"Intensive Reading of Novels" He Shiguang: "Joy"

【Editor's Note】

On a dam surrounded by a distant, majestic mountain, a young daughter-in-law, for the first time, was allowed for the first time to allow her mother-in-law to return to her mother's house to visit her family. The mother-in-law, who was originally well-behaved and not easy to get along with, has also begun to change her attitude towards her daughter-in-law since this year. In the early days of reform and opening up, the changes of the times were leaving imperceptible traces in the daily lives of rural people...

【Text Reading】

Joy

Author: He Shiguang

(1) Autumn is deep, and on a clear morning, half of the ducks are floating in the paddy fields and half perched on the mounds, which are already so cold; the rest, the grain grass that has not dried out, stands there zero, and it also looks lonely. A few egrets flew up again, shining white wings, and swept low across the field... On this distant dam surrounded by majestic mountains, another year has passed!

>>> the description of the natural environment at the beginning of the story, explains the season in which the story takes place, creates a light and beautiful rural scenery, and at the same time introduces the place and the characters - the dam in the mountain and the people on the dam.

(2) Once a year, the day of the young daughter-in-law Hui hui returned to her mother's house has arrived. Only once a year, the mother-in-law secretly stipulated so. When will we be on the road? She didn't know, and didn't dare inquire. Unexpectedly, this year,my mother-in-law happily asked her to leave today. The days were too peaceful, there was a harvest in the field, and the mother-in-law seemed to be very happy.

>>> the protagonist appears and introduces the beginning of the story - the harvest is good, the mother-in-law is happy, and the young daughter-in-law is allowed to return to her mother's house today.

(3) Early in the morning, she got up to fetch water, and wanted to fill the stone water tank in the house to thank her mother-in-law for her kindness. At that time, the fog cover was still very large, and now, although the distant Flat Dan Mountain was still out of sight, the morning fog was no longer a heavy piece, it had floated up and turned gray, and the silhouettes of the forest and people on the opposite side had been clearly revealed. (The change of the surrounding environment in the morning fog sets off the young daughter-in-law's early rise and the courtesy of carrying water.) ）

(4) She stands by the well and lays her shoulders across her wrists. It could be seen that she was not thinking of anything, that her heart was only as fresh as the morning of this field. The mother-in-law did not treat her with an ugly face when she was going back to her mother's house as in previous years. She can go on the road with a relaxed heart today, and she can't be overjoyed to see her in this way. (The mother-in-law's attitude is quietly changing, and the young daughter-in-law's joy is overflowing at the thought of returning to her mother's house today.) ）

(5) After only a while, she took the bucket and walked back lightly along the narrow field. (With light steps, set off the joyful heart of the young daughter-in-law.) The sun, though not yet visible, makes one feel like it's coming towards this dam. The fog also floated faster, chaotic, as if nervous, and soon could not resist the light of the sun. (Anthropomorphic sentence that vividly describes the scene when the sun rises and the fog will dissipate.) The description of the scenery is used to match the development of the plot and reflect the psychological changes of the daughter-in-law. Suddenly, she felt a warmth on her shoulders, a light that had spread like water, the eaves, siding and window ledges of her house, and the cowsheds and grass stacks next to it, and the weedy woods behind the house, all immersed in the pale yellow light. (The text is fresh and warm, as if the reader's heart also feels the warmth of the sun with hui's daughter-in-law.) ）

>>> paragraphs 3-5, the young daughter-in-law goes out early in the morning to carry water in order to thank her mother-in-law for her "kindness", and her heart is full of joy.

