Abstract: Two fundamental issues lie at the core of literary studies: “What is literature?” and “What is interpretation?” All literary theories aim to answer these questions in one way or another. Since the changes in literature as such and the shifts in critical perspectives are always related to the socio-cultural context of a particular historical period, events of various kinds become essential in the production of literary theory and literary criticism. In this light, revisiting literary criticism in light of “event” enables one to avoid viewing it as an isolated phenomenon but to observe its relationship with particular happenings in history, especially with regards to how “event” promotes and guides literary criticism. In the localization of Western critical theories in China, sufficient consideration of “event” also enlightens our understanding of literary reading and literary interpretation as produced against the particular social and cultural context.

Key words: event, literature, literary criticism, critical paradigms, production of literary theory