My era, 1979!

Chapter 67: Using a trick to get the jade from the stone doesn't mean you have to throw a stone.

Before Su Liancheng could speak, Xu Chengjun looked at him and opened his mouth first: "Professor Su, I retract my hasty statement about 'not being long-term.' Scar literature is too important."

withdraw?

Su Liancheng: Do you think I believe you?

"The people have been holding back their words for ten years, and they have to speak them out. This is the conscience of literature. What I mean by 'seeking our roots' is that after this, people will naturally ask: Where did these wounds come from? What is the spiritual foundation of our nation? It's like healing the wounds first and then replenishing our vitality. There's no contradiction."

After he finished speaking, Su Liancheng nodded, agreeing that what he said made perfect sense.

Even if Su Liancheng had personal grudges, he had to admit them at this moment.

This guy is a character.

He's fucking right!

Finally, Xu Chengjun looked at Zhu Dongrun, who was his true mentor at Fudan University.

"When Mr. Zhu asked how to revitalize traditional culture, I thought about it when I was working in the countryside. For example, Fengyang Flower Drum can't just sing old tunes. We can create new pieces, singing about the household responsibility system in the village and the factory innovation in the city. Schools can offer interest classes, letting children learn to play the drums first, and then tell the stories behind them. Just like the Chu Ci that you studied, it was also sung back then. Now we are finding new voices for the old art, so that it won't wither."

Zhu Dongrun stroked his beard and nodded.

Wang Shuizhao wrote "New Stories for Flower Drum" in his notebook, paused for a moment, and then added "Application Case Study".

Jia Zhifang remained silent, but Zhang Peiheng glanced at him and his expression softened, knowing that the matter was over.
So he said, not without a hint of caution, "You're good at making amends. But in scholarship, you need to be sharp, but you also need to leave some room for maneuver."

Xu Chengjun smiled and nodded, pushing his notebook forward: "I've written down all the teachers' criticisms. I'll definitely learn to speak more tactfully in the future and learn more from the teachers about the true meaning of 'adaptability'."

Okay, this is the final debriefing.

Answer complete!

knock off!

Interview skills are something you learn over time!
The atmosphere in the meeting room relaxed.

Looking at the expressions of the "Five Great Warriors," Xu Chengjun was quite satisfied.

To engage in a literary debate with renowned figures in the field of literary studies—isn't that a path to becoming a literary giant?
Oh no, it seems to be a "sword debate".

However, Xu Chengjun's smugness didn't last long before he saw the professors exchanging glances.

You think you're so capable?

Let's see what you're really capable of!
As for the interview process mentioned earlier?

These five people represent three generations of elites from the Chinese Department of Fudan University, not to mention the older, middle-aged, and younger generations.

That's also half of the country.

Will they care about your procedures if they're happy?

It was just tough on Academic Affairs Officer Sun. This "wise man" kept twitching at the corners of his mouth, wanting to say something several times, but in the end he didn't dare to disturb the professors' fun.

There's a process! Interviews have a process!

but!
Neither Mr. Zhu nor Mr. Jia spoke. And what about your academic affairs?

Then Zhang Peiheng spoke up: "Teacher, Professor Jia, Professor Su, Professor Wang, I think this Comrade Xu is quite capable. Let's put the interview process aside for now. If there's anything we want to ask, feel free to ask. If Comrade Xu has any questions, we'll help answer them too!"

He subconsciously ignored Professor Sun's face, which looked like it had been smeared with a black pot, and watched as the professors nodded.

Then, a world was happily created where only Professor Sun was injured.

Sun, the academic affairs officer: Does the interview process not need to be recorded? Does the content not need to be filed?

Seeing that everyone agreed, Professor Zhang, having already enjoyed the pre-emptive title of "Director," smiled and said, "Then let me start by offering my initial thoughts." "Xiao Xu, in the 'Hidden Beauty' chapter of *The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons*, even Huang Shulin of the Qing Dynasty dared not make a hasty judgment on the authenticity of the supplementary text and the dialectical relationship between 'hidden' and 'beautiful.' You said you wanted to find the roots in tradition, so what's your opinion on this most difficult piece of writing? Don't just spout grand theories."

As soon as he said this, the other four professors all looked at him.

Throwing bricks?

Aren't you afraid of smashing this kid to death?
Who doesn't know that "Yinxiu" is the most controversial chapter in "Wenxin Diaolong" and is called "heavenly book" by scholars?
The core controversy, the authenticity of the supplementary text, is a difficult issue that even Huang Shulin, a renowned scholar of textual research in the Qing Dynasty, dared not easily determine, making it a "tough nut to crack" in the study of ancient literary theory!
If you're not careful, you can easily get bogged down in textual research.

You used him to take the exam for educated youth?
Moreover, Zhang Peiheng avoided generalities and went straight to the dialectical relationship between "concealment" and "showing off".