(6) When she carried water into the stove, her mother-in-law was curled up by the stove, and breakfast was about to be ready, and she was setting up firewood and grass in the stove. Hui hurriedly poured water and rushed over and said, "Mom, I'll come!" "After she married 4 years ago, she took over the position of doing housework. (Use movements and verbal descriptions to show the courtesy of the young daughter-in-law.) ）

(7) Green smoke emanated from the hearth, and the branches and leaves sounded, and a scarlet tongue of fire protruded. "I'll burn... You see...... What do you want to clean up..." The mother-in-law said, her voice a little vague, and there was no expression on her face as usual. Her temper is obedient and often disturbing, but Hui can tell that her mother-in-law is not angry when she says this today. This year, the group worked hard, everyone grasped the season tightly, and when they were too busy, the mother-in-law also came happily to help her cook. What about today? But it was to help her cook the rice earlier to reward her for a year's hard work. She stood, and for a moment she was a little confused, so she went to the firewood shed and chose a bundle of branches and piled them on the stove for her mother-in-law. (Through language and facial descriptions, the author portrays the transformation of the traditional rural mother-in-law in thought and behavior in the early days of the reform.) ）

(8) When breakfast is served, the husband also returns. He seemed very busy this morning. The family sat down to eat. Lai has three bowls, a bowl of red peppers filled with glutinous rice flour, a bowl of white, salted garlic cloves, and a bowl of stir-fried meat slices with sauerkraut. It's much more hearty than usual. Everyone didn't make a sound, there was no conversation, but when the mother-in-law finished eating, Hui immediately put down her own bowl and chopsticks, got up to add rice for her mother-in-law, and then sent the bowl of rice to her mother-in-law's hand with both hands. (From the act of adding food to the mother-in-law, it can be seen that the daughter-in-law is gentle and virtuous, and has great respect and love for the mother-in-law.) ）

(9) After eating, she wanted to wash the dishes, and the mother-in-law said that it was good to clean the dishes in the pot. She wanted to feed the pigs, and her husband ate first, already carrying the barrel in his hand. So she's free? (After the reform, the countryside quietly changed.) ）

(10) It was time to change her clothes, but she still couldn't help but pause for a moment before slowly walking into her room with her head down. In the year she was married, the clothes used to press the clothes box were only a floral corduroy top, a pair of blue cloth trousers, a pair of light blue gauze socks, and a pair of dark brown cloth shoes. She had never worn this wedding dress normally, but now she took them out one by one from the cabinet where the red paint had darkened, and she would put them on in a short while. (Preparation before returning to her mother's house - change of wedding dress.) Hui's daughter-in-law's cherishing of the pressure box wedding dress not only shows the joy of Hui's heart, but also reflects the hardships of life. ）

(11) The clothes are washed with heart pulp, and they make a sound as soon as they move around. She stepped out with a light step. On the square table in the hall house was a thin basket. Her heart fluttered, and she couldn't help but sneak a glance into the back basket: several old yellow glass bottles containing baogu wine; and some wrapped in old newspapers, most of them were sugar. The custom of this area, a bottle of grain wine or a pound of sugar, is a greeting gift to relatives. If all this was used by the mother-in-law to send herself on the road, she could visit many relatives. I don't know if it was to peek at the back basket or to move such an excessive thought, she suddenly felt her face beating hot. (Through delicate psychological descriptions, the shyness of hui daughter-in-law is vividly portrayed.) ）

(12) After a while, the mother-in-law and husband came out of the opposite room.

(13) "Tell your relatives," the mother-in-law began to mutter, "this time it is very simple, wait until the first month, and then..." Her heart suddenly beat even harder, and she nodded in panic. She couldn't believe what was happening, because it had never happened. The mother-in-law loves face, but she is very angry. She was used to not showing her joy in front of her mother-in-law, but she blushed slightly and bowed her head shyly... (The author shows the subtle beauty of Hui's daughter-in-law through her subtle and rich psychological and action descriptions.) It conveys the author's praise and love for the simple protagonist, indicating that social reform has brought "joy" to the rural areas. ）

(14) Finally, the mother-in-law asked her to leave. She nodded her head one last time, gave a soft "hmm" and went forward to carry the basket. "Called Changshun... Back..." said the mother-in-law. Before he could finish speaking, the husband silently grabbed the brown silk woven back basket in his hand.

