The
principal criticism of Chinese literature, i.e. the Chinese literature criticism in the main position of Chinese literature,
is a type of authoritative discourse in essence. It shows different forms——moral criticism,
political criticism and
humanistic criticism because of the differences in history, theoretical basic category and authoritative symbol. Moral criticism that existed during the period of pre Qin Dynasty to the Late Qing Dynasty is the authoritative discourse of ethics based on Confucianism, on kindness versus wickedness in category. Political criticism existed during the period of the New Culture Movement to the 1980's, in which the authoritative discourse of government decree based on Marxism, on revolution versus reaction and advance versus backwardness in category. Humanistic criticism, during the 1980's and 1990's, is the authoritative discourse of knowledge based on Quasi Marxism, on humanism and main body in category. Besides appreciation of beauty criticism that doesn't belong to the principal criticism, has been in the subordinate status all along, but has its own place in the whole structure of Chinese literary criticism.