01
The traditional pattern of literature and art has long been broken
Won the first place in the ratings of prime-time TV dramas; the average rating of CSM national network hit a new high for CCTV-1 TV dramas in the past three years; the popularity of iQiyi station exceeded 9,000... All indications show that as the opening drama of 2022, the TV series of the same name adapted by the novel "The World of Man", one of the works of the 10th Mao Dun Literature Award and author Liang Xiaosheng, has undoubtedly stood at the high point of the annual TV series.
With Zhou Bingkun, a commoner's disciple, as the main line and China's social development and the progress of the times as the scroll over the past few decades, "The World of Man" reveals the fission of the living conditions of different groups of people - the first generation of workers in New China, the zhiqing, the first batch of college students after the resumption of the college entrance examination, the party cadres who were "knocked down" and came back during the "Cultural Revolution"... The glimmer of the ups and downs of the fate of all people converged into a torrent of national times.
In the view of Yan Jingming, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, vice chairman of the Chinese Writers Association, and literary and art critic, the chances of Liang Xiaosheng's novels being adapted into TV dramas are very high. From "There Is a Blizzard Tonight" and "Annual Rings" in the 1980s and 1990s, to "Zhiqing" a few years ago, and then to today's "Human World", his novels have not only been tracked and concerned by film and television producers and creators, but also have always attracted heated discussion from the audience.
"His work has an appropriate sense of proportion in height and depth, not plague or fire, not hurried, clear but not stiff, vivid and not ethereal. The imprint of the times, the evolution of society, the fate of the characters, the thinking of human nature, and various elements are properly glued into one. Therefore, it is particularly easy to attract the attention of the film and television industry. Yan Jingming said that these elements match the artistic requirements of mainstream TV dramas, that is, real life + social change + trend of the times + personal destiny + philosophy of life + moral goodness.
Many viewers of "The World of Man" were first attracted by the TV series and turned around to buy books. In this regard, Yan Jingming's interpretation is that literature provides excellent resources for film and television, and film and television also polish the literary brand.
In recent years, many excellent literatures have been adapted into the fate of film and television dramas. For example, "Ordinary World", "White Deer Plain", "Loading Stage" and so on. The rise of science fiction literature and online literature has also provided excellent resources for film and television art, such as "Great Rivers and Great Rivers", "Wandering Earth", "Langya List", "The Biography of Zhen Huan", "The Biography of Mi Yue" and so on.
"It's also important to note that once a TV series is successful, the script can also be adapted into a novel." For example, Yan Jingming said, for example, at the beginning of 2021, the TV series "The Age of Awakening" written by Long Pingping was a huge success and became a phenomenon-level work, and by the end of the year, the long historical novel "The Age of Awakening" adapted from the script was officially published, from party history experts to famous screenwriters to novel rookies, Long Ping's gorgeous turn is also quite representative. "This novel is also worth reading, and the literary world should accept it with a broad mind."
He believes that today, science and technology and art, and communication have been highly integrated, the traditional pattern of literature and art has long been broken, pure literature, serious literature, mainstream literature, these concepts and their connotations how to understand, define, need to be reconsidered.
02
"Writing about the ups and downs of human destiny"
"The characteristics of the times are mainly reflected by the characteristics of human existence. If we want to write about the characteristics of the times to evolve, we must write more about the ups and downs of human destiny. Then, "The World" cannot be not a realist style. Recalling the creative path of "The World of Man", Liang Xiaosheng said so.
When he began to write "The World of Man", he already had a clear answer to the question he had been thinking about for many years—the meaning of literature—to write both "how people are in reality" and "what people should be in reality."
Here, realism is not a concept of creative method corresponding to Romanticism, but more of a spiritual pursuit of literary creation.