>>> paragraphs 6-14, hui daughter-in-law before returning to her mother's home.

(15) Hui's heart beat again. If she secretly hoped for something, she was looking forward to her husband going on the road with herself- not for love, but for her own father and mother to see and be happy, to feel that the in-laws did not treat her badly, that they did not marry her wrongly, so they were very relieved, and their faces were glorious. (Interlude, supplementing the reason for hui's daughter-in-law's heartbeat.) ）

>>> a new era, a new atmosphere, and the wish of hui daughter-in-law has finally been realized, which is the root of her joy.

(16) Come to the gravel paved road! After the whole morning of chasing, Wulan had been driven far and far away, floating there motionless, and those who remained near had become as transparent as water, trembling, blending into the sunlight, soaking the paddy fields and flying into the home and the mountains, the sun shining high, not arrogant at all, wide and clear. (The depiction of scenery sets off the bright and joyful inner activities of the characters, and the author still uses the depiction of scenes to promote the development of the plot of the novel and the expression of the inner world of the characters.) ）

(17) There was no one on the road, but Hui still did not walk side by side with her husband, and she was always a little behind. They also haven't spoken. She saw that the basket kept shaking in front of her eyes, and after a while, she happily rushed forward a few steps to keep up with him. (Using action descriptions, the joy in Hui's daughter-in-law's heart is expressed, echoing the title of the article.) ）

>>> 15-17, Hui's daughter-in-law and her husband embark on the road back to their mother's home.

(18) A barn yard has passed, an oven has appeared in front, the husband's back basket is still shaking, and the sun is still so bright, the sky is still so blue... (Bright not only has sunlight, but also the heart of hui daughter-in-law.) The novel uses the storyline of the young daughter-in-law in the countryside returning to her mother's home to show the main theme of reform and development affecting the daily life of ordinary people. ）

(With deletions)

【Knowledge Construction】

Foil and its role //

1. The basic concept of foil. Background refers to the use of similar or diametrically opposite people (things) as a foil in the writing process in order to highlight the characteristics of a certain major person (thing), or to show its greatness, or to show its smallness, etc., and thus form a rhetorical effect of "lighting the clouds and supporting the moon" is called the foil. Obviously, the use of foil techniques is to highlight the status of the subject, make its image clear, and make the reader remember it deeply, whether in the novel or other literary creations.

2. Classification of the foil. The rhetorical technique of setting off is to use the A person (thing) object to reflect the image and characteristics of the B person (thing), which is generally divided into four categories in literature: positive lining, reverse lining, scenery lining and material lining: (1) positive lining, as the name suggests, is to use similar people (things) to reflect the depicted subject, that is, to use "good" to set off "better". (2) Contrast refers to the use of opposite or different people (things) to reflect the depicted subject, that is, the use of "small" to set off the "big". (3) Scenery lining refers to the use of scenery to set off the image of the person (thing) to be depicted. The scenery lining is mostly used in depicting the feelings of the characters. (4) Material lining refers to the rhetorical technique of using things that can be seen everywhere to reflect the image of the subject, and often the material lining can portray the character in a more three-dimensional way when portraying the character image.

3. The role of the foil. (1) Positive lining. By setting up male (female) number two and three characters with different personalities in the novel but similar to the protagonist's personality, the protagonist's central position in the composition of the entire novel is reflected. (2) Contrast. The strong impact of the character' personality, character and other aspects is used to set off the hero's tall image in a certain aspect or some aspects, and the noble character. (3) Scenery lining. Through the description of the environmental scenery to create an atmosphere, so that the reader has a more sense of substitution, so as to deepen the reader's understanding and understanding. (4) Lining. Through the description of the related objects around the characters, it reflects the personality characteristics of some aspects of the character and makes the character image more full.