1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 405 "All those metaphors about growth"

"No, no, once is not enough."

Li Tuo said, "To be honest, I didn't understand your novel. I didn't understand what you wanted to say.

But I think it’s not because your novel is badly written, but because it’s too good and too profound, so I can’t understand it.”

Just as Li Tuo said.

This is indeed what he is thinking now.

After reading the article "Going on a Long Journey at the Age of Eighteen" once, Li Tuo still felt unsatisfied. He felt that he needed to slow down and digest it first, and then go back and read the previous materials again.

This is the charm of good works.

"What? You don't want to return the manuscript to me?" Jiang Xian teased.

“I just want to watch it a few more times.”

Li Tuo asked, "Why, are you in a hurry to throw it out?"

Jiang Xian nodded. "I've already made an appointment with Huacheng to give it to them before I start writing. I guess if I don't get it over to them soon, they'll have to write me a letter urging me to submit my manuscript."

"oops."

Li Tuo waved his hand, "It doesn't matter if you wait a little longer. Just let me take a look at it. I'll write you a literary review and send it to Huacheng."

"Yo ho."

Jiang Xian was surprised, "Master Tuo is willing to write a literary review for me?"

Li Tuo's literary criticism is still very valuable. After all, he is now considered an accomplished "literary critic".

You know, the existence of critics is embarrassing.

You guys are the ones who make irresponsible remarks about other people's works. Is this a profession that you specialize in?
What's the point?
Some writers say that literary criticism is just a mushroom growing on the tree of literature.

But in private, writers will secretly read criticism.

As a result, people's attitude towards critics is very contradictory.

I look down on them, but I also want to hear their ideas.

Therefore, in the literary world, most critics are not recognized by the public at all, and only a small number of critics are respected.

Some of this small group of critics are respected because they hold authority, such as Xia Yan, Feng Mu, and Mao Dun. Although writers resisted these people, they were also happy to obey them.

The rest is that people are attracted by the personal charm of these critics.

Li Tuo is one of them.

His literary reviews often attract enthusiastic and widespread attention in the literary world and among readers.

"Okay, Master Tuo, I'll wait for you to write a review article for me." Jiang Xian said.

Li Tuo scratched his head and said, "It's fine to write it, but you have to tell me more about this novel. I want to hear more of your thoughts."

Li Tuo is a man of quick thinking who often has unique insights into certain viewpoints. He is particularly interested in the works of writers with exploratory tendencies.

But some people commented that Li Tuo was enthusiastic but lacked theoretical preparation.

This is the situation at the moment.

Li Tuo wanted to understand "Going on a Long Journey at the Age of Eighteen".

But I can't quite grasp the key points.

We can only ask the author Jiang Xian to lead him into the door.

Jiang Xian thought about it and suddenly said:
"Have you ever read a novel called "The Country Doctor"?

"'The Country Doctor'? Who wrote it?"

"Kafka."

Seeing that Li Tuo didn't quite understand, Jiang Xian had to explain to him:
"'The Country Doctor' is a short story written by Kafka, which tells the bizarre experience of a country doctor who went out to see patients at night. His story inspired me, and my story 'Going on a Long Journey at the Age of Eighteen' was also greatly influenced by his story."

"Can you tell me about that novel?" Li Tuo's eyes lit up.

Jiang Xian thought about it and summarized:
"I am a doctor and I urgently need to go to another village to treat a critically ill patient. It is snowing heavily. I have made all the preparations and am standing in the yard ready to set off, but I am short of a horse to pull the cart.

My maid went round the village to borrow a horse, but I knew it was hopeless.

At this difficult moment, a divine horse descended from the sky, and a coachman came with it.

I had to use his horse to see the patient, but the coachman wanted to violate my maid and I was unable to stop him.

The carriage quickly took me to the patient's home, but due to the patient's serious injuries and his own wishes, my medical skills were unable to help him.

Then, I was locked in the patient's room by the patient's family.

Not long after, I managed to escape.

Finally, I sat in the 'earthly chariot, driving the unearthly horse', walking slowly in the wilderness.

There was nothing I could do about the possibility that I might never be able to return home.”

After listening to Jiang Xian's story, Li Tuo slapped his thigh suddenly.

"Understood!"

"Understand what?"

"I don't know, but I feel like I understand something. Your novel does have the absurd flavor of that novel."

