功用理论是一种文学批评理论,偏重于作品对接受者的影响,它以充分发挥作品的社会功能为目的,强调文艺对民众的教化作用.功用理论在中西文学批评史上首先体现在对诗歌的批评上,因为诗歌是人类最早的文学现象,故功用理论在中英诗学中表现极为突出.中英两国的功能诗学共同揭示了诗歌创作中的政治标准问题,在目的性上完全一致.但我们同时也应看到两者在文化根基及历史进程上的巨大差异.回顾一下人类文化发展的历史,便可发现,中西文化虽然千差万别,异态纷呈,但在其始发阶段,许多理论却有着惊人的相似之处,只是在以后的发展与衍变中,由于不同历史条件的制约,才逐渐演化成形态各异的文化系统.中英诗学中的功用理论的发端与变化也呈现出这种势态.中国诗学中的功能理论起始于春秋时期,其最早代表为儒家创始人孔子.孔子提出了著名的“兴,观,群,怨”说,指出诗歌的目的是:“迩之事父,远之事君”(《论语·阳货》).孔子的这一说法为儒家学者所继承与发展,他们指出“声音之道,与政通矣”(《礼记·乐记》),明确提出了诗歌要为统治阶级的政治服务.战国时期儒家代表荀子在孔子思想的基础上,着重研究了诗歌的教化作用与实 The theory of utility is a kind of theory of literary criticism, which emphasizes on the influence of works on the recipients, and aims to give full play to the social functions of the works, emphasizing the enlightenment function of literature and art on the people.The theory of utility is first reflected in the history of Chinese and Western literary criticism Criticism, because poetry is the earliest literary phenomenon of mankind, so the theory of function is very prominent in the Sino-British poetics.Functional poetics in China and Britain jointly revealed the political standards in poetry writing, which are exactly the same in purpose. However, we should also see the great differences between the two in the cultural foundation and in the historical process. Looking back at the history of the development of human culture, we can find that although the Chinese and Western cultures vary widely and have different states, during the initial stage of their development many theories However, there are striking similarities only in the later development and evolution, due to different historical conditions, gradually evolved into different forms of cultural systems.Chinese and English poetics in the theory of the origin and changes are also presented This kind of situation.Functional theory in Chinese poetics began in the Spring and Autumn Period, and its earliest representative was Confucius, the founder of Confucianism. Confucius put forward the famous “Xing, , ”Group“ and ”resentment“, pointing out that the purpose of poetry is: ”the matter of the Father, the matter of far“ (Confucian Analects) .The Confucian theory is inherited and developed by Confucian scholars who point out that ” And “Li Ji” (“Book of Rites and Music Records”) clearly put forward that poetry should serve the political class of the ruling class.Xunzi, a Confucian representative of the Warring States Period, focused on the role of enlightenment and practice of poetry on the basis of Confucianism