Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.1, 2025

Between Daily Life and Literary Poetry

(Abstract)

Ouyang Yuejiao

In recent years, the “popularization” of literature has changed from “speaking for the masses” to “the masses speaking for themselves.” Many non-professional writers, especially ordinary people at the bottom of the labor market have emerged, and they are good at poetry and non-fiction. This type of writing is an important representative of the current “new mass literature and art,” and can be classified as a contemporary echo of “literary popularization” in the context of literary history. Self-narration from the masses and non-professional writing as amateurs enable their creation to break through the boundaries between daily life and literary poetry, helping to ease the tense of digital life, and thus attracting a large audience. The writing and reading of these works point to an “empathetic subject” and a community of equality and friendship, reflecting the improvement of the cultural literacy of people and the prosperity of literary development in the new era.