Jiang Xian nodded. "Kafka's novel is amazing. After reading it, I realized that an article can be written in this way. If he wants the horse to exist, the horse exists. If he wants the horse to disappear, the horse disappears. There is no foreshadowing at all. It is very free. I think this is the avant-garde writing style of "LS River Goddess"."

"This comprehension ability..." Li Tuo sighed, once again conquered by Jiang Xian's talent.

Because I was inspired by Kafka, I used his writing style in my own articles.

It sounds easy, but actually doing it is different.

"What does that express? What did Kafka want to express?"

Unconsciously, Li Tuo had put himself in the perspective of a student and began to ask Jiang Xian for advice.

“I think it’s the dilemma of life.”

Jiang Xian said, “I was in need of horses to go to the doctor, and two divine horses descended from the sky to help me solve the dilemma, but the coachman who came with the horses fell in love with my maid Rosa.

I had borrowed the horse to go to the doctor, so I was unable to stop the coachman from violating Rosa in my home.

Throughout the novel, various plots like these read like paintings by Picasso, weird, distorted, and fragmented.

But if you think about it carefully, aren’t these plots metaphors for life? They are metaphors for the tragic dilemma of human existence in this world.”

"."

Li Tuo nodded thoughtfully and couldn't help wanting to go back and read Kafka's "A Country Doctor" again.

At the same time, after listening to Jiang Xian's analysis of "The Country Doctor", his perspective turned back to the novel "Going on a Long Journey at the Age of Eighteen".

Li Tuo temporarily borrowed Jiang Xian's manuscript from him, saying that he would go back and read it, and then return it to Jiang Xian tomorrow.

"You don't have to send it to me. Just mail it to Huacheng for me." Jiang Xian said, "It will save me a lot of trouble if you send it."

"Okay." Li Tuo agreed readily.

"You won't lose it, will you, Master?"

"Look what you said."

Li Tuo curled his lips in dissatisfaction, "Even if I lose myself, I can't lose your manuscript."

Li Tuo took the manuscript back home just in time for dinner.

The family sat at the table, and Li Tuo happily said to his wife Zhang Nuanxin, who is a director:

"I found a good manuscript today."

"What manuscript?" "Jiang Xian's manuscript."

"Oh." Zhang Nuanxin's eyes lit up, "What kind of status does he have to be willing to give you the manuscript?"

"Look at what you said."

Li Tuo was not happy again, "What's wrong with me? I am also considered a number one 'literary master' in the literary world of Beijing."

"Come on."

Zhang Nuanxin smiled and said, "If you say you are a leader in the literary world, others may not have any objections, but if you say you are a literary master, that's too much. Which master doesn't even have a classic masterpiece?"

"What do you mean? I'm one of the top five in the literary world?" Li Tuo slammed the table, a little angry at his wife's revelation of his shortcomings.

So you know all five, right?

The "parasites" left behind by the declining aristocracy of the Qing Dynasty and the Eight Banners descendants who are still standing firm despite their misfortunes.

Even if you haven’t read the novel “That Five”, you should know the opening line of the novel: “The new paintings in the room are not ancient, so they must be from the Imperial Household Department.”

"Na Wu" was originally a classic novel by Mr. Deng Youmei, and was later made into a TV series starring Feng Gong, Ni Ping and Niu Qun, and became popular throughout Beijing.

While the couple was arguing, Li Tuo's two daughters had already sneaked over to open his bag and looked for the manuscript inside.

"It's really Jiang Xian!" the eldest girl exclaimed.

Li Tuo’s eldest daughter just turned eighteen this year.

Influenced by her father and the social environment, she is also a literary youth and is obsessed with literature. So when she heard her father say that he had got Jiang Xian's novel, she became particularly interested.

"Going on a long journey at the age of 18"

When Li Tuo came over, the eldest daughter had just finished reading the novel. She lay on the bed, placed the manuscript on her chest, staring blankly at the ceiling with a smile on her lips.

"Girl, what are you doing?!"

When Li Tuo saw the manuscript being taken out, he immediately panicked, took the manuscript back from his daughter and scolded her.

He had promised Jiang Xian to keep it safely. If it was lost, how would he have the face to see Jiang Xian again?
However, his daughter completely ignored Li Tuo's criticism and just had a smile in the corner of her eyes.

"Dad, this manuscript is so good!"

"very nice?"

