese philosophy,Zhang Dongsun’s theory.Kristeva’s theories represent distinctive polymorphic and heterogeneous characteristics of post-modernism and the development of inter-discipline under the impact of western and Chinese literary trends.

eastern and western literary trends;the Intertexuality Theory;the Semi-Analysis Theory;psycho-analysis theory;feminism;inter-discipline;impact

Julia Kristeva was born in 1941 in Bulgaria,in 1966 moved to France.Combining her academic background in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union with her academic thoughts in Western Europe,she put forward the intertextuality theory which focuses on the mechanism of significance production.Subsequently,she began to pay attention to psycho-analysis and proposed semi-analysis theory of post-modernistic color on the basis of modified achievement of former linguists and the theory of intertextuality.The theories of intertextuality and semi-analysis show the transition from structuralism to poststructuralism,from modernism to postmodernism.This transformation breaks the structural,static,monotonous,closed semiological study,turning to dynamic,pluralistic,and open post-structural semiotics research which focuses on the pursuit of application,diversity and heterogeneity from the initial semiotic study of the basic,identity and general.Since then Julia Kristeva deepened the study of psychoanalysis and changed her study into psycho-analytic research from linguistic research.In addition to linguistic research,she also extends her theory to other areas: philosophy,religion,ecology,space research,etc.,and proposed a number of interdisciplinary concepts featuring humanism,irrationalism and globalization in the perceptual,experiential,and fragmentation tone.

Ⅰ.Western and Chinese literary trends

In the 19th and the 20th century,the western philosophy experienced the transition from ontology to epistemology and finally to linguistics.Ontology studies what is the existence,what is the nature of the world;while epistemology researches the relationship between thinking and the existence,the source of knowledge,ways,capabilities and limitations.〔1〕Yang Xiaohua holds the view in “The Evolution of Philosophical Origin of Linguistic Turning in Western Philosophy” that with the natural sciences,especially physics has achieved a revolutionary breakthrough and the dissolution of the three major themes of philosophy (God,material,soul).However,when the fate of philosophy is being challenged seriously,the development of logic has brought about a turning point and the dawn of philosophy.Logic reveals the laws of thought through the interrelationship of the forms of expression of thought,and the form of expression of thought is language.It is above this dimension that Wittgenstein says that “all philosophy is the language of criticism”(Wittgenstein 1962: 38).Thus,“linguistic turn” in Western philosophy can be achieved.Language is not only a research tool,thinking tool,but also should be the object of philosophers.Since the 1950s and 1960s,some scholars have begun to reflect on the inadequacies of philosophy,and have followed Wittgenstein’s theory of “language game”,“family similarity”,“usage of meaning”,“uncertainty of meaning”.Western philosophy has a fourth turn: postmodernism.〔2〕This is a series of contradictions of the old tradition,against the philosophy king,critical centralism and foundationalism,abandoning the absolute truth,advocating irrationality and so on.

Ⅱ.The impact of western literary trends on Kristeva’s theories

1.Kristeva’s Intertextuality Theory in the 1960s and 1970s

“Intertextuality” from a word-building point of view is divided into two parts: the prefix “inter” which means “between each other”,“mutual”,“mutual interchange,blending” and the root “text” which in Latin means the “knit”.To sum up,“intertextuality” can be understood as “the relationship between the texts”,or “intertextuality”,or “textual interoperability” and so on.Kristeva defines intertextuality as the interchangeability of symbolic systems,or the intertextuality of symbolic systems.〔3〕

(1)Semiotic and symbolic mode

The traditional linguistic theory holds that language is the basic characteristic of human beings.The difference between man and animal is that man is rational,so the subject of language must be the subject of rationality,and the subject determines language.In her study of language phenomena,Kristeva borrowed from psychoanalysis and put aside all the shackles of traditional linguistic studies.She put forward that there was a vast irrational region behind the rational subject.On the basis of Lacan’s distinction between the “imaginary” and the “symbolic” of the subject’s forming,two different modes of the symbols: “the semiotic” and “the symbolic” developed.

