This is a very strange novel. The heroine sits in front of the fireplace and smokes in winter. Through the smoke, she saw a point on the wall. She repeatedly guessed what it was, so countless "unconscious hallucinations" flooded in. It doesn't matter what it is, what matters is that the author shows the complicated flow of consciousness in the spiritual world. The author always thinks that the task of art is not to reproduce the objective world, but to show the reflection of the objective world in people's psychological consciousness, and to show the richness and complexity of feelings, feelings, associations and imagination. This artistic concept has been fully reflected in this novel.
The writing characteristics of the novel Spot on the Wall.
1 The spots on the wall are inner monologues. I saw a black stain on the wall, and my consciousness drifted away. Later, I discovered that the stain turned out to be a snail. Whether this spot is a snail or something else is actually not important in the novel. What is important is that this objective thing "snail" acts as an opportunity for the "I" consciousness to turn, making "I" connect seemingly unrelated fragmentary thoughts into one.
Seeing a point on the wall triggered a series of rambling free associations. Thinking of the impermanence of life, thinking of Shakespeare, thinking of collecting antiques, thinking of the growth of trees, consciousness flowing freely, and finally returning to that point, it turned out to be a snail.
After reading Spots on the Wall, think about the difference between stream-of-consciousness novels and traditional novels.
1 Stream-of-consciousness novels break the traditional way that writers introduce characters, arrange plots and comment on their psychological activities, focusing on the process of various streams of consciousness. It often takes pen and ink as the center to explore the inner world of characters, especially the flow of consciousness of characters. The Spot on the Wall describes a series of rambling reverie caused by the hero seeing a spot on the wall. It uses the inner monologue to analyze the inner mystery in the first person, which condenses the concern about the exploration of the soul world of the characters. In addition, the stream-of-consciousness novel advocates canceling the plot of the work and letting the characters directly carry out their own conscious activities. In stream-of-consciousness novels, even the description of environment, appearance, manners and personality is not described by the author, but expressed by the characters' own memories, experiences, perceptions and imagination.
Free association is another artistic feature of stream-of-consciousness novels. Free association includes the interweaving and flowing back and forth of facts and dreams, reality and memory. Stream-of-consciousness novelists directly absorbed the theory of "free association" from Freud and regarded it as one of the basic methods of their own creation. General normal association is the reflection of the human brain on the relationship between objective things. When using free association, stream-of-consciousness novelists show the characteristics of jumping, randomness, suddenness and irregularity. Spots on the Wall describes that the hero sees the spots on the wall, and his thoughts rush in, thinking about the impermanence of life, Shakespeare, collecting antiques, the growth of trees, and the free flow of consciousness. Finally, he returns to the spots and turns out to be a snail. This series of "free association" shows the randomness and jumping of the stream of consciousness in the hero's mind.
Breaking the boundaries between time and space, three-dimensional narration and multi-level structure are another feature of stream-of-consciousness novels. Although flashbacks in traditional novels reverse the time sequence and break the boundaries of time and space, the time sequence is still normal and orderly in a specific "memory" period. Stream of consciousness novels are different. When they express the inner world of the characters, they turn the past, present and future upside down, and even infiltrate each other, forming a multi-level structure in time and space, which is quite three-dimensional. There are a lot of "memories" in stream-of-consciousness novels, and often many memories collide with each other, showing the sudden change of characters' consciousness activities. The daydream of the protagonist in the novel "Spot on the Wall", "Spot" has become the intermediate medium for the protagonist to turn from one thought to another, thus making the description conform to the psychological track and making the work inherently harmonious.
Woolf denies the objectivity and reality of life and emphasizes "inner truth". She believes that "life is a halo, a translucent layer that always surrounds our consciousness". On an ordinary day, an ordinary person's "mind" will receive thousands of impressions about Qian Qian-tiny, strange, fleeting, or carved with a sharp steel knife. These impressions come from all directions, just like countless dust falling in waves. This is real life. Therefore, writers who take life as their own responsibility will go deep into the character consciousness, and their works will be "no plot, no comedy, no tragedy, no routine love interspersed, no final ending." She appealed: "Let's record thousands of tiny dust in the order of falling, and let's trace everything and every scene back to consciousness (no matter how irrelevant or incoherent it seems)."
