On the Dichotomy of the Elegant and the Popular

BY | 03-28-2023

Social Sciences in China, 2022

Vol. 43, No. 4, 2022

 

On the Dichotomy of the Elegant and the Popular

 

Nan Fan

 

AbstractThe theoretical dichotomy of the elegant (ya) and the popular or common (su) has a long history and many branches, provoking Babel-like confusion of tongues. Both have their own aesthetic origins, and each is interpreted in relation to sociological categories such as social class and social strata. No abstract and absolute definition of the two concepts exists. The yayue (formal ceremonial music) of ancient China is an important early example of the elegant or refined, whereas the popular usually prevails at the lower levels of mass society. In the course of history, the accumulation of professional knowledge, selected classics, avant gardeart for arts sake, and leisure class activities have often been considered elegant,while the experience of the masses, folk revelry, and the content of mass media have been considered popular. In modern literary history, the concepts of enlightenment and class were drawn into the dichotomy of the elegant and the popular in different ways. In Chinese culture in the second half of the twentieth century, this dichotomy began to be reorganized around the notions of art and commodity. The reconceptualization of elegance and popularity at each stage of history has often indicated a reconnection between aesthetic tastes and history. In this sense, the differentiation of elegance and popularity has always testified to cultures participation in history.

 

Keywords: elegance, popularity, dichotomy of elegance and popularity, masses, enlightenment, class, market