Bao Xiaoke
Lu Xun was born on September 25, 1881 in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, and although it has been 140 years since then, his figure has not faded from our living world. In today's 2021, the earliest batch of "post-00s" have also reached adulthood, so how will they live in the 21st century look at Lu Xun, who is in early 20th century China, and his works and ideas?
Luo Yi:
Among Lu Xun's works, the one that impressed me the most was his "Divorce" published in 1925, which was later included in "Wandering" and became the last article in this collection.
Lu Xun once reflected on this article in the Introduction to the New Literary Department, and he believed that the difference between "Soap" and "Divorce" and other articles from their previous novel creations was that "the technique was slightly more mature, and the portrayal was slightly deepened", but the price was "on the one hand, it also reduced the enthusiasm and was not noticed by the readers". Although Lu Xun's self-evaluation is slightly derogatory, I still find that only by having a reading consciousness of "mature techniques" and "deep portrayals" can we review and reflect on the intricate social issues contained in the text.
For example, in Divorce, a question that runs through the novel and is extremely troublesome is: "How did Aigu change from a gesture of resistance at the beginning to a submissive attitude at the end?" There are two alternative interpretation paths on this issue: one is the interpretation of power conflicts, that is, the contradictions brought about by the conflict between the characters in the novel, and then this contradiction can be characterized as a multi-level social contradiction, such as the opposition between the city and the countryside, the opposition between the gentry and the low-level people, and the opposition between feudal etiquette and women's freedom, etc.; the first is the psychological reduction interpretation, that is, the restoration of Aigu's series of psychological changes from the initial indignant struggle to the final promise. And this continuous emotional turn is attributed to the psychological pressure brought about by the power conflict, such as the Seven Lords' "Lai Xi" that makes Aigu shudder, which shows the fierceness of the gentry's spiritual domination over the lower masses. Therefore, the two interpretations of psychological restoration and power conflict are actually mutually explicit, taking into account the inner symptoms of the role and the power operation at the social level. Only in this way can we get close to the cruel local world in Lu Xun's pen.
Wandering, People's Literature Publishing House, 2013
Barty Apple:
I was most impressed by Lu Xun's "Wild Grass". I think this work contains a spiritual atmosphere of bitterness and desolation that is entangled in pain and nothingness, but tries to struggle out of it. This crystallization of thoughts and emotions was called "a miserable white flower" on the "edge of hell" by Lu Xun.
In terms of content, "Weeds" probably depicts the life experience of "lonely individuals" hovering between life and death, light and darkness, hope and despair, reality and nothingness, and Lu Xun sublimates his unique survival philosophy of "resisting despair". In terms of artistic characteristics, the symbolic techniques skillfully used by Lu Xun can be seen everywhere in "Wild Grass". For example, his writing of "dreams" creates a strange and crazy surreal world, and depicts the fusion and conflict between his own consciousness and subconscious. Another example is the "snow in the north" in the article "Snow", which symbolizes the "rebels" who fight against the harsh environment alone. This makes "Wild Grass" obscure and difficult to read, but it makes it highly condensed Lu Xun's profound thoughts and feelings.
Among the other works that I have not yet read, what I am most looking forward to reading is Lu Xun's essays. People usually pay attention to Lu Xun's Enlightenment critique of the old morality and the old system in his early essays, but what interests me most is Lu Xun's essays published after 1927, that is, the ten collections of essays starting from the "Only Collection". An important change in these "later essays" is that Lu Xun strengthened his criticism of the current social and cultural phenomena, shifting its spearhead from "old" to "new", because the superficial "new" of these phenomena cannot hide its "old" connotations - that is, the oppression and enslavement of the weak. If "Weeds" profoundly expresses Lu Xun's rebellious philosophy of life, then his later essays are the practice of this philosophy of life, and since then, he has been using essays as a weapon to fight against all kinds of enemies cloaked in the beautiful cloak of "progress", and trying to reveal that these people who claim to be "gunless classes" are actually "demons with soft knives".
Weeds, Yilin Publishing House, 2013
Old Ding Tou:
I was most impressed by Lu Xun's "Cast Sword" in his book "New Compilation of Stories".