Stream-of-consciousness novels focus on exploring people's soul world, and often explore the mysteries in people's hearts through their inner monologues and free associations. The flow of consciousness of characters is not limited by objective time and space, and it has great leap. According to this feature of stream-of-consciousness novels, write a topic by yourself and practice writing a short article describing the flow of people's psychological consciousness.
Beauty and madness-Virginia? The Biography of Woolf said, "For most people, Virginia? Woolf is a typical familiar stranger. Because few people can read through one of her novels, her narrative method of stream-of-consciousness novels will scare away readers, especially impatient readers, because reading her stream-of-consciousness novels "requires readers to have all kinds of skills, otherwise it will be difficult to understand, at least not to read its charm and profound meaning." "The Spot on the Wall, as a masterpiece of pure stream of consciousness, enjoys a good reputation in Chinese and foreign literary circles. It appeared with a brand-new look, and immediately conquered the readers and the world with a brand-new look. "It can conquer readers, what is the reason for conquering the world? Just because of its novelty and its reaction to tradition? Let's take Spot on the Wall as an example to explore the strangeness of stream-of-consciousness novels.
Woolf's stream-of-consciousness novel is an unconventional characterization method, which focuses on describing the process of stream-of-consciousness and showing people's spiritual world, making it difficult for readers to see the "characters" and even the specific image of the protagonist. Therefore, we must first look at the author's "I" in the novel. "Damn war, let this war go to hell!" One sentence is enough to make readers realize that I hate war. Then, a seemingly unrelated but actually war-like idea popped up: "However, in any case, I don't think we should let a snail lie on the wall." War is as disgusting as a snail. "alas! God, how mysterious life is; How inaccurate this idea is! How ignorant human beings are! To prove how we can't control our personal belongings-how accidental human life is compared with our civilization. " This is a sad and helpless sigh brought by the war. "Why on earth do people want to be reborn here instead of there, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to concentrate, groping between the giant toes at the foot of the grass? As for what is a tree, what is a man and a woman, or whether there is such a thing, people will not be clear in another 50 years. " What a sad sadness this is. "The man's point of view dominates our lives. It sets the standard and Whitaker's pecking order table. According to my guess, after World War II, it has brought a phantom flavor to many men and women. We hope that soon it will be ridiculed like a phantom, mahogany cabinets, Landseer prints, God, the devil and hell, and sent to the garbage bin, leaving all of us with an intoxicating sense of illegal freedom. " What a strong desire this is. "Although no one likes to do so. Everything has certain rules. " How I hate those strict and numerous rules. Can't you understand "I"' s feelings about the real society at that time between the lines? A few "I like" in the thirteenth paragraph of the novel, what a wonderful imagination. Only from these places can we know that "I" is a woman who hates war in the world war, is strongly dissatisfied with the reality of unrest, people's poverty and lack of freedom and equality, is extremely disgusted with the hypocritical and depressed social atmosphere, and longs for a stable and quiet life.
