Abstract:

The modern interpretation of Journey to the West is closely related to the establishment of the article view in the May Fourth Period. The exploration of human nature in Journey to the West by the May Fourth scholars has shifted the interpretation of the novel from the focus on “conveying morality” to “emphasis on emotions”. However, the approach of absolutely interpreting Journey to the West through modern concepts of human nature and emotions will become a new form of “conveying morality” appropriate for the ideas of the May Fourth Movement. In addition, the May Fourth scholars used the term “earthworm-like structure” to deny the structural significance of Journey to the West. This is to prune Chinese literature by Western standards, ignoring the novel’s unique Chinese thinking mode and the aesthetic taste according to traditional literary theory. At the same time, the May Fourth scholars used works like Journey to the West to seek historical basis for the May Fourth vernacular literature, but did not allow ancient vernacular works to become a direct model for the new literature, making the May Fourth vernacular literature related to but different from ancient Chinese vernacular literature. The modern interpretation of Journey to the West shows that under the pressure of the May Fourth view of vernacular literature that highlighted human emotions, the classical views of “conveying morality” and “vital energy in the article” and the “ancient vernacular tradition” were either overshadowed or recreated.

Key words: Journey to the West, article view, emphasis on emotions, earthworm-like structure, vernacular