The Cultivation of the Mind and the Light of Wisdom in British Literature

Foreign Literature Studies ›› 2018, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (4): 35-46.

The Cultivation of the Mind and the Light of Wisdom in British Literature

Xu Xiaodong, Chen Lizhen

Online:2018-08-25 Published:2022-05-23
About author:Xu Xiaodong, Ph. D. in Literature, is Professor at School of Foreign Languages, Hangzhou Normal University (Hangzhou 311121, China). His current research interests include early modern English literature. Email: xxd775@163.com; Chen Lizhen, Ph. D. in Literature, is Professor at School of Foreign Languages, Hangzhou Normal University (Hangzhou 311121, China). His current research interests include ethical literary criticism, study of fiction and narrative theory. Email: chenleezhen@163.com
Supported by:
“English Literature in the Midst of Changes in the Idea of Culture” (12&ZD172), sponsored by National Social Science Fund of China; sponsored by the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, State Education Ministry（10407815001）

Abstract

Abstract: The power of literature lies in the cultivation of the mind and memory. Etymologically, the word mind is derived from gemynd (memory), which implies that mind is weak and feeble in nature. The cultivation of the moral power of the mind entails various means of intellectual training. In the Middle Ages, a great emphasis is laid on the significance of community life in the formation of character, and on the study of literature in the observation of the conduct. In the era of John Locke, the connotations of mind are extended including the faculties of apprehension and reason, or intellect. The implication of cultivation of the mind is shifted to the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom for the nourishment of the mind. That's how the cultivation of the mind becomes the basic connotation and the ultimate aim of culture. During the different stages of British society, the implication of the cultivation of mind varies. The emphasis on the worldly wisdom at the early stage is shifted to the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom in later period. Nevertheless, The combination of worldly wisdom, knowledge and spiritual wisdom makes up the whole meaning of the cultivation of mind.

Key words: mind, cultivation, wisdom, culture

Xu Xiaodong, Chen Lizhen. The Cultivation of the Mind and the Light of Wisdom in British Literature[J]. Foreign Literature Studies, 2018, 40(4): 35-46.

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