In the Complete Works of Lai He's Zajuan, the column of "Zawen" and the column of Lu Xun's Zawen. Nineteen articles, with different appearances, biographies, miscellaneous feelings, elegies, translations of Buddhist scriptures, scripts, political comments, prefaces, interesting books, and so on. If we distinguish by the concept of "literary papers", these can't be regarded as essays in a strict sense. A Brief Account of Aunt Zhuang's Soft Motherhood Sorrow, Good Parents One Day and Elegy of Mr. Sun Yixian's Memorial Service are literature, but they are not papers. Others can be regarded as papers, lacking literary literacy. However, the latter used some essays, with the color of essays. This is a convenient way for us to study and discuss them as extensive articles. We can see that their characteristics are:
First, the unique logic of political papers.
These articles have the strict logic peculiar to political papers, and they are thorough and irrefutable.
For example, Confucius Yue is a political paper written in classical Chinese. From the content point of view, it should be an article involved in the debate between old and new cultures, but it seems that it has not been published. From the standpoint of "new learning", the author refutes Confucius and Mencius' criticism of new culture, which is well-founded and convincing. The article sneers at the statement that "those who abandon morality and ethics are all new learners" and points out in a tit-for-tat way: "In fact, there are people who claim to be moral, saints and thieves full of Confucius and Mencius." He believes: "People's thoughts are changing day by day, and society is also changing from time to time. With the morality of 4,000 years ago, it will only be confusing to cover today's society. " Words are powerful and hit the floor.
The comparison between the old and new literature in Reading Taiwan Province Paper and Congratulating an Old Man are two important articles of Lai He, and they are obviously arguing with the defenders of an old literature. In view of the other party's accusation, find out the contradiction, analyze it, and reveal the essential difference between the old and new literature in order to convince people. For example, the object of old literature is the literati class, disdaining to have relations with the people, and it is a plaything of literati, so it may be simple and important; The new literature takes the people as the object, which reflects the urgent problems that need to be solved in modern society and cannot be understood in detail. This refutes the other party's "lengthy" attack on new literature.
The author is also good at "attacking the shield with a spear" and "An old gentleman", which obviously shows disdain for the influence of western learning in new literature as evidence of forgetting one's ancestors in new literature. Lai He first pointed out in the article "Looking at an Old Man" that it is very normal for the literature of all ethnic groups and regions to influence and blend with each other, which has existed for a long time in the history of literature. This is because "people's life style, material life style and spiritual life state have gradually changed and shifted due to the relationship between time and environment, and are manifested in their two lives (literature, painting and sculpture, etc.). ) also change at the same time ",and then he turned and said:
If you take all these away, you can spit on them, alas! I think the old gentleman must still be knocking on the stone to make a fire, lighting rushes oil lamps and reading bamboo slips. Although there are foreign sputum pots, they are useless! Another incredible thing is that the old man also uses newspapers. Although there is no smell of butter, the smell of gasoline is very strong, and it is not easy for people to escape when they see snobbery!
Is it not contradictory to refuse to absorb western, modern and progressive literary concepts and methods, and to use the products of western, civilized and modern science?
Second, concretize the image of abstract truth.
From the passage quoted above, we can see that Lai He is good at visualizing abstract truth. Readers can imagine what a ridiculous picture it would be for an old gentleman who refused to evolve in modern society to abandon the electric light, knock on stones to make a fire like his ancestors, light rushes and read bamboo slips. In addition, in the same work, the author compares the literary heritage to "a field left by predecessors to literature", saying that this field is "of course vast and has infinite treasures. If it is not cultivated and managed on an organized scale, everyone will have to dig and dig, and eventually the grass will grow in chaos. Like some rich people in Taiwan Province Province, they are not free to use only one money, and they are reluctant to give up their status as rich people. " . There are two metaphors here, one is to compare literature to a field, and the other is to compare literary activities to farming; Secondly, comparing the management of old literature with the wealth status of the rich in Taiwan Province Province shows that both are illusory and useless. This metaphor is very vivid and clear.
