Chapter 234 The style of painting gradually changes
Later generations, influenced by movies, TV dramas and various information, believed that the whole country loved literature in the 1980s, and therefore thought that the 1980s was an era of great openness in literary creation. But in fact, Chinese literature in the 1980s could be said to have had a tragic fate, and it entered a state of tension three times.
Some literary magazines have received harsh criticism from above for publishing works that differ from traditional novels, including avant-garde novels.
Even a publication like Harvest, which had Ba Lao in charge, faced the fate of reorganizing its editorial department after launching two special issues on avant-garde literature in 1988. It took a full six months to turn the tide.
The accident happened at a time when the atmosphere was tense, and Lin Weimin chose a good time in early 1983 to push Ma Yuan and Yu Hua, two avant-garde writers, to the forefront. The domestic literary world was still open, and even the Literary Gazette sponsored by the Chinese Literary Association took the initiative to promote Lin Weimin. It can be said that it was the right time and the right place.
Lin Weimin’s speech today at Yenching Normal University is to implement the concept of “harmony among people” to the end.
The concept of "avant-garde literature" should be popularized as much as possible so that it has a broad mass base, so that it can have tenacious vitality in the face of possible twists and turns in the future.
Never underestimate the college students of this era. If it weren't for the fanatical support of this group of college students, Misty Poetry would never have become the most influential school in the domestic poetry world in such a short period of time despite the suppression from many mainstream poetry masters.
In an era without the Internet, Shi Zhi’s poems could become well-known, largely relying on the terrifying communication ability of these college students.
Of course, there is an even more crucial factor: the best way to allow a literary genre to take root among the people at a faster pace is to have more good works.
Therefore, Lin Weimin has recently been considering writing a work with a certain avant-garde color.
Thoughts changed in a flash. Lin Weimin's speech, which was intended to introduce avant-garde literature, gave many students in the audience a great understanding of avant-garde literature, but many students were still confused.
But sometimes, the more the situation is, the more willing people are to believe in authority.
Today, Lin Weimin is such an authority.
Although some people didn't quite understand, everyone felt that they had heard something very interesting. They had to write down the content of Teacher Lin's speech so that they could talk about it with others in the future.
After Lin Weimin finished his speech, he handed the microphone back to Zhang Jianjun, who then arranged for the students to ask questions.
After a few minutes of struggling, there was a buzz from the audience, and the students were all getting impatient.
Until the microphone returned to Lin Weimin's hands again, and after receiving the signal from Zhang Jianjun and others, Lin Weimin stood at the edge of the rostrum close to the audience.
"Anyone can raise any questions you have and we can discuss with each other." Lin Weimin said, his eyes selecting among the raised arms in the audience.
"The boy in the blue shirt and glasses, you ask the questions."
The boy in the blue shirt and glasses stood up with an excited look on his face.
"Teacher Lin, the so-called avant-garde literature that you have been promoting so hard seems to me to be largely a form of mystification, covering up your shortcomings of not being able to tell stories well and create characters well in a novel way and calling it avant-garde.
I wonder what you think of my opinion? "
The boy finished speaking with a slightly provocative expression.
There was a commotion in the audience because of the boy's straightforward question. Apparently, he was not the only student who had this idea.
Faced with the doubts, Lin Weimin had a faint smile on his face and thought seriously for a while before opening his mouth.
“This student’s question is very sharp!
You said that some works may have problems with the story being uncoherent or the characters being weak. This problem has nothing to do with whether it is avant-garde literature, but is purely a problem of personal writing ability. It's like you ordered this dish, but it doesn't taste good. This is not a problem with the name of the dish, but a problem with the chef.
In my speech just now, I mentioned several characteristics of avant-garde literature. I wonder if you still remember that one of them is the problem you mentioned. Characteristics are not only advantages, but can also be disadvantages.
The reason why I work so hard to promote this style is that I believe everyone has the right and freedom to choose their favorite literary works, you and me are the same.
Avant-garde literature should be considered one of the many literary styles in the literary world, just like when you go to a restaurant to order food, the menu should be as extensive as possible so that diners can have a wide range of choices. This is also the power and freedom of diners. "
Lin Weimin certainly had the selfish intention of expanding the influence of Contemporary when promoting avant-garde literature, just as Harvest protected a group of avant-garde literature writers such as Yu Hua, Su Tong, Ge Fei, Ma Yuan, etc., giving them the opportunity to grow and become the mainstay of Chinese literary world decades later.
What Lin Weimin is doing now is paving the way for the development of "Contemporary". As long as the group of writers he promotes can grow up as quickly as possible, "Contemporary" will gain the same status as "Harvest" in the future.
But I definitely can't express this thought openly to these college students.
After Lin Weimin finished answering the question, the boy seemed unwilling to accept it and asked, "So, Teacher Lin, do you admit that avant-garde literature has the problems I mentioned?"
