Unpacking Průšek’s Conception of the “Lyrical”: a Tribute and Some Intercultural Reflections

Abstract

The essay was written in commemoration of Jaroslav Průšek (1906–1980) by his former student Leo Ou-fan Lee. The author offers a rereading of Průšek’s groundbreaking research on modern Chinese literature assessing his theoretical insights which have made profound impact on the discipline and have remained a constant source of inspiration for Chinese literature studies. It discusses the implications of Průšek’s two famous papers – one on individualism and subjectivism, the other on a “confrontation” between traditional Chinese literature and modern European literature – and re-examines their relevance to the study of modern Chinese literature today as cultural history.

Keywords

• Jaroslav Průšek
• Chinese literature
• modernity
• individualism and subjectivism
• lyricism
• methodology of literary studies