Balzac's vast project", "The Comedy of Man", is actually composed of ninety-one novels, including six categories: private life scenes, provincial life scenes, Paris life scenes, political life scenes, military life scenes, and rural life scenes, with as many as 2,400 characters appearing. Thus Engels said that Balzac, in The Comedy of Man, gives us a history of the excellence of realism in French society, especially in the Parisian high society.
China's "Human Comedy"
In fact, Chinese popular novels were still presented in front of the society of that time in the form of an encyclopedia during the Song Dynasty period when they were orally created. Luo Ye of the late Song Dynasty said in the "Novel Opening" of the "Drunken Man's Talk" that the Song Dynasty Washe artists "only rely on three inches of tongue, praise and disparage right and wrong; a little more than 10,000 words, talking about ancient and modern." It is said that there are millions of sets of packing, and the conversation head is often thousands of times. It is difficult to hide the secret hatred of the heavy door and the bottom of the boudoir. Distinguish the things of grass, trees, mountains and rivers, and divide the journey of the county and town of the prefecture. Talk about the abolition of the years, remember the heroes of the years. There are spirit monsters, smoke powder, legends, public cases, as well as simple knives, rods, magic tricks, and immortals. Nature makes the seat live, and does not teach the stars to sit in the middle of the arch." With three inches of uncorrupted tongue, they each created China's "human comedy".
The aesthetic effect of this secular literature is obviously a huge variation compared to the traditional poetry and song. The beauty of the art form here is inferior to the appreciation of the content of life, and the elegant taste gives way to the worldly reality: the relish of human sophistication, the admiration of glory and wealth, the widespread interest in the taoistization of the gods, the joy and pleasure of the life of the two sexes... Although there is no shortage of curiosity and shallowness of the city's fine people, although it is far less standardized and elegant than the art of scholars, as a new consciousness with vitality, their rise is a powerful intrusion and shake on the feudal ethics and orthodox Confucianism that have long dominated people's thoughts. They appeared like works such as "Ten Days talk" in the European Renaissance era, with a broad realistic future and great spiritual strength (see Li Zehou's "The Course of Beauty").
It is human nature to listen to stories. As early as the childhood of human beings, after hard work, people used talking to each other about stories as a panacea to drive away fatigue and boredom (Lu Xun regarded it as the origin of the novel); the general horned child, even when learning the language of teeth and teeth, took listening to stories such as "Wolf Grandma" as a natural pleasure (this is actually the first lesson of the philosophy of life). Novels generally have stories, plots, characters, and more ups and downs and even subtle emotional infestation. People who read novels, once they enter the book, are difficult to extricate themselves. If it is a good product, it will sink deeper and deeper, so that all thoughts will be silent, and it will be read in the dark; so that it cannot help but dance with your hands, or "shoot the case in surprise", or be intoxicated. This is the artistic appeal of the novel, which may be unmatched by other forms of writing.
The artistic charm of the novel is the divine power, that is, the magic power, and even the ghost power, so that it is incredible, and it is impossible to explore it, and often can only be understood and cannot be expressed. Gorky once recounted an interesting story of himself in his book TheSis Studies (People's Literature Publishing House, 1983 edition): I remember reading Flaubert's "A Simple Heart" on the day of Pentecost. At dusk, I sat on the roof of the utility room, and I climbed there to avoid the euphoria of the festivals. I was completely captivated by the novel, as if deaf and blind—the hustle and bustle of the spring festival before me, obscured by the most ordinary, undeserved village woman— a kitchen lady... There is an incredible magic hidden here. I'm not making it up, there have been several times when I've mechanically turned the pages like a savage
Looking at the light repeatedly, as if trying to find a way to guess the magic from between the lines.
At the end of the Song Dynasty, Luo Ye's "Drunken Man's Talk" wrote the artistic charm of Washe literature and art from the perspective of accepting the subject: saying that the national thief harbored adultery and obedience, and sent fools and other generations to be angry; saying that loyal subjects were wronged, and the iron heart also had to shed tears. Talking about ghosts and monsters makes Yu Shi's heart tremble; on grievances, send beautiful people green and miserable red sorrow. Saying that the head of the person is strong makes Yu Shi happy; the words are two rounds, so that the male husband is ambitious. Talk about Lü Xiang Qingyun's way, send talents to pay attention to the group of books; act in the frost forest day by day, teach hermits like beginners to learn the Tao. He made the cold door angry; he spoke negatively, and made the traitor ashamed. The lecture is not delayed, not bothered; the performance office has a scale and a clean-up. The cold place has to be counted, and the lively place is performed for a long time. Get words, read poems, speak words, make masonry. There is no falsehood in words, and the high priests are kind and praised; there is a flow of things, so that the talents are pleasant and amazed. Chinese novels full of artistic charm are not only good teachers for people to understand life and know themselves; they are also good friends who transform society and transform themselves.
Chinese novels not only construct people's cultural psychology, but also shape our national character. What Luo Ye said is not so much an aspect of the novel's appeal as it is a groove in the Chinese national character shaped by the novel. The beauty of wisdom and courage and masculinity is not only the concentrated embodiment of the national character and national spirit of our Chinese nation, but also the soul of the national characteristics of Chinese novels. In this spirit, Chinese novels praise and shape China's bones and backbones.