"My dear student, literary creation cannot be generalized. Writing has always been a personal thing. You can't say that all the novels of Shan Yaodan School are good works, right?
I will not say that all avant-garde literature is good, nor will I say that all avant-garde literature is bad. Whether it is good or bad needs to be tested by the readers, not by me or you. "
Lin Weimin's eloquent speech and modest gentlemanly demeanor formed a sharp contrast with the boys' aggressive style.
When he said "it needs to be tested by the vast number of readers and friends", the students in the auditorium felt a sense of respect and sincerity from the bottom of their hearts.
They are all college students of the new era, with their own thoughts and judgment abilities. The quality of avant-garde literature should be evaluated by themselves, rather than like the boy just now, who wanted to criticize avant-garde literature and make decisions for others.
Many students were uncomfortable with the boy's extreme behavior. Some of the hot-tempered students interrupted him when they saw that the boy was still trying to keep pursuing her, saying, "Come on! Stop embarrassing our Normal University. Teacher Lin has already made it clear, and you are still making trouble!"
"Who is making trouble?" The boy looked indignant.
"Alright, alright!" Lin Weimin on the stage acted as a peacemaker, "Everyone, don't get angry. Let's communicate calmly."
Although he was dissatisfied with Lin Weimin's praises for avant-garde literature, the boys had to admit that Lin Weimin was indeed a very graceful person.
He is so handsome, it's really enviable!
Next, a female college student with pigtails asked, "Teacher Lin, do you think the public can adapt to the novel writing style of avant-garde literature? After all, our view of novels has long been centered on stories. Novels should pursue ideas, depth and connotation."
In comparison, the girl's attitude was much calmer than that of the boy just now.
"It takes time for any literary form to be accepted by the public, and the same is true for avant-garde literature. Avant-garde literature does not need to become the mainstream of the literary world. What I am doing now is just to provide some soil, water and sunshine for this novel literary genre. The rest will be left to the readers to decide."
Lin Weimin's answer made the girl very satisfied. She nodded and sat back.
Lin Weimin then called on two more students to ask questions, most of which were related to avant-garde literature.
Then, as time went by, the questions changed in nature.
"Teacher Lin, what ideas did you base your writing of the novel Farewell My Concubine on?"
"I actually didn't have any inspiration at the time, but it happened that a friend of mine who had poor writing skills was still writing, and I was able to write it with a burst of energy."
"Teacher Lin, can you tell us about the story behind the novel "The Horse Catcher"?"
"I had the idea for this work in my head first, and then I talked about it with my friends, and then I decided to write it. I just wanted to write a story about friendship."
…
The style of painting gradually changed.
Lin Weimin was dealing with questions from many college students. The questions after the speech were increasingly like those at a fan meeting. He looked at his watch and saw that the questions had been going on for nearly an hour. He gestured to Zhang Jianjun and others.
"Okay, students, I will stop calling on anyone to ask questions. Time is almost up, and I am very happy to have this face-to-face exchange with you all today."
At this time, Zhang Jianjun and others came to the stage, took the microphone, and prepared to end today's speech.
Lin Weimin walked down the podium from the side, but found that the students were rushing forward again, so he quickly stopped.
"Everyone, take it easy! Don't push!"
Zhang Jianjun on the rostrum shouted loudly into the microphone.
But his words were far less powerful than Lin Weimin's. Many college students in the audience expressed their demands. They finally got to see Lin Weimin, the literary idol, and everyone wanted to have more contact with him.
"Teacher Lin, tell us more."
"Teacher Lin, can you sign for us?"
“My girlfriend wants a picture of you!”
"Teacher Lin, do you have a girlfriend?"
Lin Weimin listened to the students' increasingly outrageous demands with a wry smile on his face. Seeing that he couldn't get down from the podium at all, he could only walk back to the stage.
He said to Zhang Jianjun, "It's not a good idea to have everyone gathered around like this. Go organize them first and evacuate some of the people. Those who want to sign can be satisfied, but don't take group photos or pictures. The conditions are not there for that."
Zhang Jianjun and others nodded in agreement and immediately went to organize the students in the audience.
Just like that, a good speech turned into a fan signing event in the end.
Lin Weimin sat at the table in the center of the rostrum. The students lined up below the rostrum and went up to the stage one by one with their books to ask Lin Weimin for his signature. Then they went down from the other side of the rostrum and left the auditorium.
Time passed slowly, and the number of students in the auditorium decreased little by little until it became empty.
Lin Weimin finally put down his pen and shook his sore shoulders and hands.
"Gu~" A long stomach rumbled and Zhang Jianjun scratched his head embarrassedly. The students who organized the speech, like Lin Weimin, had not eaten lunch.
Lin Weimin raised his hand and looked at his watch. It was the Swiss Plum watch given to him by Tao Huimin.
"It's already past three o'clock, it's going by so fast!" He raised his head and smiled, "You've all suffered with me today, let's go, I'll treat you all to a meal."
Several students cheered!
(End of this chapter)
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