Lai He also inserted things, phenomena and characters' language, actions, demeanor and circumstances that happened in daily life into reasoning. For example:
Old man! Although the coolie raped your mother casually, you're welcome. That's not their cry. They were whipped and cried out in pain and hunger. In the ears of people who raped your mother before, it didn't feel anything, but it's no wonder that the old man listened again. For all the quotations in this section, please refer to Lai He's Please Reply to an Old Man, and The Complete Works of Lai He published by Pioneer Press in June 2000, Volume 3, pages 92-96.
In this way, the reason why the "old gentleman" holds old literature and is hostile to new literature and its essence are exposed to the nail on the head.
Third, facing the irony of power.
A prominent artistic feature of Lai He's creation is that his language contains irony, which is deeply ironic in both novels and essays. Zhang Zeng, another famous new literature writer in Taiwan Province, wrote in Impression of Southern Tour: "I am most interested in the moustache of Lazy Yunjun. His old gentleman's moustache is sparse, long and thin, and more and more funny. Simply put, his beard is reserved for the world. " Maybe it's the same as he wrote. Lai He's essays are the style that can best reflect his style. They are often imitated, exaggerated and ironic.
The above two quotations are both imitations and exaggerations. The previous paragraph deliberately admitted that it was logical for the other party to reject new literature, and then inferred from this logic that this "old gentleman" should be in the day of "knocking stones to get fire, lighting rushes and reading bamboo slips". In the latter paragraph, I first said "the coolie raped your mother" in the tone of the other party, which was very casual and impolite. Then I solemnly told people that this was the cry of the coolies, pain and hunger, and that "an old gentleman" was used to raping your mother's ear ",insinuating that he was also the one who rode on the coolies to dominate. I don't feel much about this crying, but I still regard this Taiwan Province province as an "ideal country", which "can meet my needs, travel freely, enjoy myself, whistle among the green mountains and green waters, and get drunk under the moonlight flowers" (Comparison of Old and New Literature in Reading Taiwan Province Paper, The Complete Works of Lai He, vol. 3, p. 89, published by Pioneer Press (Taipei) in June 2000). This is the true face of the guardian.
Irony is the most commonly used technique of Lai He. For example, in the "Reply to the Special Five Questions of Taiwan Province Provincial People's Daily", there is a sentence "The Regent's Palace, namely Hirohito of Hirohito, was the Crown Prince at that time. Yu Xingtai 1923 visited Taiwan Province Province. While proving the success of Taiwan Province's rule, it also proves that we are docile and easy to govern. It is obviously an angry accusation, but it is particularly ironic to say it in a calm and even praise tone. " Answering the question of Taiwan Province Provincial People's Daily is more intense. Taiwan Province People's Daily once asked readers two questions: First, should the Baojia system be "abolished"? When to "save"? Second, should sugarcane be "abandoned" by regional system? When to "save"? Within half a month, more than 300 replies were received, and the vast majority of people, led by Lian, advocated the abolition of the death penalty. The reasons are quite consistent and positive, that is, "the ruling class squeezes the ruled class", "the relic of the autocratic era", "infringement of farmers' rights", "outdated system" and "binding people's freedom", while Lai He advocates the preservation of different interests. The representative answer was published in Taiwan Province People's Daily No.86 on June 1 926+1October/KLOC-0. Lai He's answer is:
First, should the Baojia system be "abolished"? When to "save"?
A: Save. We are born slaves, and we like to tie ourselves with ropes. If this ancient law is abolished, we will not be able to give full play to our characteristics.
Second, should sugarcane be "abandoned" by regional system? When to "save"?
A: Save. I am a running dog fed by capitalists. If I lose this privilege, even if I am a running dog, I am afraid I have nowhere to eat.
As you can see, this is an ironic way, which not only exposes the true face of colonial rule to the world, but also grasps the essential connection between Baojia system and slavery, sugarcane regional system and capitalist-supported lackeys, and its effect is stronger and more combative than direct opposition.