This is the core proposition of Liu Xie's literary thought, which tests not only the understanding of the original classical texts, but also the grasp of the deep logic of traditional literary theory.

To merely interpret the words literally would demonstrate a lack of scholarship.

If theoretical discussions are divorced from texts, their lack of solid foundation will be exposed.

Is it difficult?

It's rare to see flowers blooming!
This is not over yet!

Zhang Peiheng also secretly set a trap!

This question is actually asking: "You say we need to 'find our roots and soul,' but if traditional literary theory cannot solve current problems, it is just a pile of old papers."

The question, seemingly directed at "Yinxiu," actually forces Xu Chengjun to answer "how ancient literary theory was useful to literature in 1979."

This tests not only academic foundation but also sensitivity to the contemporary context; any slight disconnect will result in being labeled as "rigid and inflexible"!

That old bastard's looking for trouble!
Their intentions are malicious!
Xu Chengjun felt a chill run down his spine; they were indeed after the tough academics.

But it's okay.

He can take pulses and ask questions.

He had actually studied this article, but unfortunately...
I was also reading Zhang Peiheng's academic research manuscripts.

What a coincidence!
He composed himself and pondered for a moment: "Professor Zhang, the core of this piece lies in 'the hidden meaning, the profound message beyond the text; and the outstanding aspect, the unique highlight within the piece.'"

"The difficulty of 'Hidden Beauty' lies in three aspects. First, the controversy over the authenticity of the supplementary text; second, the tension between 'hidden' and 'beautiful'; and third, how to make this ancient wisdom useful in the present day."

The opening statement is the same old formulaic, formulaic writing style.

Thumbs up from Gui Youguang, Fang Bao, and Wang Ao!
"Let's talk about the supplementary text first,"

He looked up at Zhang Peiheng, glancing at the professors out of the corner of his eye.

“Since the Song Dynasty, some people have said that the passage about ‘the essence of concealment’ was added by later generations. But I think that regardless of whether it is Liu Xie’s original text, the eight words ‘concealment is skillful in its repetition of meaning, and elegance is skillful in its excellence’ are accurate. Just like when we read ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’, ‘foreshadowing’ is concealment, and ‘Daiyu burying flowers’ is elegance. Without either one, it would not be a good article.”

Zhang Peiheng's eyebrows twitched slightly, signaling him to continue.

Xu Chengjun: Then I'll keep pretending.

He changed the subject and looked around the room.

"More importantly, this principle can cure the current problems."

“The book ‘Hidden Beauty’ says, ‘Hidden means to hide, and beautiful means to show.’ When writing about suffering, you don’t have to cry out in every sentence. Like Xianglin’s eyes in ‘The New Year’s Sacrifice’, that’s ‘hidden,’ and ‘I’m so stupid, really’ is ‘beautiful.’ It’s the interplay between concealment and revelation that makes the story interesting.”

He paused, then said with certainty, "Western theory speaks of the 'iceberg principle,' which states that only one-eighth of the iceberg is visible above the water. Isn't this the 'implied meaning' of 'Hidden Beauty'?"

"But our 'concealment' is not about being deliberately mysterious; it is 'meaning beyond words,' rooted in the aesthetics of our nation. Just like the drumbeats of Fengyang Flower Drum, what is struck is 'show,' while the unstriked blank spaces conceal the local sentiment, which is 'concealment.'"

　Alright, the theoretical output is basically finished in these two chapters. The next chapter will wrap up the theory. The interview plot is almost over. Whether you like it or not, if you do, there will be various debates about domestic and international issues later. If you don't, this part will be over, so you can skip these two chapters if you want. I'll push the plot forward a little later, but not too fast. This book will be written slowly, so you can read it at your own pace if you like. I'm asking for more monthly votes. Yesterday, the editor said that it's basically impossible for it to be included in the Three Rivers Awards. For a newcomer, this is still a pity and a bit disappointing. Some readers have said that this writing style is just niche, self-indulgent writing, which is deserved, but I still want to be original! When it comes to writing, my original intention remains unchanged. I'm not writing for money; I just want to be happy and for the readers who like this book. I still won't plagiarize. I will borrow ideas and narrative rhythms from good books and films, but I won't copy them. A work without creative soil is like a rootless duckweed. Another bunch of rambling, but I never thought I'd get this far before I started writing this book, hahaha. Thank you for your support! It's all your fault! If everyone criticizes me, I might as well stop writing, hahaha! I'm exhausted! The good news is that I'm about to be in the top 500 in monthly votes, guys, can you let me make it onto the monthly vote ranking just once? Just once! Writing is just a hobby, not for making money, but after reading so many novels over the years, I really want to experience different lives~ It's still a little regrettable, Sanjiang!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)