The Battle Position of the New Literature: From the Period of the Taiwan Cultural Association to the Post-Taiwan Cultural Association Period
The birth of the Taiwanese New Literature Movement almost coincided and unveiled with the establishment of the Taiwan Cultural Association in the 1920s as well as the surging sociopolitical movements. The New Literature Movement was both the medium for advocating the ideal of cultural enlightenment upheld by the Taiwan Cultural Association and a result of the New Cultural Movement. Literary pioneers such as Hsieh Chun-mu and Lai Ho were all important cadre members of the Taiwan Cultural Association. In the 1920s, the New Literature Movement was deemed as a link of socio-political movements that shouldered the responsibilities of awakening the public and reforming the society. Among various arts and cultural fields, including literature, fine art, music and drama, literature is probably the most flexible art form that could best work together with sociopolitical movements. Hsieh Chun-mu’s active embrace of the enlightenment of civilization, Lai Ho’s profound contemplation on colonial modernity and Taiwanese tradition, and Yang Kui’s left-wing practice that combined literary arts and social movements were refractions of the varied historical stages and missions throughout the development of the Taiwan Cultural Association.
After its left-right split, the Taiwan Cultural Association eventually disappeared and socio-political movements were entirely suppressed by the colonial government in the 1930s. Consequently, activists attempted to rally forces and find a stable foothold through literature to foster Taiwanese people’s cultural confidence. The establishment of the Taiwan Bungei Alliance in 1934 formed a united front of left- and rightwing literature and became the first time that writers in Taiwan established an island-wide connection. In the meantime, writers of pure literature from the Japanese-speaking generation also made a formal debut symbolized by the establishment of the Taiwan Geijutsu Kenkyukai [Taiwan Arts Research Society] in Tokyo in 1933 and further engaged in literary activities in Taiwan to create inter-island connections. In the post-Taiwan Cultural Association period, literary writers also engaged in frequent interdisciplinary exchange with artists in other fields. By merging the power of different art forms, they tried to build up a united front with literature and arts to further popularize literature and arts among the public as they set their minds to have the flower of Taiwanese arts bloom in the center stage of the world. (Chen Yun-yuan)