The History of World Literature, edited by Zhang Liangcun and others, said: "Woolf's novels reflect the subtle changes in the spiritual world of the characters in symbolic and suggestive ways, and express the meaning and value of life. Waves show the flow of consciousness of characters changing with time in a day, symbolizing all stages of life; To the Lighthouse symbolizes the window of observing life with the' window' of the material world, and the' lighthouse' symbolizes the life of alternating light and shade. "I think Spot on the Wall is also a symbol of the war with Spot, reflecting the reality and expressing my yearning for a better life. Let's look at this passage in the novel:
Someone leaned over and said to me, "I'm going out to buy a newspaper." "Really?" "But there is no point in buying newspapers ... there is no news. Damn war, let this war go to hell! ..... but in any case, I don't think we should let a snail lie on the wall. "
It is obviously suggesting that "I" lived in an era when there was only war news in the newspaper. "According to my guess, after the war, it (referring to Ke Huite's orderly list of young and old) has taken on the flavor of a phantom for many men and women. We hope that soon it will be ridiculed like a phantom, mahogany cabinets, Lanser prints, God, the devil and hell, and sent to the garbage bin, leaving all of us with an intoxicating sense of illegal freedom-if there is freedom ...", here is also a clear hint for readers. "I" and the tenant who was talking about art suddenly "broke up". As soon as I left, "no one saw them again"; "How difficult is it to control personal belongings?" For example, "The light blue jar, birdcage, iron skirt hoop, steel roller skates, coal bucket, billiard table and clavichord in Queen Anne's time have all been lost, and some jewels have also been lost." People can't help asking, "Who wants to be here instead of there, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to concentrate, groping under the grass and between the toes of giants?" As for what is a tree, what is a man and a woman, or whether there is such a thing, people will not be clear in another 50 years. This is a society where it is difficult to control one's own destiny and the people are poor. Also, at the beginning of the novel, why did "I" see the illusion that "a bright red flag is flying on the castle tower" and "countless red knights ride on the slope of the black rock wall like a flood"? According to Freud's analytical psychology, we can know that the world war will definitely involve everyone, and actions such as eating, wearing and even traveling in daily life are also affected by the war. The topic of conversation is inseparable from war. News editorials in newspapers are all wars, and the research of intellectuals must also serve the war. People living in the shadow of war see the spots on the wall and immediately have the illusion of the battlefield, which is an inevitable law of psychological activity. This is an imagination that has no predetermined purpose and cannot be generated automatically. An association that psychologists call unintentional imagination. When we see these hints, we can understand why "I" daydream about spot: I want to find out what spot is, but I think I broke up with my tenant suddenly in a hurry, and I will never see you again, just like the old lady and the young man I met by train; But I thought of "how uncontrollable private goods are"; But I thought, "Why on earth should people be reincarnated here instead of there?" . Aren't these obvious phenomena and psychology brought to people by the war? So "I" want to know what that spot is, but it is actually a symbol that "I" want to know what war is. "Nature ... secretly urges us to take action to end those thoughts that are easily excited or painful. ..... However, we might as well look at the spots on the wall to interrupt those unpleasant thoughts. " There are obviously "exciting or painful thoughts" here, which refer to those thoughts that want to find out what war is and what its causes are. Although "what is war" has always been a puzzle to me, I personally saw and felt its influence on my material life and spiritual realm. Look at the end, "Oh, the spots on the wall! That's a snail. " Contact "damn war, let this war go to hell!" ..... but in any case, I don't think we should let a snail lie on the wall. "The two subconscious suddenly come out, we can know that here is another hint that the spot symbolizes war. Therefore, although Spots on the Wall hints at the explanation of time in the hero's spiritual experience and does not specify the specific place, the full text never directly describes the natural environment and social environment, but the real society reflected in the novel is clearly presented to readers. What the author wants to tell people has also been clearly expressed.
