The 2019 Youth Forum of Shanghai Foreign Literature Association was successfully held in Minhang Campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University on October 24. It was organized by Shanghai Foreign Literature Association and the School of Foreign Languages of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Over 60 experts and scholars from various universities in China (specifically Shanghai, Beijing and Changchun) and the United States presented in this forum. Centering around the theme of “Critical Awareness and Methodological Innovation in Foreign Literature Studies”, the participants had a thorough discussion about the cutting-edge theoretical debates within the realm of foreign literary studies.

Professor Shang Biwu from Shanghai Jiao Tong University presided over the opening ceremony. Ding Jian, Secretary of CPC SFL Committee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Professor Li Weiping, president of Shanghai Foreign Literature Association both delivered welcome speeches. Secretary Ding pointed out that the Youth Forum aimed at building a platform for young scholars to share and dialogue, which would help promote the study of foreign literature in China.

Professor Li Weiping pointed out that young scholars are the key in the development of universities and that the Youth Forum emphasized criticism and innovation which is extremely crucial to academic research. Later, Prof. Li raised ardent expectations for young scholars and wished the forum a complete success.

The first session of keynote speeches was hosted by Professor Wu You from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and commented on by Professor Yang Guojing from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

In his speech entitled “Does Milton’s God Play Dice with the Universe?”, Professor John Peter Rumrich from the University of Texas at Austin juxtaposed Albert Einstein’s and John Milton’s opinions towards determinism, which lead to their different ethical positions in certain circumstances. Through a close examination of Milton’s epics, Prof. Rumrich bridged the gap of the seemingly divergent positions between the two and further proposed their implicit resonance with each other.

Professor Li Weiping from Shanghai International Studies University, in his speech entitled “The Current Landscape of Domestic Literary Studies”, gave an overall review of the heated debates, dominant trends, and underlying problems within the domestic critical territory. Particularly, he draws attention to canons against the present backdrop boasting of studies on contemporary works.

In his speech concerning the issue of methodology in foreign literary studies, Professor Liu Jianjun from Shanghai Jiao Tong University highlighted that it is important for scholars to come up with a set of questions yet to be solved in their studies. With these questions in mind, they can embark upon a close reading in relation to important details and scenes in the text, the temporality and spatiality of the text, and its underlying philosophical ideas.

The second session of keynote speeches was hosted by Professor Zeng Guie from Shanghai University and commented on by Professor Yang Lijuan from Northeast Normal University.

Professor Geng Youzhuang from Renmin University of China delivered a speech entitled “Comparative Literature, Humanities and Western Philology”. He insightfully examined the relationship among philology, philosophy and rhetoric, emphasizing on the significance of philological studies for literary studies and cultural preservation.

Professor Yuan Xiaoyi from East China Normal University gave a speech entitled “Intellectual History, Society, and World Literature”. Prof. Yuan indicated that development of literature is not a linear process, but a kind of resistance to other fields that are gradually showing convergence.

In a speech entitled ‘The Road to the Fusion of Humanities and Science and Technology”, Professor Peng Qinglong from Shanghai Jiao Tong University pointed out the enormous challenges that scientific and technological progress poses to the society, and called on all scholars to work together in building a community with a shared future of humanities and science and technology.

The forum in the afternoon was divided into two sessions, hosted respectively by Professor Du Lanlan from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Professor Wang Weixin from Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, commented on by Professor Fan Jing from East China Normal University and Professor Wang Yingjun from University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. Young scholars gave speeches in turn and shared with others the latest achievements of their academic research in relaxing and pleasant atmosphere.

The speeches from the scholars focused on national literature and ethnic minority literature, forms of literature and interdisciplinary studies in literature and ethics or economics. Some scholars also paid attention to comparative literature, theory of literary criticism, Chinese literature and sinology. During the forum, participants not only exhibited broad academic vision and keen academic insight, but also demonstrated the spirit of the forum, which is “to share, to communicate and to promote”.

Professor Shang Biwu from Shanghai Jiao Tong University concluded the forum. Drawing on Kafka’s novel The Castle, Prof. Shang considered literary study as a process, in which scholars tried to enter “the castle”. He pointed out that the forum provided an excellent opportunity for all scholars to reexamine their own ways of entering “the castle”, while also created a healthy environment for the development of Shanghai academic community. In his opinion, literary study and literary criticism has become an indispensable part of our everyday life.