Lacan considered that the “imaginary” is not cognitive,which is the chaos,lost stage before the language existence.While Kristeva thinks that this stage can be recognized by traces,and this stage is “the semiotic” period;“the symbolic” is formed in the language of the subject,the language proclaims the stage of the formation of the subject,that is,“the symbolic” period.

“The semiotic” factors arise from the “subconscious of the subject of speech,” which is the expression language of the link between desires in the subconscious.It does not express the exact meaning,but has the characteristics of music.“The semiotic” factors in the language make the language become poetic,but also bring meaningless consequences.Conversely,“the symbolic” state is “the part of language that can be clearly perceived by human consciousness.”〔4〕As “the semiotic” state is on behalf of the subject’s desire,like a matrix,a foundation.When “the symbolic” state appears,the subject’s desire is limited and suppressed by external conventions and rules.The meaning of language is formed in the interaction of these two symbolic states.

The relationship between “the semiotic” state and “the symbolic” state is subtle (Margaroni 2005).From the point of view of time,“the semiotic” state appears before “the symbolic” state;from the spatial point of view,“the symbolic” exists in “the semiotic” factor;symbolically,“the semiotic” state is the initial state of symbolic meaning,in which meaning has not yet formed;while “the symbolic” state is the ultimate realization form of symbolic meaning,in which the meaning is clearly expressed at this stage.From the perspective of psychoanalysis,“the semiotic” is the study object of the pre-Oedipus period,while “the symbolic” state is the study object of the Oedipus period.The pre-Oedipus period was the period of maternal existence and dominance.The infant first expresses the body desire through various sounds to get mother’s attention in this stage,while the Oedipus period is the period of the existence and dominance of the father,when the baby’s subjectivity gradually formed and can accurately use the language to express their ideas,in return their ideas are bound by the statute.

(2)Genotext and phenotext

Heterogeneity of semi-analysis is divided into “the semiotic” state and “the symbolic” state from the level of the existence state of the symbol,and if from the textual level is embodied in genotext and phenotext.

Kristeva points out that the genotext represents the release of the non-systematic,pre-phenomenons instinctive impulses.Phenotext refers to a perceptible,analyzable,structurable description of signifying system.Both shares one important characteristic,which is genotext and phenotext,esp.genotext has a strong heterogeneity,but the genotext is generated within the phenotext,it is subject to social constraints on one hand,on the other hand continues to break through this constraint.〔5〕The release of its instinctive impulse is done within the signifying system.Phenotext lies on the surface of the text,while the genotext lies deeper.Phenotext is the specific form of the text we see every day,which is the symbolic state of the genotext.Genotext is formed under the premise of subject’s desire,due to the limitations of the external constraints,developing into the phenotext.Therefore,from the time point of view,the genotext appears earlier before phenotext;from the point of meaning,the genotext is the meaning source of the phenotext,which has productive meaning,while the phenotext has expressive meaning;from the subjective point of view,genotext’s subject is irrational,while the phenotext’s subject is rational.From the state of symbolic existence,the genoext is the expression form of “the semiotic” state,the manifestation of the desire;while the phenotext is the expression form of “the symbolic” state,the manifestation of the desire under the external constraints.Therefore,the genotext is the source of meaning,while the phenotext is the specific form of expression.The genotext is produced in the maternal age and the phenotext in the fatherhood.The transition from genotext to phenotext is the process of generating linguistic meanings.

The two important concepts of “the semiotic” and “the symbolic” put forward by Kristeva have multi-layer meaning.The former can be metaphorical form of the concepts: “maternity” ” pre-Oedipus domain” ”poetic language” from the perspective of religion,philosophy and linguistics.The latter can be used to describe the concepts of “patriarchy” and “Oedipus domain”.In addition,as the important part of analytic semiotics,“the subject -in-process” denies the stability and fragmentation of the subject and emphasizes the blending of the subject,that is,the combination of rationality and irrationality.This illuminates the way forward for the subject research involved in other fields.

2.Psycho-analytic research after 1980s

Since 1970s,Kristeva began to pay more attention to psycho-analytic research,and the focus shifted from linguistic research to psycho-analytic research.It has made great achievements in many aspects,such as psycho-analysis,feminism,society,politics and so on,based on intertextuality theory and semi-analysis theory.