The criticism of the strike in Taichung No.1 Middle School is also the use of irony and frustration throughout. The text is not long, and the record is as follows:
Before expressing my contempt, what are the results and effects of the insurance system collected before your newspaper? It is not helpful if public opinion follows public opinion and returns to reality. It's best to keep silent. But the natives have no public opinion to make it effective. This is enough to prove that the future of more than 100 indigenous youth has been realized, and only a few disciplinary inspections have been conducted. Most of them eventually became senior vagrants, vying for the position of Tian Sun Miao chef. The authorities can't bear to shut it down according to strong public opinion, so they are naturally lenient. A few people are ungrateful and still talking about it. Alas! People are not old, but they can be generous!
The meaning of this article is that before expressing my views, I would like to think about the last time your newspaper (Taiwan Province People's Daily) collected opinions on the preservation or abolition of the Baojia system. What are the results and effects? If public opinion has nothing to do with reality and comments are useless, it is better to be silent. But where is the public opinion of the people in Taiwan Province Province? Even if there is, is it effective? It is sufficient evidence that Taichung No.1 Middle School can achieve such results. The future of more than 0/00 young people in Taiwan Province Province/KLOC-even if it can develop, it is only a few disciplines and investigations. Most of them can only be high-level unemployed people, vying to be "Japanese" (Japanese) as servants. It is lenient for the authorities to close such a school according to strong public opinion (official public opinion, of course). A few people don't know how grateful they are, but they still talk about it. Alas! It is really a declining world, and people's hearts are not ancient. What a pity! Of course, the author is very indignant at the differentiated education system of the colonists and the situation of students in Taiwan Province Province as "adventure islands", but instead of denouncing what the authorities have done on the issue of Taichung No.1 Middle School, he uses a song to show that the school is so bad that it is magnanimous for the authorities to ignore it. Following this logic, it is natural to blame those who make false statements. In this way, the hegemony and hypocrisy of the colonial authorities were completely exposed.
Fourth, several works that need to be explained
In the essay column of Lai He's Complete Works, there are several articles that need to be explained separately: a brief description of Aunt Zhuang's A Day of Gentle Motherhood and Good Parents, even in a broad concept, seems not to belong to essays; The first meaning needs to be explained because it is special.
1. "Auntie Zhuang's Sorrow for Soft Mothers"
"A Brief Account of the Bitterness of Aunt Zhuang Rou" is a short biography written by Lai He to his aunt Zhuang Rou. It is written in classical Chinese, less than 1200 words, but it shows the characters' experiences and temperament incisively and vividly, with special emphasis on highlighting their moral integrity in suffering. Zhuang is the eldest daughter of a poor peasant family. She married Lai's family at the age of fifteen, and her husband died of illness a year later. A young woman 16 years old, "still arrogant (charming)" became a widow. Fortunately, I gave birth to a posthumous child. "Because of the pain above, I left a series of hopes." Therefore, "it is difficult to raise, laughter shocks, frost the ground, and the world is full of desolation." She was "teaching a language in the cradle, and her family was full of kindness", but she was "jealous of ghosts" and her son died of illness at the age of eleven. Fearing that she would be too sad, the family adopted a son for her, "to be the companion of the cold palace." She "can't stand the life without her husband and the lost service, forbearance and hard work of her aunt." Lai's family was not rich, but was dragged down by Dai Wansheng's case and caught an epidemic. "bereavement is hard to find and livelihood is difficult." At this time, Zhuang Rou "had no food and clothing after the destruction of his family, and was tired of loneliness. She doesn't have menstruation's pity, so she can be born at will, by feeling ",but she is" willing to live in poverty, not empathizing with happiness, and living an orphan's life on her fingers ". She leads an honest and clean life and doesn't look at others. "Anyone who uses clothes to compensate for daily necessities doesn't feel too hard. He has been self-motivated for 46 years, and orphans are based on this. " By the time the author wrote this article, she was 62 years old. "Housework can still run on its own." The author expressed his feelings and praised the cultivators: "However, the frost withered the trees, but I saw the old and cold pines and cypresses in the evening." There is a comment at the back of the article, written by Lai He, a teacher and friend:
The preface is concise and clear, and the author can add or subtract the order among thousands of things. Writing can do what he sees, and work together to kill two birds with one stone. Further research, he should not be a poet.