The theme of "Casting Swords" is revenge and the will to revenge, which is a key theme of Lu Xun's later creations. According to my own understanding, this is Lu Xun's own grasp of a "state of mind" or "will" of the 20th century that is "not sufficient" but "crucial". Obviously, in Lu Xun's reconstruction of this story from the Book of Search for God, the purpose of revenge and the will to revenge is quite simple. The purpose of the meijian ruler to go to the wang capital is to avenge his father, and the purpose of Yan Zhi'ao's revenge for the meijian ruler is because he is already a self-pitying and self-injurious "revenge ghost" soaked in darkness and blood—these actions used in traditional literature to "decorate" revenge are as insignificant as "splitting a vegetable head" and "swallowing a mouthful of cold water".
However, Lu Xun sketched the so-called "vengeful state of mind" in an extremely desolate, poignant, terrifying, and resolute tone—the body and mind of the avengers were equally immersed in darkness and blood, and the meaning of self-pity, fear and cringe surrounded these sword-wielding people like ghosts. However, this is accompanied by a decisive will to kill and a will to sacrifice, and through this round of action repeatedly breaks through the order itself established through "repression of revenge" or "suppression of violence" (the last two skeletons of the "anti-thieves" and the skeletons of the king are worshiped together). For the early 20th century, the purpose and logic of revenge were obscure, even insignificant, but the exercise and generation of this state of mind was crucial to the shaping of the "new" national nature. What I admire is this revelation of the "state of mind" of revenge that is not sacred, not great, and even somewhat trivial, which truly accompanies the actions and emotions of all oppressed and breeds hope—a hope that is obscure, not yet occupied by any definite goal, which is undoubtedly profound and accurate.
Therefore, in my opinion: (1) Lu Xun eventually moved toward Marxism. (2) Lu Xun was not a writer of critical national character; on the contrary, he profoundly explained the complex situation in which the true creators of history lived, and called for more powerful revolutionary and organizational strategies.
As far as (1) is concerned, Lu Xun brilliantly applied Marxist literary and artistic theory (first and foremost from Trotsky and Tibetan intellectuals) in his later works to study literary history, and re-examined his early anarchist and romantic positions through Marxist revolutionary doctrines. As far as (2) is concerned, I pay special attention to the "A Q Zheng Biography" - is the purpose of the "Ah Q Zheng Biography" only to depict and criticize the so-called "national nature"? Definitely not! This is a shallow denigration and negation of Lu Xun! In fact, in Lu Xun's view, thousands of AQs are the suffering people living on the earth and the future revolutionaries. However, they were deeply trapped in all kinds of absurd ideologies and bad material conditions of existence, and the production and reproduction of these conditions were achieved through the collusion of the landlord class with the compradors such as The Elder And Grandpa Zhao, and in the end the Q were "not allowed to revolution" and were pulled to be scapegoats, and the Xinhai Revolution still failed to arouse the flame and brilliance of the souls living in the dark abyss. What Lu Xun called for through Ah Q was a brand new revolution that brought about the awakening of these "lowly people".
"A Q Zheng Biography", Beijing United Publishing Company, 2014
Red Panda:
As a post-00s person, the first time I knew Lu Xun was in the language class. The junior high school textbook contains several essays by Lu Xun, and I remember that the first one I read seemed to be "From The Hundred Grass Garden to the Sanwei Bookhouse", but for me at that age, the childhood life written in the text was not far from my own experience, so after reading it, there was no wave in my heart, and I even felt a little boring.
To truly recognize Lu Xun outside of a textbook, it is still necessary to start by reading essays. At that time, there was a selected collection of Lu Xun's essays published in the 1980s, which was turned over on a whim. I did read the so-called "dagger-like militancy and criticism" from it, and the discussion was sharp and confident; but beyond the sharp edge, I felt a tone that reconciled serious and unserious, just like the "Inscription" of "Grave" said: "There are many uncomfortable people in the world, and some people are bent on creating a world that is comfortable for themselves." This can not be so cheap, but also put a little disgusting things in front of them, so that he is sometimes a little uncomfortable, knowing that his own world is not easy to be very happy. The flying sound of the fly does not know that people hate him; I know very well, but as long as it can fly, it is more important to fly"--because there is an object of criticism and concern for uncomfortable people, it is serious; and from the metaphor of "the hum of the fly", we can see the author's playful and unserious attitude. Lu Xun has never regarded his works as important and noble, and his essays are just a kind of insult, a disharmonious and negative voice in this chaotic world, so they cannot be called "great literature" in the hall of elegance.
