The Limitation, Challenge, and Ideal of the History of Literature: with the Discussion of the “Literary History of the Republic” as Academic Area of Growth        Jia Zhenyong

   The trend of “rewriting the history of literature” waves again in recent years. There have been rich experiences gained in the writing of literary history in China, but at the same time, the academia is faced with some insurmountable bottlenecks. The academic obstacles and discussions on many hot issues, such as the phenomenon of “linguistic trap” in Western theories, and the influence of national education and ideology, not only reflect the chaos and disorder in the “rewriting” acts, but also contain the possibility or feasibility of innovation. The “literary history of the Republic” is an open and inclusive platform with high academic value, where the justice principle of respecting the authenticity of literary history, the multidimensional value systems, and historical development would be highlighted. In contemporary literary studies and compilation of literary history, there exist the problems of deviating from the literary study itself, too refined internal division within the discipline, reduction in artistic and aesthetic mission, and weak sense of academic ethics. Only if we return to the origin of “literature”, and coordinating kinds of research functions around discovering, choosing, and judging excellent works, the academic mission of “confirming the mind, and inheriting the immortal” could likely be realized.