Asian Journal of Social Studies
AJSS, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.101-113
Print ISSN: 3106-6836; Online ISSN: 3106-6844
Journal homepage: https://www.assjournal.com
DOI： Https://doi.org/10.64058/AJSS260112wpbpn
Wu Fengqi, Zhang Lianqiao
Abstract: Song Yeyu’s The Origins of Ego in Modern China and the Rise of the Early New Poetry transcends conventional genre-based approaches by centering “ego” as its primary analytical lens. Adopting idea of “cultural poetics”, the monograph focuses on the rise of early Chinese new poetry, situating it within the broad intellectual and historical framework of the May 4th Movement. It investigates the dialectical relationship between the emergence of early new poetry and the construction of the modern “ego,” thereby reconstructing both the ideological dispositions of May 4th intellectuals and the broader sociohistorical landscape of the era. In this work, the author operationalizes the notion of the “ego” through four interrelated dimensions: “ethic (nature),” “emotion,” “creation,” and “society”. The study culminates with an in-depth reading of Lu Xun’s Ye Cao, which serves not only as a thematic and structural conclusion but also as a powerful synecdoche for the inner world of May 4th intellectuals—marked by existential tension, profound melancholy, and an urgent commitment to social reform. Crucially, the book demonstrates how the evolving conception of the “ego” both catalyzed the rise and development of new poetry and, in turn, was continually reconfigured through the poetic process itself, giving rise to “ego”. This monograph not only offers a fresh, theoretically grounded perspective for studying early modern Chinese literature but also invites a critical re-examination and re-articulation of the May 4th Movement’s historical complexity and intellectual legacy.
Keywords: the Early New Poetry; ego; May 4th Movement
Author Biographies: Wu Fengqi, master’s Student in the School of Humanities, Guangzhou University. Research Direction: Comparative Literature and World Literature. Email address: 112367225@qq.com. Zhang Lianqiao, Professor in the School of Humanities, Guangzhou University. Research Areas: European and American Literature, Ethical Literary Criticism, Journal Evaluation, and Educational Evaluation. Email address: zhanglianqiao@qq.com.
题目：“作诗”与“做人”：从新视角论中国早期新诗——评《现代中国“自我”的起源和早期新诗的兴起》
摘要：宋夜雨的《现代中国“自我”的起源与早期新诗的兴起》打破单一的文类研究视角，以“自我”作为研究视角，采用了“文化政治”的诗学思路，聚焦于中国早期新诗的产生，并将早期新诗与“自我”放置于五四的宏观框架之下，探究早期新诗的产生与“自我”建构之间的辩证关系，勾勒出五四知识青年的思想状态和社会的历史图景。在该专著中，作者将“自我”落实到了“伦理（自然）”、“情感”、“创造”和社会的互动四个方面，并且以鲁迅的《野草》收束全书，最终呈现出了一幅在五四中知识青年内心的挣扎、苦闷又渴望投身社会改革的历史图景，“自我”的转换既催动新诗产生和发展，新诗不断生成新的抒情主体。该书不仅为我们提供新的研究视角，也让我们得以重新认识和梳理五四的历史面貌。
关键词：早期新诗；“自我”建构；五四
作者介绍：吴枫琪，广州大学人文学院硕士研究生，研究方向：比较文学与世界文学。电邮：112367225@qq.com。张连桥（通信作者），广州大学人文学院教授，研究方向：欧美文学与文学伦理学批评、期刊评价、教育评价研究。电邮：zhanglianqiao@qq.com