But I remembered Chen Danqing's so-called Lu Xun's "fun." Chen Danqing's statement is quite interesting, he feels that Lu Xun's essays are all game articles, pay attention to the pleasure of writing, sharp and also reveal the pride of a writer, so Chen Danqing wants to justify Lu Xun's name: "He is both sharp and generous, both fierce and sober, and will not push his views and attitudes to the extreme, making it look like he is having a high fever - an angry person is also a wise man, and his anger is beautiful literature." If it does not become "great literature", it becomes "beautiful literature", and Chen Danqing's evaluation is more in line with my impression of reading Lu Xun's essays at that time. Over-seriousness and over-anger can easily make people lose themselves, but in the insightful, introspective laughter and scolding, it is easier for us to catch the fire of wisdom. Maybe that's why, I still read Lu Xun's essays from time to time, and I can still get unexpected inspiration from them.
Selected Essays of Lu Xun, People's Literature Publishing House, 1993
Lend an hear:
The first time I came into contact with Lu Xun's writings was in the primary school's Chinese textbook, talking about the juvenile leaping earth. I was very impressed by the descriptions of bird hunting, hedgehogs, and watermelon fields, and I thought it was very interesting and lively. In the primary school stage, Lu Xun was emphasized very strongly, in order to cope with the exam, we must completely memorize Lu Xun's life: Lu Xun's original name was Zhou Shuren, Zhejiang Shaoxing people... In general, at the beginning, it was mainly through the teacher's lectures in the classroom and the language teaching materials to get a general understanding of Lu Xun and his works. In the middle school stage, especially after the second year of junior high school, I will consciously go to Lu Xun's books to read, such as his short story "Diary of a Madman", but in general, reading Lu Xun's works is still very rare, on the one hand, because Lu Xun's works are really difficult to attract, on the other hand, before reading Lu Xun, I have learned some labels attached to Lu Xun's works, such as obscure and difficult to understand, which makes me reluctant to read.
Therefore, in Lu Xun's works, I was most impressed by "Diary of a Madman", and at the beginning I read it with the mentality that China's first short vernacular novel was still to be read. After reading it, I was really shocked, because "cannibalism" is indeed very eye-catching, shocking, incredible, and difficult to accept, and then in connection with the background of the times at that time, you will feel fear and anger about the social situation at that time, and feel sympathy and regret for the people living in it. I still remember the last sentence "Save the child...", and the feelings of helplessness, powerlessness, and grief still impress me.
Diary of a Madman, People's Literature Publishing House, 2013
Summer Darkness:
My first impression of Lu Xun's works was "From The Hundred Grass Garden to the Sanwei Bookhouse" selected in the middle school Chinese textbook. I myself did not have much interest in the animals and plants in nature, but the "purple mulberries", "raspberries" and so on described in this article are very clear, and I always feel that I can see the small, bright and dripping fruits through the text. The whole article was particularly interesting and a pleasure to read.
In the future, I am very much looking forward to reading "Scream" and "Wandering". Because I was curious, why did Lu Xun "scream" and why did he feel "wandering"? Both works are collections of short stories, so how do these two titles relate to the content of the novel? In addition, I wanted to read these two works because I was curious about the ideological environment of Lu Xun's era, and I wanted to understand 20th century China.
The Scream, Guangxi Normal University Press, 2013
Wang Ke:
Among the many works I have read, I like Lu Xun's "New Story Compilation" the most. On the one hand, Lu Xun expressed his critical thinking about the Chinese intellectual tradition, just as he has always advocated "sweeping some national essence into the garbage", on the other hand, he also looks for positive factors in the ideological tradition, which shows the complexity of this work. Lu Xun worked hard to break down the barriers of "ancient" and "modern" and find the inner connection between the two, not only to see the past in the present, but also to use the past as a metaphor for the present.
