中国作家协会主管

辨优劣·鉴精粗·存经典

——文艺批评的价值

回到批评的初心和常识

全媒体时代，文艺创作的观念、形式和载体发生了变革，但是文艺批评的价值并未改变，仍旧是推优贬劣、去粗存精、鉴定经典、史化作品。

文艺批评要回到常识，回到原点，回到初心，回到根本。文艺批评直面作家艺术家和读者两大受众，而其面对的核心应该是作品文本，是从文本出发的批评。“批评”的内在含义包括了批阅、批注、批驳、批判、点评、评说、评论，既有评判论述之义，也有反驳贬斥之义，褒优贬劣，激浊扬清。文艺批评的关键在于建立一个科学、客观、公正的批评标准体系，用一把可靠的尺子或准绳去权衡作品。批评的核心环节和要务在于筛选出好作品。无论是文艺评论，还是各种评选与评奖，其根本旨归皆在于遴选出优秀作品。文艺批评的基本准则在于“说真话、讲道理”，有一说一，有二说二；有好说好，有坏说坏。

批评是一种选择。选择的结果一是推介给读者观众，引导阅读欣赏风尚，提升受众文艺艺术素质。一是面向作家，引领创作思潮与趋向。一是对优秀作品进行经典化、历史化，使之进入文艺史、艺术史、文化史。文艺批评的力量包括其本身所具备的思想穿透力和艺术感染力，也包括对文艺创作的反作用力和推动力，还包括对读者阅读鉴赏的引导力和影响力。真正的文艺批评者由于其对文艺创作规律的准确把握，对思想哲学、艺术审美层面的深入开掘，对目标读者的极大关注，对艺术特色的执著追求，因此往往能站在更高的位置，取更为开阔的视野，抱更为宽宏的胸怀，对自己的批评对象进行审视、研究、剖析和评判，犹如一位医术高明的医师，手握解剖刀或手术刀，对自己的解剖对象或患者进行认真准确科学的剖析或手术治疗，不仅能揭示病理病变，指明疾患，更能疗疾治病，使患者躯体更为健康、更趋完美。这样的文艺批评对被批评者和广大受众都是有益有用有利的，对文艺创作的发展则是不可或缺的。

体验式品尝与挑剔式辨析

回到文艺批评的初心和常识，建设批评标准体系，需要重申有效的、及物中的的批评。

首先须高度强调批评的主体性。批评是一种独立的文艺创作和文艺实践，批评者是文艺生产者的组成力量，他可以而且应该独立于文艺创作及文艺原创者而存在，是文艺创造的重要主体。文艺批评与文艺创作是相辅相成、互补互促的关系，而决不是依存与被依存、主体与客体的关系。由此，须更加明确文艺批评的职责与担当。文艺批评的重要性、独特性需要重申，其无可取代的地位和作用需要得到尊重和重视。

其次，须注重批评者能力的提高。优秀的文艺批评者首先必须是高明的文艺鉴赏者。批评者作为文艺批评的创作主体，需要掌握批评的工具、手段和技巧，需要具备艺术审美力、鉴赏力和比较评判力。这就要求批评者自身要有充足的文艺美学和思想理论准备，需要具备较高的艺术素养和文化素养，建构起自己的艺术评价体系，掌握丰富的艺术判断经验，能够在众多文艺作品的比较权衡中作出准确的估价和评判。

三是，须大力张扬及物的、中的的批评。文艺批评要确立自己的读者对象，区分不同的受众，批评者心中要想着自己的阅读接受者即潜在的读者，力图使自己的批评能触及批评对象的核心或要害，站高望远，切中肯綮。这方面，批评者的艺术经验或创作实践经验显得不仅有必要而且重要。文艺史上那些入木三分的批评，其作者大多自身也是重要的文艺创作者。而批评者深厚的哲学、思想、历史、文化等方面的修炼与能力也是必要的。

四是，须充分肯定批评文本的独立性与自足性。文艺批评具备自己独特的思想魅力和艺术品格，是一种有独特价值和意义的艺术创造。从广义上看，文艺批评也是一种文艺创作，它必然需要遵循文艺创作的基本规律，具备文艺创作的基本特征。文艺批评同样需要发挥批评者的想象力及创造力，具备鲜明的个性化的语言风格，讲究叙事技巧，文风活泼、生动、可读而不能刻板僵化、面目可憎。文艺批评同样具备教育、审美和娱乐功能，要带给人思想的深刻启迪和艺术的审美愉悦。要鼓励多种多样、千姿百态的批评形式和风格、流派，以满足不同受众多方面、多层次、多样化的精神文化消费需求。

