"They themselves have crossed the light and have lived in the light. When they think of the holy city, of the whole earth, of the historical participants and their children who have lived until this evening, they have a feeling of happiness, peace and warmth, as if they were in the midst of 4 weeks of silent joy. On the evening of February 25, Sun Ganlu, vice chairman of the Shanghai Writers Association and writer, was a guest of the "Shanghai Book Fair • The Power of Reading" 2020 special network gathering "Happy Reading Moment", with an excerpt from the russian writer Pasternak's novel "Doctor Zhivag" as the closing words of this sharing.
In this particular period, reading has become a matter of reach, but it is also a "very complicated thing".
Can you make a list of books that everyone is happy with? Why should we share with others the differences in our feelings and reactions to reading? What do you think of those literary and artistic works? What do you think of some scholars, experts, or industry insiders' interpretations of a book? After throwing out a series of thought-provoking questions, Sun Ganlu shared her views on these issues one by one, sharing "personal daily reading" with netizens.
"It's hard to make a list of books that everyone is happy with, and it's interesting to share the differences"
"The most interesting part of reading literature is that it's hard to make a list of books that everyone is happy with." Sun Ganlu said bluntly,
It's not like picking a restaurant and a friend giving you a recommendation, and usually you will accept and agree after trying. Or travel around the world, to Paris, London, or other scenic places, it's easier to reach a consensus. Literary works, such as poetry, plays, novels, or films adapted from them, often provoke debate among different readers. There will be different or even diametrically opposed views on a specific work.
Literary reading has both a public side, which can be recommended by some experts and scholars in a classroom or a book club, and at the same time it is a very private topic, which is closely related to each reader's personal experience, cultivation, preferences, and reading habits. So when we talk about a very easy-to-read, very easy-to-disseminate work, what exactly are we talking about?
"Some readers may be very addicted to a wonderful story, while others are interested in the broad social life context of the period reflected in the characters portrayed in the novel and the history behind them. Some readers may be very interested in the utensils or diet in the novel, and some may be interested in other aspects of this social life in the period reflected in the novel. For example, a war novel may trigger some war fans, who spend a lot of time studying the military strength and equipment of the countries of that era. So when we talk about a work in general, it's hard to resonate with different people, because among different readers, the same book evokes very, very different reactions. Sun Ganlu said.
Therefore, Sun Ganlu raised another question derived from reading, is it just to be satisfied with reading it yourself, or is there enthusiasm and impulse to share her feelings with other readers after reading? "Literature, as art, usually acts on our sensibilities and feelings, and the analysis and research that arise and arise from it are usually the work of professionals. Most readers read more as a pastime. When we talk about reading, your opinion may immediately lead to countless opposite views, and your preference for a work may immediately cause countless rebuttals. That's why the evaluation of a work, novel or movie on the Internet is always so controversial. Of course, from another point of view, this difference in reading feeling is also one of the interesting parts of reading. ”
"Language reflects the individual qualities of the writer"
Language, the first part of a novel or a poem or an essay, is a reaction to a writer's writing style and, at the same time, a reaction to a historical force that transcends the writer's individuality. Most of today's Chinese writers write in the vernacular that is commonly spoken, and the ancients did not write in this way, so the historical change of language is a very decisive force. The reader may not feel it so clearly, and the writer is very sensitive to the issue and is at the same time subject to the evolution of language.
"Vernacular literature grows gradually with the writing of modern writers, and gradually develops in a process of perfection, and I think in my personal opinion, I think this process has not been completely completed until today. The language we use is a newborn language, accompanied by a new era, a new form of social life. Underneath the big aspects, there are many specific and subtle changes in these styles, for example, there are many writers who incorporate dialects into the written language, such as Lao She, which we know, such as the more recent Wang Shuo. Then there are some local languages in writing, which are not exactly a written language, that is, the standard kind of written language writing, and it is to incorporate a lot of spoken dialects into the writing, so that the literary language becomes very vivid and rich, and the meaning conveyed becomes more subtle. Sun Ganlu introduced.
The application of language may be a bit distant for the average reader, but it is constantly played out in some life scenarios. When we appreciate foreign films, perhaps with the help of subtitles, the sounds heard in our ears are very different from the daily experience of being Chinese. So sometimes, you still want to watch China's own TV series, movies, and listen to your native language. It's like meeting a fellow countryman in a different place, and speaking about dialects and rural sounds can evoke subtle and intimate feelings.
The sound contains details and touch, which can awaken you to precious moments in the depths of your memory and life experience in an instant. How are the precious moments of life reflected in the written word? As a very important part of reading, most readers may not be sensitive to it, but countless writers have put a lot of effort into it. Therefore, reading literary works, it is not enough to focus only on the background of the times, the image of the characters, life experiences, family relations, the times and some aspects of social life. The information we speak of is expressed and presented through the language used by writers, and the information carried by language is as precious as the content itself.
Mr. Shen Congwen, Mr. Lin Jinlan, Mr. Wang Zengqi, contemporary mr. Acheng, Mr. Wang Shuo, these writers who are very rich in their personal style in language, their novels are also conveyed to us. In addition to the content of the context of the era of social life they describe, the language of their work itself has become a very important object of study, because style contains the personal characteristics of the writer, and this quality is actually a very significant quality of the content of the spiritual life of the era he reflects.
"You should be vigilant about popular readings"
Regarding reading, there is also an interesting topic, "how to look at those literary and artistic works, how to look at the interpretation of a book by some scholars, experts or insiders."
"Of course, I think the research and recommendation of professionals is very important. Because they are doing this professional work, we can rely on or rely on their experience and insight. But as we all know, a lot of times those books are printed and published. Novels, poems, or essays, in fact, are not written satisfactorily. So how to judge these works, I don't think it is necessary to be completely superstitious. We know that there are many ordinary readers who are not engaged in this profession, who are not doing professional writing, or who are engaged in reading and research, but in fact they also have a high appreciation and good taste. It is also a well-read book, and the insights are also very exciting. Sun Ganlu said.
This begs another question: "Are these works worth reading?" Is it worth the time worth the money to buy it back? "We should recommend good works to people we trust, or to recommend them to us by people we trust, but some works that are really valuable, worth reading again and again, or that have an impact on our spiritual life, are actually very rare." Therefore, in the daily reading life, it is necessary to maintain the mentality of screening and vigilance of works.
Sometimes, we are easily influenced by certain publicity or the recommendation of a celebrity, or a kind of best-seller list. Of course, this is not all worthless, but we should maintain a certain vigilance against popular readings. In fact, ordinary readers and professional readers have an important commonality, that is, the basic human feelings, and the most important thing in literature is to appeal to this.