"The combination of the above works" refers to Xiao Yi Tangji written by Lai He, which is included in Lai He's prose works, and this article has the wonderful effect of "the same thing". Should it also be regarded as prose?
2. Be a good parent for a day
Good parents a day is obviously a short play script, which has all the characteristics of the script:
(1) Complete drama plot and drama structure. The plot is divided into three acts, namely "Changbao House", "Welcome at Zhuangkou" and "Enjoy with the People".
The first scene is the beginning of the plot: Chang Bao received an official document from the police station, saying that "parents and officials" would come to the village to fish, and asked the village head of Dingzhuang (similar to militia) to meet them at Zhuangkou before 8 o'clock. At this time, the water level in the stream is low and it is a good time to fish, but Chang Bao asked his men to inform the fishermen not to get off the net, even though they "eat and dress by it."
The second act is the plot development: Ding Zhuang arrives one after another, and only one or two people come back from the field. When they were a little late, the police chief was unhappy and said that this was the "usual rule". He ordered everyone to arrive at 8 o'clock and always gather at 7: 30. The latecomers argued, "Chang Bao didn't come until after 7 o'clock, and it's only 7: 45 now. We returned to the battlefield ... "The police chief raised his hand and cursed the speaker while playing. The police chief said that the officials arrived at 9 o'clock and asked everyone to be quiet and not to make any noise. He also asked Chang Bao to bring a chair by himself, and he sat down with a handle in his hand. More than a dozen sedan chairs arrived, and "parents" entered the police station with many followers who were "fat or thin, tall or short". They are drinking tea and eating snacks, and want to talk to people. He said that he had come to "play with the people".
The third act is the climax of the end of the plot. When the "parents" arrived at the fishing area, they sat at the bow and were allowed to throw bait. "Then, they surrounded the upper and lower parts with big nets to prevent it from running out." Then they ordered Ding Zhuang to go into the water to round up. Ding Zhuang had been ordered by the police chief not to take off his clothes and pants, so as not to make a fool of himself in front of the "parents", so everyone went into the water wearing clothes. At noon, "there is not a fish in the stream, and I don't know how many pounds I have caught." The "parents" sent a message that people were not allowed to go home and wait for the reward here. Instead, he asked the chef to choose fat and fresh "soup and pills" and taught Chang Bao to drink. "If the wine is half full, it will make you feel better, so you will clap your hands and sing. When you touch the glass, you will be happy." Poor Dingzhuang people, covered in water, hungry, shivering in the cold wind. Someone approached the stove to keep warm, and the director kept driving away: "That dirty body is not allowed to go near." When the "parents" are full of food and drink, "give everyone a bite of leftover food, teach everyone to use it as much as possible, and order people to send all the big and good fish to the county, and then he will give it to the yamen, and the rest will be given to everyone." When they want to go back, they all get on the sedan chair and preach in the sedan chair that they should follow this example every year. Don't forget, everyone says,' You can't forget your parents' kindness.' "
(2) Strong drama conflict. Drama conflict requires a high concentration of characters, time and scenes in the play. Here, the protagonists are county officials (parents), police chiefs and police chiefs; Time is a winter day, from morning to afternoon; The scene is Chang Bao's home, Zhuangkou and Xiaoxi. When the "parents" came for one day, they caught all the fish that the Zhuang people depended on for survival, and they do this every year. How do Zhuang people make a living? Moreover, the officer sat in the bow and Ding Zhuang went into the water; Officials eat fish and drink, and Ding Zhuang is shivering in the cold wind in wet clothes; Officials took away all the big fish and good fish, and rewarded everyone with the rest. This is their "having fun with the people"? Strong contrast forms a strong dramatic conflict.
(3) Personalized scripting language. The script is the first-person narrator, and the author must write personalized language on their behalf, just like the people in the play. Good parents do this in one day. Chang Bao's language is that the police station is obedient and somewhat helpless; The police chief is rude and fierce to Zhuang Min and respectful and considerate to his boss; "Parents and officials" are shameless, obviously greedy, plundering and enslaved, and also euphemistically called "having fun with the people"; Dante Zhuang's language hides resentment against the ruler and exposes the truth. For example, regarding the fishing methods of "parents", some people privately said, "Well, we are afraid it will be clear at this time. How will we make a living the day after tomorrow? " Others answered him, "Idiot, are you afraid he can't take everything with him?" Finally, "parents" took all the big and good ones away. The people are still too kind. I didn't expect officials to be so greedy.