In detail, in the article "Running Moon", "Houyi" loses the mystery of the legend and becomes a mediocre and secular character. He could not meet the wishes of the people around him to "eat and drink spicy", lost his own place of use, and successively encountered the betrayal of apprentices and relatives, and finally, after his wife "Chang'e" could not bear the difficult life of eating "crow fried sauce noodles" and left the moon, HouYi also decided to follow her. This heroic figure, who has been described by traditional history as the "backbone of China", in Lu Xun's pen, his glorious and legendary battle is followed by a "boring and trivial" life, and he is in an extremely embarrassing and helpless situation. On the other hand, the "Tao Qian" in the "New Compilation of Stories" also presents a completely different face, that is, angry and worldly side, but this also reflects his "enthusiasm", so he also has "the advantages and disadvantages of living people" - which is exactly what Lu Xun agrees with and appreciates. It can be seen that Lu Xun's writing method of "ancient and modern mixture" breaks the boundaries of time and space, and the large number of modern languages and details interspersed with the article make the two colors and tones of "solemn" and "absurd" coexist, making the characters and plot full of tension.
Further, in my eyes, Lu Xun had a deep sense of skepticism about the cause of the modern Enlightenment. On the one hand, the "I" as the narrator in "Blessings", although a pioneer in the criticism of feudal etiquette, is also responsible for the death of Xianglin Sister-in-law, so the boundary between the Enlightener and the vulgar public is no longer clear, and the former is not outside the social structure he criticizes. On the other hand, the much-maligned Ah Q's Spiritual Victory Method is precisely the social structure that oppresses him. Therefore, "Casting the Sword" is both Lu Xun's praise for the revenge actions of the pioneers and oppressed in the social structure, and his deep doubts about the ineffectiveness of revenge. But I believe that In the end, Lu Xun did not admit that there must be hope, nor did he admit the inevitability of despair, he believed that "despair is vain, just the same as hope." And what the revolutionaries who are the subjects of revenge— whether pioneers of the Enlightenment or Ah Q —have to do is to abandon hope and despair at the same time and bravely assume what is about to happen. So when capital and imperialism claim that it has ended all civilizations built on bonds, Lu Xun wants to see the 20th century as an expedition, and as the subject of the expedition, the plural "I" will be expanded into a singular "we" by means of battle. Ultimately, the revolutionary 20th century will seek to transcend the purely negative power of capital in search of a purposeless fraternity and unbound order.
New Edition of Stories, People's Literature Publishing House, 2004
Small high:
The first time I came into contact with Lu Xun's works was in the fifth or sixth grade of elementary school, when my father bought another copy of "The Complete Works of Lu Xun" as a birthday gift for me, and at that time I only felt a little obscure and could not understand it.
Later, I became a student of the Chinese Department, and I often dealt with Lu Xun's works, and after experiencing the teacher's explanation and my own reading, I was most impressed by Lu Xun's "Scream" in "Medicine". I think that Lu Xun's description of the language and details of the characters is vivid and meticulous, such as the discussion of Xia Yu in the teahouse not only writes about the numbness of the "spectators", but also depicts the image of Xia Yu from the side. At the same time, the metaphors behind many of the images in the text are also intriguing, making the meaning of the text more layered, such as "Hua LaoTuo couple", "Xia Yu", "Hua" and "Xia" combined is Huaxia China, "medicine" not only refers to the human blood steamed bun in the text, but also refers to the medicine that heals China. Finally, the overall meaning of the article is profound and thought-provoking, and the ignorance of the Hua Lao's family to cure the disease through human blood steamed buns and the small flowers that Xia Yu did not know who put it in front of his grave all hinted that China still has a future and hope.
cotton:
My first contact with Lu Xun was naturally in a Chinese textbook, and I can't remember whether it was primary school or junior high school. However, at that time, the list of extracurricular books in the new curriculum standard of the primary school should have Lu Xun's "Chao Hua Xi Shi", and when the school gave prizes to students, the better prizes were these books. It is also through these books that Lu Xun has a vague understanding.
