The Text-Image Theory: Reflections on the Sign Crisis

In this era of “amusing ourselves to death” (Postman 2005), visual signs represented by images have completely subverted the position of literature, and this is not only a textual crisis but also representative of a deeper sign crisis: images are mutilating the ability of humans to think and imagine at an alarming rate. The book Text-Image Theory: Comparative Semiotic Studies on Chinese Traditional Literature and Arts begins by emphasising the topic’s academic validity, the logic of comparisons between literature (language) and images, and then analyzes it, justifying the topic’s legitimacy and expanding the theory’s basic foothold.

In the introduction, the author Zhao Xianzhang mentions the transition between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when the focus of literary theory shifted from “literature and society” to “literature and culture.” Zhao notes that this transition from primarily discussing ideology to primarily investigating textual meaning influenced the perspectives and methods of literary research. With the onset of the age of images in the twenty-first century, the link between various visual objects has gained a great deal of attention. The comparison of literature, text, language, and pictures is not an arbitrary or emotive choice but is directly tied to the context of the times, society, and philosophy, with a solid logical foundation.

At the same time, the author fully displays the materialism in the historical comparative study of literature and images, which is grounded in a theoretical basis. After clarifying the basic theoretical logic in the first chapter, the author moves on to Lessing’s 1760s study of “Laocoön” and historically sorts out the theory of the mutual imitation of language and image, as well as the symbolic nature and significance behind different forms. It is emphasised in this book that before discussing literature (a somewhat abstract and big idea), one must first analyze one of the main issues of literature, namely, “language,” to adequately discuss its graphical value: “‘Literature and language’ is the motif of literary theory in the 20th century, with the linguistic form of literature as its focus and springboard” (Xianzhang 2021, 12). In expounding on the importance of this research, the author also points out with remarkable clarity that our society is currently in a literary and even a symbolic crisis. We tend to entrench ourselves in popular culture and infinite cultural consumption as a result of the basic essence of “amusing [ourselves] to death” brought about by the abundance of images, which damages our language skills, literary thinking ability, and humanistic spirit. To repair the spiritual harm produced by this crisis, we must reconsider the importance of literature and the relationship between literature and images.

This book features an original theoretical construction, as well as a precise and particular demonstration of that theory in application. This book examines the specific connotations of text-image theory from language to text and from mutual imitation to communication. These disciplinary research methods are universally applicable and can be used as a reference for scholars interested in the literary theory in any country. Based on text-image theory, the author explores the specific examples of China in detail. The author’s text-to-image comparison studies are not only instances of theory in practice but also logical choices. Zhao believes that there was an underlying unity between Chinese painting theory and Chinese philosophical heritage. For example, the author holds that Shi Tao’s concept of “Yi-hua”¹ is rooted in Chinese intellectual heritage. In the ontology of Chinese philosophy, “Yi (One)” was viewed as “the beginning of being” and “the origin of mind” by traditions as wide-ranging as Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, and “Yi-hua” is naturally related to “finding one’s true self” (Xianzhang 2021, 169). This is not only a familiar literary phenomenon but also a significant promotion of Chinese classical literary works, demonstrating Chinese academia’s trust in the formation of literary theory and the subjectivity of Chinese literary discourse.

From a research standpoint, literary image theory is discussed in this book using scientific and logic-based methods; however, the author hopes not to combine academics with too many factors from the reality of marketing for fame and fortune but to adopt a tranquil attitude, free from distractions, to truly develop this new interdisciplinary approach. Although this is difficult to do, only by persistently pursuing this broad pattern will it be possible to fully engage in dialogue with the crises of literature and signs and to find new answers.

Notes

1 This concept encompasses the meaning of “stroke by stroke” in the creation of a painting, as well as the “first painting,” the “last painting” when the painting is about to be completed, and the “certain painting” in the process of painting.