In addition to the personalized character language (lines), this work also has the necessary stage description of the script. For example, the second act "Welcome to Zhuangkou" describes the appearance, movements, movements and expressions of the characters:
Ding Zhuang warden arrived one after another, only one or two people came back from other places very late, and the police chief began to arrive at the same time. The director said to them with an unpleasant look:
…………
Head line near the speaker's side, put your hands up and down, said:
…………
After a while, a dozen sedan chairs arrived, and everyone quietly saluted them. The sedan chair was carried to the police station, and everyone followed him to the police station, afraid to disperse. When the first one (the first one refers to the sedan chair) came out, the parents waddled into the police station, with fat waist and broad shoulders and fine eyes. The others, fat or thin, tall or short, got off the sedan chair together and walked into the police station with the sound of boots.
Everybody follow, salute together after taking a seat, and take a step back. They had tea and snacks. The director came out and said, "Parents want to talk, come to the front." The public came to pay tribute. Parents say:
…………
Where the abbreviation is used, there is a wire. Stage description is an auxiliary means in the script, but it is an indispensable part of drama literature. This is a narrative language, which is quite skillful, concise and vivid.
Good Parents a Day is also quite intuitive, allowing people in the play to express themselves and reveal their thoughts and personalities to the audience. For example, the police chief is cruel to the people as a tiger and gentle to his superiors as a lamb. The "hilt" in his hand is mentioned twice in the work, and this prop has endless meanings. First of all, it represents the military occupation, power rule and usurpation of Taiwan Province Province by the colonial regime. Secondly, it shows that the police are of low quality and ferocious. They always show off their authority, punish the disabled, feel guilty and uneasy, and use deterrence and intimidation to guard against people's resistance. This reflects the injustice and unfairness of colonial rule. Without the weapon in hand, it can't last a day. It can be seen from this that the works are highly mobile, and the characters' personalities, thoughts and feelings can be expressed in actions and actions.
3. First meaning
The first meaning is neither Lai He's thesis nor literary works, but the translation of Buddhist scriptures. 1923 12, Lai He was imprisoned for the police incident. He was initially held in Yinshuitang, Taichung, and later sent to Taipei Prison. There was nothing to do in prison. "Every time I talked to the jailer," I borrowed the notes of a speech by Japanese monk Otani Guangrui at the Nanman Railway Society (published by Xijiao Jiaotong-Xingjiao College in Kyoto). Although Lai He "has no faith in religion and lacks research", he "was not interested in this book from the beginning", but "there is no other way to get rid of this loneliness, so he read patiently". After reading it three or four times, he tried to translate it, but there was no pen and paper. He asked the jailer for an inch-long pencil and wrote it on dusty paper. In fact, it took four days to finish the translation, and I also made a review. Because there is nothing to do, I keep deleting the original text. After being released from prison, the translator lay in a drawer for two years. It is almost the anniversary of his imprisonment. Lai Ji remembers that there is such a thing. He thought this Buddhist book had something to do with himself, so he found it and rearranged it into The Most Unforgettable Karma. Because it was written on cursive paper with a pencil, it was revised countless times. Two years have passed, and my handwriting is a little unclear. Some of the original Japanese "pseudonyms" in Sanskrit have been forgotten now, so the rewriting is not as faithful to the original as it was when it was first translated, and it has been abridged and added the author's own opinions. But it is not clear what the original text is and what Lai He's opinion is. I only saw a passage in the third chapter "Trouble is Bodhi", which was marked "Rely on yourself" and talked about the hypocrisy of legal ethics. Perhaps because of this, the editors of The Complete Works of Lai He put it here as Lai He's work.
I don't know why these articles are put in the essay column. There may be a mistake in "Aunt Zhuang's Sorrow for Soft Mothers", and the other two works may be because there are not many such works, except novels, essays and poems, which are classified as prose.