On the afternoon of May 19, 2021, Mr.Li Chunqing, the distinguished professor and doctoral supervisor of the Faculty of Arts of South China Normal University, the vice president of Chinese Theoretical Society of Chinese and Foreign Literature, the vice president of Chinese Literature Theoretical Society, and the director of the Chinese Literary and Art Critics Association, gave a lecture entitled Talking about the Effectiveness of Literary Interpretation in the academic lecture hall on the third floor of the school library. This lecture was hosted by professor Li Jiansheng. Professor Zhan Furui who is the dean of School of Chinese Language and Literature, and some teachers attended the lecture.
As we all know, in the field of literary theory, "literary criticism", "literary theory", "literary research" and "literary interpretation" are a group of related but different categories. Professor Li started from the category of "literary interpretation" and launched a discussion on the issue of "validity of literary interpretation". He first defined "literary interpretation"，pointing out that the so-called "literary interpretation" is about the deep meaning contained in literary texts.
This theory is derived from the two models of literary research put forward by the famous American literary theorist Jonathan D.Culler：the poetic model and the hermeneutic model. Then, Professor Li discussed the necessity of literary interpretation. He pointed out that literature is no doubt aesthetic object but more than this, which often has deep cultural implications behind it. The purpose of literary interpretation is to explore the hidden meaning and relevance behind the text through the logical relationship on the surface.
Taking Water Margin as an example, Professor Li elaborated three levels of literary interpretation: First, the linear development of the text; Second, the text meaning shown in the interaction between the author and the reader; Third, the text meaning obtained by the interpreter to place the text in a larger field of vision. Finally, Professor Li proposed that public reason can be used as an evaluation standard of literary interpretation, but the excessive interpretation, invalid interpretation and forced interpretation are not desirable. Successful and effective literary interpretation should be able to expand the boundary between "common sense" and "knowledge".
During the Q&A session, students asked enthusiastically, "how to determine the standard of literary interpretation" once again became the focus of attention. Professor Li responded positively, saying that "the validity of literary interpretation is not equal to truth of that", and the truth dimension of public reason needs to be discussed. As for the object of interpretation, it should not be viewed with prejudice. The interpretation tool should be adapted to the interpretation object, and the interpreter should know its merits and demerits. These insights were warmly applauded by the students.
In the end, Professor Li Jiansheng spoke highly of Professor Li Chunqing's lecture. First, it has a broad vision and brings together ancient and modern literary theories and viewpoints from home and abroad. Second, it has a excellent reflection and can judge the validity and truth of an theory. Third, it can realize an theoretical dialogue which runs through history and holds a dialectical attitude. Professor Li Chunqing's lecture is profound and simple, which reflects Professor Li's long-term commitment to the deep thinking of literary theory research, and he presented a wonderful academic feast for students of BFSU.