After entering junior high school, due to the increase in age and the improvement of educational requirements, Lu Xun's works were able to be interpreted in the classroom. At that time, there was already the concept that "Lu Xun is a very powerful writer, and his works are worth reading", so he took the initiative to buy some lu xun essays or classic anthologies compiled by later generations. One of the more impressive is "Wounded Death", which feels like a love story at the time, with some poignant beauty, plus it is in adolescence, this experience is not unusual. But looking back now, "Wounded Death" is not about a mournful story, but a self-deprecating and bitter record, in which more and more things can be read. Overall, though, the most elaborate read is The Madman's Diary, a thought-provoking novel in which only a few words are often borrowed to ponder many of the problems of the moment.
If you open up the time span, from Lu Xun's early literary papers to his later essays, you can still find his changes. For example, the further you go, the less you focus on the empty talk of spiritual concepts, and the more you directly discuss many practical problems. The most profitable thing is that his spicy brushwork can often put the hidden irrationalities in front of your eyes very clearly, so that you have to think, have to reflect, and cannot prevaricate on your own. Even if all kinds of works are now combined, and various critical theories emerge in an endless stream, it is better to read a little Lu Xun than to read ten miscellaneous articles. This is determined by his tangible concern for social history and the sharp expression of his personal writing.
"Picking Up Flowers and Nights", Yilin Publishing House, 2014
Tin:
Although I studied Chinese, I have not studied Lu Xun properly, and I can't say that I have any profound views. So I will start from my own reading experience and talk about Lu Xun as a writer.
The feeling of reading Lu Xun at different stages is different, when I was in middle school, I learned a nostalgic emotional posture from "Chao Hua Xi Shi", and when I was slightly older, I admired the eloquent and sober tone of Lu Xun's essays, and now, I especially favor "Wandering". Privately, I think that the background of the writer Lu Xun exists in "Wandering": helpless pain, inescapable sense of despair.
Take "Blessings," which you may be familiar with. Not long ago, for some fortuitous reason, I re-read "Blessings", and after reading it, I secretly thought: Lu Xun has a sharp perception of the suffering of the soul, and he can convey this perception to the reader in a somber and introspective language, in order to reveal our inability to face the suffering of others (and thus reflect our own possible suffering). "I sat alone under the vegetable oil lamp that emitted yellow light, and thought, this bored Xianglin sister-in-law, abandoned by people in the dust pile, tired of seeing the old plaything, previously exposed the skeleton in the dust mustard, from the perspective of people who live interestingly, I am afraid that I will wonder why she still exists, and now she has finally been cleaned up by impermanence" - this is probably not something that Lu Xun can say, and from this I can also see the distance between the author and the narrator "I". Lu Xun obviously had pity for the character of Xiang Linjie, and the fate of "boredom" was a curse, a terrible signal from the abyss that leaked out of the cracks. And that frightened him.
The suffering of others is an eternal burden in Lu Xun's heart and adds to his own suffering; the souls of others who suffer, despair and cannot be saved, in turn, construct their own souls. Although the interpretation of Lu Xun is now more diverse, saying that he is funny, saying that he is playful and angry, I think that behind these things, there must be something more hidden coiled in his heart. Now whenever I mention Lu Xun, I always unconsciously think of a short passage at the end of "The Lonely One": "I walked briskly, as if I wanted to rush out of something heavy, but I couldn't." Something struggled in the ears, and for a long time, it finally struggled out, vaguely like a long howl, like a wounded wolf, when it howled in the wilderness in the middle of the night, and the tragic wounds were mixed with anger and sorrow. This scream not only belonged to Wei Lianzhen, but also to "I" and to Lu Xun himself. I don't believe that Lu Xun really "relaxed" in the end, maybe he has been staying in that "heavy thing"? In "Wandering", Lu Xun is good at writing about the tragedy of "cold", but only a truly "hot" soul can perceive the "coldness" of the outside world and constantly produce pain. The so-called "survival philosophy against despair" in the academic circles probably means the same thing.
This issue is edited by Shan Zou