How to use artistic power to perceive the new reality of childhood life, how to write the novelty and depth of contemporary children's life, and how to reflect the deep connection between childhood and social and cultural life are the keys to the recognition of children's literature
The results of the 11th National Outstanding Children's Literature Award were recently announced. This is a review of the development of China's children's literature in the new era.
Overall, this award shows the new atmosphere of children's literature in China. The first is the diversification of themes and styles. Taking the novel as an example, the award-winning works include "The Child Who Chases the Light" and "The Red Lantern of Chen Potato", which express the real life of children, as well as "Summer with Pigeons", "Uncle Rat Got Up Late", and "Reindeer Six Seasons" with animals as the theme. Together with award-winning works in other genres such as poetry, fairy tales, essays, science fiction literature, and children's literature, these novel works present the outline and pattern of the development of children's literature in China. The second is the steady improvement of artistic standards. Many authors have carefully created unique and profound works on the basis of profound life and artistic accumulation. Third, among the award-winning writers this year, there are not only Zhang Qiusheng, Ye Guangqian and other older generation writers, but also a group of powerful young and middle-aged writers, as well as some writers who were not originally engaged in children's literature creation, and the cause of children's literature is attracting more and more creators to join. All this shows that the creation of children's literature is in a good situation and the prospects for development are promising.
This year's award not only provides a reference for sorting out the current situation and achievements of children's literature creation, but also provides an opportunity to explore the future development of children's literature. What will happen to the overall face of Chinese children's literature? It's a question that challenges our artistic imagination.
On the one hand, the development of children's literature directly benefits from the development of children's lives and children's concepts. For creators, capturing the changes in the reality of children's lives and reflecting the deep changes in children's concepts are indispensable. Recently, children's literature creation has paid more and more attention to excavating the unique taste and beauty of children's lives, and has paid more and more attention to children's individual dignity. Creators are becoming more and more aware that childhood life is far from being as simple and superficial as we think, and that childish words and deeds are only the most superficial fun; good children's literature should reveal what makes childhood an irreplaceable and important stage in life, and what makes us willing to take "childhood" seriously.
In this year's award-winning works, we can see the conscious manifestation of the concept of children who are child-oriented. Although the work "Summer with Pigeons" describes the daily life of children half a century ago, the historical changes and differences of the times do not prevent readers from entering that time and experiencing the children's troubles and joys, games and growth. "Uncle Rat Got Up Late" depicts children's unique feelings, experiences and memories of daily life, although it is slow and leisurely, but it is full of storms. "The Legend of Nancun" recounts folk fairy tales in a modern way, allowing children's choices to stand more vividly in fairy tales and give fresh faces to ancient stories. "The Child Who Chases the Light" writes about childhood in the depths of the mountains. For children in the mountains, walking on the mountain trails according to the light of torches, the journey to study is also to seek the light of life; for the teachers in the mountains, spreading knowledge and dedicating youth is not the light to life? These illuminated corners lead the reader to think about the meaning of life.
On the other hand, children's literature not only reflects the deepening of childhood understanding and the development of children's concepts, but also uses the power of literature to continuously promote this development. There is a two-way relationship between children's real life and the aesthetic ideals of children's literature, the former reminding the latter not to forget "what kind of child is", and the latter leading the former to think about "what a child should be like". Only by discovering and highlighting the correct aesthetic tastes that belong to childhood can children's literature better impress young readers, lead young readers, and constantly create new classics.
While children's books focus on bringing entertainment and fun, we must not neglect the thickness and depth of the works; works that focus on artistic exploration, while expanding the boundaries between theme and form, must also maintain a close connection with the lives of real children; while being close to reality, enhance the penetration of observation, and enhance artistic expression when with a deep sense of concern... These are the places where the literary courage and wisdom of the creators are tested.
The rapid changes and richness of contemporary life have changed the lives and mental states of children, and various new phenomena have emerged one after another. It should be recognized that merely bringing the new childhood life into the subject matter is only part of the responsibility of children's literature. How to use the power of art to perceive the new reality of childhood life, how to write the novelty and depth of contemporary children's life, and further, how to reflect the deep connection between childhood and social and cultural life, is the key to the recognition of children's literature. The creation of children's literature is to write the literary height of childhood language, the literary thickness of childhood emotions, and the literary depth of childhood spirit within the limits of seemingly unavoidable themes, languages, and contents.
The vigorous development of Chinese children's literature in recent years has expanded our imagination of the possibilities and future of children's literature. The literary achievements of an era are not only inseparable from the number of works, but also supported by some works that embody classic qualities and artistic heights. The new era has put forward new requirements for "classics" and "heights". For the creators of children's literature, from life, concepts to the text art of children's literature, there is still a challenging process of exploration. (Fang Weiping)
Source: People's Daily