The structure of Woolf's novel "no story, no comedy, no tragedy, no routine love, no final ending" makes it difficult to clarify the thinking of the novel. Some people think that novels are just a bunch of loose and unrestrained consciousness, and they are novels without plots. The novel begins with recalling the illusion that I saw sunspots drinking tea and smoking by the fireplace and watching the beating flames through the smoke in the ancient European battlefield. Then, I used a lot of space to describe what I wanted to find out, what was the cause of the spots, and why I couldn't find the reasons for these two problems. Because I couldn't find them, I turned to imagine the spots as boards in the sea to imagine that trees could grow freely, peacefully and happily and realize their own values. Later, someone told me that "I'm going out to buy a newspaper" interrupted my series of conjectures, associations and imaginations about Spots, and aroused my inner disgust and hatred for war. I don't think it should continue, just as we shouldn't let snails climb the wall. Finally, it ends with the discovery that the spot is a snail, which clearly implies that the spot symbolizes war and is as disgusting as a snail. The novel begins with "watching", centers on describing the stream of consciousness around the point, and ends with pointing out the symbolic meaning of the point. The illusion of "watching" at the beginning echoes the end of "watching is a snail", and the illusion of "Ancient Battlefield" at the beginning echoes the curse of "to hell with war" later. Spots are used to symbolize the unpredictability and unpredictability of war, and snails are used to describe the abomination and hatred of war. This article has hinted many times that the novel and peculiar conception, clever implication, clear thinking and rigorous structure are enough for readers to see that the writer's unique ingenuity overwhelms everyone. Therefore, although there is no ups and downs, twists and turns and fascinating love story in the novel, there is neither a tearful tragedy nor a happy ending. On the other hand, the writer takes the point as the axis, connecting "every emotion, every thought, every feature of the soul" and "changeable, indescribable and undefined inner spirit" into a river of consciousness to express the essence of society and profound themes. His ability to organize materials and his carefully conceived skills cannot but be admired.
Spots on the Wall is a pure stream-of-consciousness novel, which is a pure stream-of-consciousness description of "I". These consciousnesses have enriched the author's profound knowledge and cultural background, his understanding of the world and life, his observation and understanding of the society at that time, and his profound and unique experience of natural scenery. So, for example, the ancient battlefield illusion at the beginning of the novel, is that the truth of World War I? Absolutely not; That's a noble family's lady, who knows Tang well? Gifford and other books to describe this illusion. The second paragraph "hangs a small portrait-a portrait of a lady with white powder on her curly hair and pink on her face and lips like red stone and bamboo flowers." "This imaginary portrait is actually a portrayal of his noble wife's life. In the fourth paragraph, I guessed that this spot might be caused by ... rose petals, and immediately thought of "I am not a vigilant housekeeper", so I thought of "dust on the fireplace", which reminded me of "such dust buried Troy for three layers" and then "caught the first fleeting thought ... Shakespeare", which is the life reality and historical and cultural background of my aristocratic housewife. Talking about Botany "-"Say … a flower is blooming "-probably planted when Charles I was in office-purple flowers-dress up your image-adore your image deeply, and secretly, not openly, the mirror is broken. When the image disappears-only others can see this person's shell-how boring and superficial the world will become, and it is impossible to live in such a world-future novelists ... will become more and more aware of the importance of these ideas-(modern people) exclude the description of reality from the story-and think that this knowledge is innate, which is what the Greeks think. In these associations, we can see the author's observation angle and unique understanding of the world and society as a literary critic, the author's dissatisfaction with the suppressed social atmosphere at that time, and the author's criticism that literature cannot reflect reality. " Everything has certain rules ",such as" the rule of tablecloth is that it must be made of carpet ". Examples of "real things" are "Sunday lunch, Sunday walk, manor house and tablecloth"; What I hope to be "ridiculed and sent to the dustbin" is an orderly list of young and old made according to the male point of view and "mahogany cupboards, Landseer prints, God, the devil and hell", which is also a reflection of the author's unique life experience as a noble woman; Appreciate the wardrobe-it comes from a tree-(the tree) grows on the grass, in the forest and by the river-(there) there are cows waving their tails, female Korean grouse swimming into the water and emerging from the water, fish swimming upstream, water beetles building dome mounds-the tree stands alone in the open field on winter nights-and small insects are struggling to climb over the wrinkles of bark, or these.
