The text briefly searches into the theory of classical Chi nese literary history by concentrating on Ye Xie's
work
On the Origir of Poetry , which has an abstract significance out of literary genres, for the reason that its inner part elaborates a series of questions and
conceptions closely concerning the "Reason". As to the views of literary historical development, Ye Xie deconstructs the value judgement attached to the conceptions of "orthodox"and "heterodox" literary historical development by the predecessors, and brings out the ideas of cyclical and phasic development of literary history with the notion of evolution. As far as the motive of literary historical development is concerned, he sticks to the autonomous viewpoint, accounting for the motive state of literary history and personal function therein by three groups of conceptions as follows: carrying on or creating, small change or great change, being stylistically unique or being original; he as well expresses a kind of heroic ideas of literary history with the conceptions centred by "quality and quantity" (" 品量") , by which his poeticsubjectivism (theory of authors' qualities) laid down and confirmed.