五是，须构筑良好的文艺氛围和批评生态。亦即要发扬艺术民主和学术民主，落实百花竞放、百家争鸣方针。既要确立批评的标准、边界、底线和红线——如批评应该止于思想艺术范畴而不应展开人身攻击，更要保障批评者的权利，保护批评者的积极性和创造力。同时也要保护被批评者的权利，允许其进行反批评，培养被批评者面对批评的平和心态，敬重批评者，乐于接受善意的批评，推动创作和批评、批评和读者、批评和作者形成多向或双向互动，从而造就一种宽松、包容、民主、平等、对话的良性的批评生态。

六是，须借鉴吸纳古今中外优秀批评的经验。要向思想大师、批评大家学习，学习他们直面现实和批评对象的勇气与胆魄，学习他们高深的艺术造诣和思想水平，学习他们客观严谨、求实说理的批评态度，学习他们博览群书海纳百川的胸襟和勇于创造敢于创造的激情热情。

有鉴于此，我特别推重全身浸入式的、体验感受式的文本阅读评析。首先要沉浸其中，融入文本。其次又要跳出其外，给文本找刺找毛病。批评是一把尖刀和利器，要发挥其“剜烂苹果”的功能，挑问题，指不足。沿着阅读——研究——评判——分析的步骤和过程，对文本进行细读、辨析和解读，达致一种有价值的批评，一种独立自足的、及物的、有指向的批评，真正发挥文艺批评的力量。

Distinguishing Good from Bad, Differentiating the Sophisticated from the Shallow, Identifying Masterpieces from a Multitude of Works---The Value of Literary and Art Criticism

Li Chaoquan

Returning to the Initial Intention and Common Sense of Art Criticism

The concepts, forms and mediums of literary and art creation have all changed in the omnimedia era, but the fundamental role of literary and art criticism remains the same— to distinguish good from bad, differentiate the sophisticated from the shallow, identify masterpieces from a multitude of works, and keep the classics classic. 

Literary and art criticism needs to rediscover its common sense and return to the initial and essential intention from which it sprang. In practice, literary and art criticism must face both artists and readers directly, with textual analysis of literature and arts as a foothold. The word “criticism” herein includes connotations of “review, annotation, refutation, judgement, comment and analysis.” Therefore, literary and art criticism means not only judgement and comment, but also critique and repudiation. Its aim is to discover masterpieces through praising good works and criticizing bad ones. The key of art criticism is to build a rational, objective and fair appraisal system as a reliable means to measure literary and art works. Its essential intention and purpose is to identify good works. Essentially, literary and art criticism, as well as all kinds of competitions and awards events, aim at selecting masterpieces. Literary and art criticism should follow the fundamental principles of “telling the truth and reasoning things out” and never lie or distort facts. 

Literary and art criticism, of course, represents a choice by a critic. In this way, critics recommend excellent works to readers and audiences, guide literary and art trends, and help to enhance the public’s taste for literature and arts. On the one hand, literary and art criticism guide the ideological trends of literary and art creation, and on the other hand, helps excellent works become classics etched into the history of literature, art and culture. The power of literary and art criticism lies in its depth of thought and its artistic appeal, as well as its driving and reaction forces for literary and art creation and its guidance and influence on readers and audiences. A qualified critic should accurately grasp the laws concerning literary and art creation, obtain insight into the philosophic and aesthetical connotations of literary and art works, pay close attention to the needs of target readers, and persistently explore the unique characteristics of different artworks. Only by doing so, he or she can examine, research, analyze and comment on the subjects of criticism from a higher standpoint and with a broader vision and mind—just like an experienced surgeon, who performs a dissection or an operation with a scalpel in an accurate, scientific manner; so that  he or she may not only position pathological changes and treat the diseases, but also  help the patient restore health. Literary and art criticism like this will benefit both the criticized authors or artists and audiences, which is conducive to the development of literary and art creation. 

Experience-based Tasting and Fastidious Analysis

Returning to the initial intention and common sense of literary and art criticism and building relevant criticism standards require reiterations of effective, honest criticism. 

