Text / Shen Nian
New Criticism
Young writer Zheng Xiaodonkey's new collection of short and medium stories "Southern Bach" was recently published by the People's Literature Publishing House, Zheng Xiaodonkey wrote in a small town in Hunan, telling the story of Jin Hongming, Wen Yan, Xiao Xiangxi, Liu Minghan and other young people in the small town, falling into the cunning of the adult world, the undercurrent of hidden desires, drifting, looking and running in the mundane dust and smoke of the Mobius ring.
Writer Shen Nian wrote this review after reading it, giving his own interpretation from a concept, "The 'event horizon' in Zheng Xiaodon's novel is a powerful and symbolic literary concept, which is not only the driving force of the storyline, but also the reflection of the characters' hearts and the vision of the event society. ”
On the plane back to Hunan from Beijing, I finished reading the young writer Zheng Xiaodonkey's new work "Southern Bach". This is a collection of nine short and medium-length stories, and most of the stories focus on the land of Huxiang. Before the plane landed at Huanghua Airport, I looked out the window, and there was a dark gray soaked in twilight nearby, and at the end of the line of sight, the boundary of the sky, it was full of glow and red clouds, and I guessed that under the clouds, it must be a deep night. From the horizon above the clouds, I thought of the events in the novel with different physical sensations, and suddenly a flash of inspiration came to me: "event horizon".
After landing, I searched the Internet and found that the term "event horizon" really exists, but it is mostly used in astrophysics, referring to the curved boundary of space-time, generally referring to the area around a black hole. Because of the enormous gravitational pull, when the escape velocity near the black hole is greater than the speed of light, there is no longer any possibility of any light escaping from within the event horizon.
I think that if we talk about Zheng Xiaodonkey's novels with the "event horizon", it will give his novels a kind of literary interpretation. The event horizon is no longer just a "boundary" and "region" in astrophysics, but has become the narrative perspective of the novel, the known and unknown "Chu River and Han Realm" in the development of events, and the emotional, psychological, social and cultural parts. As the author of "Event Horizon" and "Creator", how will the two sides meet in exploring the complexity of the novel's events?
Zheng Xiaodonkey skillfully uses the "event horizon" to build a story space full of tension. These spaces are both physical, psychological, and social. For example, in "The Last Breath", the ghost in the accidental casualty of the first generation of migrant workers at the curtain call is narrated; the yearnings, dilemmas, and desires of youth growth in "Southern Bach"; The difficulty of solving rural poverty in "The Sky is High and the Emperor is Far Away", the operation of grassroots political power and the helplessness and forbearance of young cadres, etc. This makes his characters such as Jin Hongming, Emily, Liu Xiaojing, and Luo Tao face conflicts, anger, and helplessness that are difficult to break free from certain boundaries (morality, rules, etc.) in their respective events. The characters are forced to face their inner fears and desires, and are absorbed by the huge gravitational pull of the outside world, and the complexity and mottling of human nature seem bizarre.
Symbolism is an important factor in the canonization of the novel, and Zheng Xiaodonkey's ingenious conception of the "event horizon" is full of symbolic meaning. These symbols, whether explicit or implicit, may be symbols such as the symbol 206, the Nissan blue bird, the pride of Geely, the double-row rear tire of a heavy truck, the lame woman, the younger brother of Ultraman, the aunt with a habit of cleanliness, Mishima who listened to Bach to "Two Butterflies" and other characters, or the behavior in reality, the social problems projected by the novel itself, and the reader's behavior in exploring the truth of the event, all constitute a kind of symbol from creation to reading. Therefore, in "The Edge of the Volcano", we will be surprised that the little girl in Changsha is so obsessed with "me", and we will think deeply about what it means to be a recurring African girl in "my" dream; We will imagine that the "tractor" story in "Hengyang Tractor" is just a mischievous reproduction of a group of hide-and-seek children, and is it not the disorder of village ethics in the process of urbanization; We will also follow the "tire" in "Domestic Tire" that cannot be stopped once it rolls, and spend a thrilling but extremely sad night on a boat in the wilderness...... Symbols that are full of meaning, such as obstacles in the plot or like wearing invisibility cloaks, closely connect the relationship between the event and the characters, and constantly expand the boundaries in the course of the event. What do they symbolize? It is the various dilemmas of human nature in the cycle of time, the limitations of self-cognition, the constraints of emotions and the repression of society. Zheng Xiaodonkey's success in provoking readers to think deeply about human nature, emotions and social issues.
Zheng Xiaolu is a master storyteller, and this collection of novels pays great attention to locality, empirical spirit, and the internal logic of facts, while also showing a masterful narrative skill in the "event horizon".
First of all, through vivid scene reenactments and rich details, he makes the reader feel strongly the physical and mental state of the characters in the event horizon. For example, when the aunt who is obsessed with cleanliness in "Domestic Tire" sees the sheepskin gloves stained with snot, "her face instantly turns pale, and her facial lines twitch unconcealed"; For example, the fuel tank of the nose of the "Hengyang brand tractor" burned, "the firelight reflected a face blackened by smoke, full of horror, as if he had just crawled out of the stove, and only his eyes were white." so dazzlingly white, like two freshly shelled eggs" – these details impress the reader.
Secondly, he is good at using multi-perspective narration and other techniques to transform real objects and abstract concepts into concrete and tangible literary images, so that the space of event horizon can be extended. For example, "Domestic Tire" interweaves the relationship between the town from the perspective of characters such as "Little Xiangxi", "Lame Woman" and "Hu Zhenxiang". However, it is undeniable that he is good at subtle and abstract expressions, and in the face of an open-ended ending, the reader will be full of resentment towards the "escape behavior" of this "creator". For example, in "A Room of Enemies", the land in northern Myanmar that tries to find a way but is not clear whether it is really going, and the various foreshadowing narrations in "Southern Bach", and finally focuses on Emily's life experience, life and death, as well as the truth and falsity of the whole event and characters, and the deep thinking about hidden social issues, making the novel full of suspense, tension and mystery. Non-linear narratives make it difficult to read to a certain extent, and may also make it difficult for some readers who like to explore the truth to fully understand its deeper meaning. Therefore, as readers, we need to "run", we need to jump out of the story to see the cause and effect of the novel, and look beyond the characters to see the life of the times and individual survival, so as to understand and grasp the gaze and meaning hidden behind the words.
Zheng Xiaodonkey admits that in his writing, he pays tribute to the classics of Faulkner, Haruki Murakami, and Ge Fei. At the end of "Southbach," he wrote: "I hold the steering wheel as if I were holding my own destiny." I have no direction and no destination, but I have to drive my car...... Keep it on. This is the "literal repayment" of an escapee after life takes revenge on him, so sentimental, absurd, and so unspeakable. I would like to regard the "event horizon" in Zheng Xiaodon's novel as a powerful and symbolic literary concept, as well as a new voice that he makes to pay tribute to the classics, which is not only the driving force of the storyline, but also the visual reflection of the characters' hearts and the society of events, and completes a profound reflection on the interaction between human nature and the earth in a fascinating story space.
Article Editor: He Jing ; New Media Editor: Zheng Zhouming
Pictured: Photo.com
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