Moreover, the novel seems rambling and unconstrained, sometimes hallucinating, sometimes associating, sometimes imagining, and sometimes jumping out of the inner subconscious reverie narrative. On the surface, it has no connection and the mode is not harmonious, which often distracts the attention of ordinary readers and makes people feel puzzled and confused. But if we understand that the consciousness of the character "I" portrayed in the novel permeates the author's unique cultural knowledge and life experience, then we can understand the internal logical relationship of the stream of consciousness of "I". The red color of fire-associated with the red flag and the beating of fire-is associated with the knight jumping on the rock wall. The illusion of this battlefield is the inevitable association caused by the similarity between the two in the war; Nail marks-nails-portraits-tenants with portraits-we broke up suddenly when we said that works of art should be thoughtful-just as suddenly as we saw people on the roadside break up on the train. Don't these associations stem from the close relationship between things? Talking about botany-I said that once I saw a flower-I guess it was a purple flower-I dressed up my image in my mind-a world that can't be changed publicly-the rules in real life-Whitaker's pecking order table. How natural these associations are and how they conform to the logic of life and the law of thinking. From the perspective of pecking order-think about the arrangement between the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York; From the ancient tomb-bone-collector-retired colonel in his ability-pastor's correspondence-pastor traveling with his wife-but reading newspapers to cover up the truth. Aren't these connections so reasonable and clear because they are related? The priest's textual research on the arrow cluster is related to "the foot of a China female murderer (the foot should be the mistake of the shoe), an Elizabethan nail, a lot of Tudor clay pipe, a Roman pottery and Nelson's wine glass" collected in the local museum, because their similarities are meaningless. "I found that the spot on the wall is actually the head of a huge old nail-what can you get by doing this? Knowledge? " So we think that "our scholars are only descendants of witches and hermits", and then we think of "editorials", cabinet ministers, habits and rules. The reason is that the nonsense of scholars "squatting in caves and forests, cooking herbs, questioning voles or recording the words of stars", the misleading editorial, the deception of cabinet ministers and the shackles of rules cover up the truth of society, and the "nature" of "I" ... secretly urges us to take action to put an end to thoughts that are easily excited or painful. "That is to say, since it is impossible and painful to find out the truth of the war, it is better to think about that point. All of these "I" thoughts and consciousness have similar, causal or antagonistic relationships, and they are all so reasonable and clear-cut. How can we say that they are "mysterious, rambling, unrestrained" and "irrelevant and without trace"? Take this passage as an example. "The closer I look, the more I feel as if I have caught a board in the sea.". Because spots are like planks in the sea, I associate them with waking up to appreciate the wardrobe, and then I start to talk about grasslands, forests and rivers where trees grow-cows under trees-fish in the upstream river-water beetles on the riverbed; The sight of the tree itself-the feeling of tight and dry nature-was destroyed by the thunderstorm-and the sap dripped comfortably; This tree stands alone in the wilderness on winter nights-the leaves are closed-the birds sing in June-the wrinkled bark is covered with small insects-and finally the storm strikes, the tree falls down, and its life is not over-its one million determined lives are scattered all over the world-some are in bedrooms, boats and sidewalks-or become room siding. After men and women drink tea, this tree evokes many associations of peace and happiness. One of the reasons-relevance should also be self-evident. Of course, the second reason is that the reality is not free and restless, which leads to the negative imagination of "I", and readers need to understand it carefully.
In a word, I think: Stream-of-consciousness novel refers to the novel genre that describes the process of the protagonist's stream of consciousness in modern novels, shows his spiritual world to shape the characters and reflects the real social life. The biggest difference between stream-of-consciousness novels and traditional novels is that there is no portrait, action and language description of characters, but the process of describing the flow of human consciousness shows people's spiritual world and shapes characters. It does not directly describe the natural environment, but reflects the real face of the real society. Spots on the Wall, as a masterpiece of pure stream of consciousness, can conquer readers and the world, firstly because it shows the theme of disgust, hatred and opposition to war; Secondly, it uses clever hints and symbols to express the feelings of people all over the world who are eager for a peaceful and free life. There is also a novel technique, without the description of portraits, movements and languages, which creates vivid characters and connects the "changeable, indescribable and difficult-to-define inner spirit" into a river of consciousness, so as to show the essence of society and the talents of organizing materials and carefully conceived skills shown in profound themes.