First, the independence of literary and art criticism needs to be highly emphasized. Criticism is an independent kind of literary and art creation and practice. Critics are integral parts of literary and art production. As important participants in literary and art practice, critics exist independently from literary and art creation and practitioners. Literary and art criticism and creation should complement each other, rather than having a subject-object relationship in which one depends on the other. In addition, the duties and responsibilities of literary and art criticism should be further clarified. Besides reiterating the importance and uniqueness of literary and art criticism, we need also to respect and value its irreplaceable role and position. 

Second, the capacity of critics needs to be enhanced. An excellent critic, first of all, must be an expert in literary and art appreciation. As practitioners of literary and art criticism, critics need to master tools, means and skills regarding criticism and obtain the capacity of art aesthetics, appreciation, comparison and criticism. This requires that critics must make sufficient aesthetic and ideological preparations in terms of literature and arts, achieve high artistic and cultural accomplishments, build their own art assessment systems, and have rich experience in art appraisal, so that they can make accurate assessments and judgement when comparing a great deal of literary and art works. 

Third, object-oriented and targeted criticism should be promoted. Literary and art criticism should clearly distinguish its target readers, providing different content to different kinds of readers. Critics must always keep in mind their potential readers and try their utmost to ensure their criticism hits the core or key points of the objects they criticize from a high standpoint. To this end, it is necessary and important for critics to have some experience in art appreciation and creation. Throughout the history of literary and art criticism, critics who were able to give conductive, in-depth criticisms were mostly great writers or artists themselves. Therefore, it is necessary for critics to obtain profound knowledge and great capacity in fields like philosophy, ideology, history, and culture. 

Fourth, the individualism and self-sufficiency of critics’ writing must be fully recognized. As a creation process with unique value and significance, literary and art criticism should has its own ideological appeal and artistic quality. From a broad perspective, such criticism is a kind of literary and art creation, so it must abide by the fundamental laws of literary and art creation and will definitely have the basic characteristics of literary and art creation. Critics need to give full play to their imagination and creativity, and their criticisms should feature distinctive, individualized language style and pay attention to writing skills, so that the critical analyses they write will be lively and readable, rather than something dull and uninteresting. Literary and art criticism should also integrate functions such as education, aesthetics, and entertainment, which is supposed to give readers both inspiration and pleasure. Thus, various forms and genres of criticism should be encouraged to cater to the multifaceted, multilevel and diverse spiritual and cultural needs of different audiences. 

Fifth, a pleasant literary and artistic atmosphere and sound criticism ecology should be created. That means literary and art criticism should uphold artistic and academic democracy and implement the principle of “allowing all flowers to bloom and all schools of thought to contend with each other.” On the one hand, the standards, boundary, bottom line and “red line” of criticism should be determined. For instance, criticism should be confined to ideological and academic analysis, instead of personal defamation. While on the other hand, the rights of critics should be protected, so as to avoid undermining their enthusiasm and creativity. Meanwhile, the legitimate rights of those whose works are criticized should also be protected, and they should be allowed to counter the criticism they receive. Of course, writers and artists should remain calm and relaxed  in the face of criticism, show respect for critics, and be willing to accept goodwill criticism, thus promoting a platform for  communication between literary and art creation and criticism, critics and readers, and critics and authors and creating a sound criticism ecology that features flexibility, inclusiveness, democracy, equality, and dialogue. 

Sixth, the experiences of excellent critics of all time from around the world should be learned. Today’s critics should learn from renowned philosophers and critical masters, including not only their courage and boldness to directly face the realities and subjects of criticism, but also their profound artistic and ideological accomplishments, their subjective, rigid and reasonable approach, and their broad-mindedness, creativity, bravery and passion. 

Because of the aforementioned, I particularly advocate textual reading and analysis based on immersive, personal experience. Critics must, first of all, immerse themselves into textual reading, but at the same time they should keep a clear mind to pick holes through textual analysis. Criticism is like a sharp knife used to cut off “the rotten parts of an apple” because it aims to find problems and deficiencies. Following the steps from reading, research, appraisal to analysis, critics carefully read, analyze, and interpret the text, and then give constructive criticism. Only independent, self-sufficient, object-oriented and targeted criticism can fully demonstrate the power of literary and art criticism.