Li Tuo was stunned and raised the manuscript of "Going on a Long Journey at the Age of Eighteen" in his hand.

"You mean this manuscript?"

"Yes." The girl nodded.

Li Tuo was even more surprised. "You said this manuscript is good? Can you understand it?"

"Ah."

Seeing his daughter agree, Li Tuo's eyes suddenly changed when he looked at her.

He read the article "Going on a Long Journey at the Age of Eighteen" and basically didn't understand the key points.

His daughter said she understood it after reading it once?
Could it be that my Meng family has also produced a literary genius?

Well, Li Tuo is a pen name, and his surname is Meng.

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard my daughter say:
"I don't understand everything, but I can roughly feel that Jiang Xian's heart and mine are one."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Li Tuo became anxious when he heard this.

"Is this something a girl can say? Jiang Xian already has a wife and a family. You can't have any improper thoughts about him. You two are not of the same generation."

These days, work styles are being strictly enforced, especially at this critical juncture. Destroying other people's families is a capital crime.

"Dad, what are you talking about? How could I make such a mistake?"

His daughter was a little speechless. "I mean, I think Jiang Xian understands us young people. He writes about our young people's hearts. I think this novel is probably my favorite of his works."

"."

Only then did Li Tuo understand what his daughter meant.

I remembered the title of the novel again: Going on a Long Journey at the Age of Eighteen.

Right!

This novel is about an eighteen-year-old young man. His daughter is also eighteen, so it's no wonder that she resonates with the novel.

So, this novel is about the heart of an eighteen-year-old young man!
After figuring it all out, Li Tuo sat down and reopened the manuscript of "Eighteen Years Old".

This time, it was like mastering the method of opening a safe. By using the same method as Jiang Xian’s analysis of “The Country Doctor”, I re-deconstructed the novel “Eighteen Years Old”, and everything gradually became clear:
I wanted to throw stones at cars, or even lie down in the middle of the road to stop them, and offer cigarettes to the driver like an adult, thinking that if he accepted the cigarettes, it would mean he accepted me.
Aren’t these plots written for an eighteen-year-old?

At the age of eighteen, one has entered adulthood in terms of age, but psychologically he is still a teenager full of childishness.

They are full of love for the world, and immaturely learn to do things the adult way, but they are also rebellious and frivolous, and do things without any sense of propriety.

When I risked my life as a driver to stop the mountain people who were robbing apples, the driver just stood by and watched as if he was watching a joke. When I fell to the ground covered with bruises, the driver stole my backpack and left with the robbers.

These seemingly absurd things are the cruel reality of the world that eighteen-year-olds cannot understand.

These things were like a bomb, destroying the original values ​​of the eighteen-year-old me.

When I was eighteen, I went on my first long journey full of passion and dreams, but the reality gave me a heavy blow.

"I" wanted to find a place to rest, but after leaving home, the carriage was "my" only shelter.

"It's amazing!"

"It's amazing!"

Li Tuo slapped his thigh and kept shouting "amazing".

Jiang Xian understands eighteen-year-olds too well!

They are full of passion, but this world is full of plunder and deception.

"I" fought back desperately, but was beaten so hard that I "fell to the ground" and "could never get up again", and finally fell asleep in the carriage.

Isn't this exactly about the simplicity, confusion, frustration, embarrassment and final acceptance of young people's lives as they go along?

“Great work, absolutely great work!”

Abandoning his previous way of reading and switching to reading the article from a psychological perspective, Li Tuo could feel that all his emotions were being mobilized by this novel.

This was a reading experience he had never experienced before!

A wonderful reading experience!
Li Tuo could no longer hold back, and picked up his pen with great interest, pulling out a page of manuscript paper:
".
He has seen beautiful sunsets and the ugliness of human nature.

The most important thing is, in this journey.

He shattered the beautiful illusion of the world.

I finally understood that only by looking into my own heart can I find peace and freedom.

Jiang Xian's novel is suitable to be read once at the age of 18 and once at the age of 28.

When I read it at the age of 18, I felt that Jiang Xian understood my heart too well, the heart that was scarred but still wanted to explore the world.

I waited until I was 28 before I opened this novel again.

I still think Jiang Xian understands too well.

He understands too well the hearts of young people who have been hurt by the world.

And what I couldn't understand when I was 18.

All those metaphors about growth finally began to take shape when I was 28 years old.

"

(End of this chapter)