In the aspect of psycho-analysis,Kristeva takes two terms of “semiotic state” and “symbolic state” as the breakthrough point to grasp the process of separation of the infant from the mother,the gradual formation of independent subject and abandonment of maternity and put forward a different view of drawing attention to maternal and loving traditions rather to the role of the father.

On the issue of women,Kristeva completely abandoned the physiological gender determinism and overthrew the dualism of male-centered and gender.She related the semiotic state to the characteristics of women or motherhood,and the symbolic state to the male characteristics.The semiotic state is the predecessor of the symbolic state,and the symbolic state plays a dual role of protection and subversion.〔6〕Thus she presented an important concept - the feminine trait - interpreted as a desire for maternity.

At the social level,Kristeva suggested her political views: focus on individuality,focus on differences,against the metaphysical structure.She valued the characteristics of each member of society,and rejected subordination of individual heterogeneity and characteristics to the overall society.Social heterogeneous individual should be the composition of diversity.

Ⅲ.The impact of Chinese literary trends on Kristeva’s theories

1.Zhang Dongsun and Kristeva’s intertexuality theory

The Chinese philosopher Zhang Dongsun laid a profound influence on Kristeva’s intertexuality theory.During the creating of intertexuality,Kristeva was greatly inspired by Zhang Dongsun’s paper “A Chinese Philosopher’s Theory of Knowledge” in which he held the view that “the western logic is the law of identity,while Chinese logic is the binary logistic regression;western logic is based on the law of identity and monotheism while Chinese logic is based on phenomenology which focuses on the interrelation of likeness of unlikeness rather than the subject behind the likeness”.〔7〕His view is helpful and significant for Kristeva to break loose from the constraint of western monotheism.Apart from that,Kristeva was also influenced by Zhang Dongsun’s idea that the dialog between Yin and Yang replaced “God”.〔8〕

2.The Chinese traditional philosophy with Kristeva’s female issue

The Confucianism advocated suppression of women in politics,which stimulated Kristeva’s criticism and therefore she began to pay attention to essays written by Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao about the female political rights and an article by Chairman Mao on women issue around 4th May Movement.

Kristeva regarded Taoism as the revolt of Confucius order,and thus believed in her book “About Chinese women” that “maternal worship can still be detected in the history of Taoism which opposed Confucianism and neutralized revolters against traditional order and peasant uprising”〔9〕

3.“About Chinese women” and Kristeva’s feminism

“About Chinese women” was written by Kristeva after her visiting to China 40 years ago.The book not only demonstrated the revolt of Chinese women against symbolic order,but also enlightened the turning of Kristeva’s scientific ideology evolution.Upon her visiting to China,Kristeva began to pay attention to feminism and her most themes of research since then derived from the book,for example “Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection” in 1982,“Tales of Love” in 1987,“Black Sun: Depression and Melancholia” in 1989.

Ⅳ.The conclusion

Under the impact of the western and Chinese literary trend,Julia Kristeva’s intertexuality theory derives the nutrition from Saussure’s theory of language,Lacan’s subjectivity theory and Rolan Barthe’s theory of two level system of signification and Chinese philosopher Zhang Dongsun’s “A Chinese Philosopher’s Theory of Knowledge”.On the basis of intertexuality theory and psycho-analysis,Kristeva established semi-analysis theory,and later she began her interdisciplinary research on many fields such as psycho-analysis,feminism which is also influenced by Chinese traditional philosophy and her book “About Chinese women”.

It is the western and Chinese literary trends that give Kristeva’s theories the distinctive polymorphic and heterogeneous characteristics of post-modernism and interdisciplinary colors,thus,inspire us to change the single knowledge model of the discipline,to look at problems from more than one perspective.

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About the author：Wang Wei (1981—),master of English Language and Literature,Lecturer at Department of Foreign Languages and Literature,Tianjin University of Commerce.

〔*〕This article is the philosophical social science planning project in Tianjin,“Julia Kristeva on the impact of contemporary interdisciplinary literary thought” stage result.Project Number: TJWW15-022.