Abstract: By reviewing Collected Criticisms of the Doctrine of "Literature as a Study of Man"(Vol.I) published by Shanghai Wenyi Chubanshe in April, 1959 and comparing it with the relative discourse in QIAN Gu-rong's essay "On ‘Literature as a Study of Man’", this thesis explores issues in three aspects:(1) Is literature aimed to describe society or people?(2) Which serves as the standard for us to examine literature, people and patriotism, or humanism?(3) What is the relationship between typical cases and their social classes in literary works? The discussion about these issues will help us date back to the historical context of literary and intellectual debates in 1950s, which are still of academic and realistic significance today.

Key words: a study of man, totality of reality, humanism, “for people”, a typical case, QIAN Gu-rong