Liang Xiaosheng pays close attention to China's social development, thinks deeply and can always make his own unique voice. "There are three things in Liang Xiaosheng's novels--there is history, which is the contemporary history that contemporary people have experienced and still has in mind, and it is a reality that is closely related to today's life; there is life, which is a life that is wrapped up in the great trend of the times and can recognize social customs through the depiction of life; there is a personal destiny, and this personal destiny is a portrayal of people of a generation." Yan Jingming commented.
The fans of "The World of Man", in the human feelings displayed by the author, are like stepping into the river of time, reviewing history, observing the present, and looking forward to the future, which also refreshes the sense of existence of literature in the new era.
"The fact that literary works can go out of the circle at the moment has aroused widespread concern in society also shows that literature is valuable at any time." Liu Ning, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a researcher at the Institute of Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told reporters.
As a literary researcher, Liu Ning believes that literature is closely related to the times and society. Literature vividly reflects the experiences and emotions of people in social life. Its beat is in sync with the times, not behind the times. Literature uses emotions to impress people, to do ideological improvement on the basis of impressing, and to play a positive role in society.
"Classics that can withstand the test of time and history, the author has a deep understanding of the life of the times. These fine works have played a huge role in shaping the spiritual tradition of the Chinese nation. Liu Ning said, "In today's literature, Confucian concepts such as 'concurrent economy' and 'single benevolence' are very prominent, guiding people not only to live their own lives, but also to contribute to society." ”
03
It profoundly reflects the great historical changes of our time
During the two sessions in 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out when visiting members of the cultural and artistic circles and social science circles: "I hope that everyone will undertake the mission of recording the new era, writing the new era, and praising the new era, have the courage to answer the issues of the times, discover the themes of creation from the great creations of contemporary China, capture the inspiration of innovation, profoundly reflect the great historical changes of our times, depict the spiritual map of our times, paint a portrait of the times, establish a biography for the times, and be wise for the times." ”
As a member of the CPPCC National Committee in the social sciences, Liu Ning listened to the meeting at that time, which also stimulated her to think about the function of literature in the new era. "The new era requires high-quality development and innovation, and people's spiritual enrichment and enrichment are conducive to stimulating innovation, so the current humanistic value, including literature, provides a strong demand for the times."
"Now is not like the years when reform and opening up began, as long as the economy develops, everyone can eat enough, and live a little better, right?" In the 1990s, Liu Ning studied at the Department of Chinese at Peking University. She also remembers that there was a time when the pursuit of economic development in the whole society surpassed everything, making money became the most important pursuit of many people, and literature was left far behind and became a "study in the museum".
Just when Liu Ning and his classmates were a little discouraged, in a small-scale meeting, Mr. Lin Geng, an expert in Tang poetry, made a surprising prediction about the return of literature, especially traditional culture. He told the students, "With our economic development and social prosperity, after the country's strength is enhanced, everyone will definitely like Chinese culture more and more, and love Chinese classical literature more and more." I'm old enough not to see that day, but I'm sure you'll see it! ”
At that time, the people present did not have firm confidence in the future of literature, which can be described as half-believing, and Mr. Lin Geng had already made an ancient work in 2006. But today, that phrase is a reality.
What is the purpose of living? What is the point of survival? People of every age have never given up on this profound thinking.
When a student who has finally been admitted to Tsinghua Peking University, a scientist who has been standing at the peak of cutting-edge scientific and technological innovation, has been pursuing the goal of achieving, where does the motivation for the next struggle come from? In Liu Ning's observations, many people turned to literary classics for answers. If you just pursue a utilitarian pursuit of being a famous teacher at a prestigious school, but just want to have a job that everyone envies, this motivation is not enough to support people to move forward. "At this point, it is even more necessary to love science and love academia from the bottom of our hearts in order to have a spontaneous motivation." I think literature can play a particularly big role at this time, and people who have received training in the humanities will have a comprehensive vision of the problem. "She believes that only when there is a sense of happiness at the spiritual level, and the comprehensive quality of people and the coordination of development can we truly promote creativity from 0 to 1 to be stimulated."
Reporter: Si Jinli
Editor: Xue Jing
Review: Jiajia Zhou