Grass and trees, landscape poems and character biography

Grass and trees, landscape poems and character biography

www.toutiao.com 2024-05-01 03:59

Book shadow of the novel "Grass and Trees".

Lao Teng's novel "Grass and Trees" (published by Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House and Writers Publishing House in February 2024, selected as the recommended book list of "China's Good Books" from January to February 2024 released by the China Book Critics Society), focuses on the wonderful picture of rural revitalization in the new era, writes about the transformation and rebirth of the ancient village of the Northeast Border Post Station, and highlights the theme of "being friends with plants and trees, and being close to the soil".

How can the new vernacular narrative make new breakthroughs? This requires the author to give full play to his own strengths and make new discoveries in content and form. Relying on his own abundant and unique plant knowledge in Northeast China, Lao Teng chooses the narrative and structure of plant chapters, uses plants and trees as metaphors for people, and simulates people to write the basic external style and internal character of each plant and tree, and then connects the characteristics of a plant with the character, spirit and temperament of a person by "things" and "people", and opens up the spiritual relationship between plants and people. This is a new narrative dimension that provides a mirror for us to understand the world of plants and trees. The flowers and trees in the author's pen are not only alive, but also spiritual, and even have temper and pain. In the past, we often said that "plants and trees are ruthless, and people are affectionate", but in this work, both plants and people are "affectionate", because the author pours his love for nature and his love for the plants and trees in the northeast border into all things in nature.

The novel uses the first-person "I" as the narrator to convey the author's heart. After graduating, I was admitted to the Provincial Department of Natural Resources, and then came to Xuli Village, Yanjiang Town, at the eastern foot of the Xiaoxing'an Mountains, to participate in a village-based work plan. In the "Introduction", "I" middle school biology teacher said: "Similar to the social existence of human beings, in the plant world, each species has its own meaning and value, and the connection between the two undoubtedly adds a prism to our understanding of the world." In the following chapters, the author unfolds the relationship between the unique plants and trees and characters in the northeastern frontier in turn, telling the story calmly and calmly, and finding corresponding characters for plants such as bowl flowers, tower flowers, poplar iron leaves, fountain pen water flowers, Dazixiang, broom plums, etc., and also gives the characters a "reliance" from nature.

Where does the author's love for plants and trees come from? The edification of the excellent traditional Chinese culture is a key factor. In his creative talk, he said that he admired Zhuangzi's view of "waiting for life and death, all things are together", and believed that all things have spirits, heaven and earth cannot be bullied, and people and all things should be a community with a shared future. He likes such a poem very much: "Look at the flowers blooming in the morning and the trees are red, and see the flowers falling and the trees are empty, if the flowers are compared to the things of the world, the flowers are with the things of the world." These are the ideological and cultural sources of his strong love for plants and trees. The second stems from his life experience, as well as his habit of observing, experiencing, and discovering. In addition, the author has lived in the northeast border, he has gone up to the mountains to pick fruits, down to the river to touch fish, is familiar with all kinds of plants and trees in the northeast countryside, and from familiarity comes out of love. He said that every time he leaned down to observe and get close to a certain animal or plant, he would be pleasantly surprised, and even feel like it was a telepathic plant. The plants and trees have given him endless creative inspiration, as well as long thoughts and emotions. The love of plants and trees is also the love of characters and hometown, which makes his works have touching artistic power.

The artistic power of "Grass and Trees" is also based on the fact that the work has the characteristics of "landscape poetry". Vernacular literature should show the customs and customs of a specific era and a specific region. However, some of today's novels don't pay much attention to the depiction of landscapes. The reason for this may be that many writers believe that novels are about telling stories and writing characters, and the relationship between scenery and stories and characters is not strong. Scenery is often regarded as an "idle pen" or "embellishment" in fiction, which is dispensable. This may be a misunderstanding. In fact, the story, characters, and environment are regarded as the "three elements" of the novel, and the environment includes the natural environment, the social environment, and the human environment. The natural environment is inseparable from the description of the landscape. Especially in vernacular novels, specific landscape descriptions are indispensable. It is the embodiment of the author's writing and writing skills, which can highlight the characters and reflect the local characteristics. Excellent landscape descriptions give people an audio-visual enjoyment, which is pleasing to the eye, can enhance the beauty and emotional concentration of the work, thereby enhancing the artistic charm of the work, and can also arouse the reader's emotional resonance and aesthetic awareness, so as to cultivate the reader's aesthetic appreciation ability.

The descriptions of the scenery and customs of the Northeast in "Chronicles of Plants and Trees" are often paragraphs of beautiful texts and landscape poems. The large and small Xing'an Mountains and the Changbai Mountains are undulating, with green pines and cypresses, which are magnificent and colorful. This is an important source of Lao Teng's creation, and he has a profound experience and deep emotions. For example, the novel emotionally depicts the different scenery of the birch forest throughout the year:" The birch forest in spring smiles and looks forward to it, and the first leaves are as tender as a girl's skin; the birch forest in summer smears the green to the extreme, which is purified by nature, which can melt all the knots of winter and make people stretch; the birch forest in autumn is full of gold, building a luxury world of real money and silver, which makes people feel like opening the mountain gate of Alibaba; ...... the birch forest in winter makes the ice and snow soft and warm.

Of course, the love of plants and trees and landscape poetry are inseparable from people. People are the decisive factor in a novel. In fact, "Grass and Trees" is also a "Character Chronicle", and the novel has created a series of vivid characters from "things" and "people", adding new luster to the corridor of character images in vernacular literature. In the novel, "I", as the protagonist, is not only a witness to rural revitalization, but also a witness and builder. "I" came from the provincial capital to the remote Xuli Village, working in a simple and low-key manner, humbly asking for advice, and partnering with the village director Shao Zhentian, the two of them performed their own duties, both with a clear division of labor and full cooperation. In the process of growing up, "I" truly realized the huge energy hidden in the people, truly perceived the depth and continuity of rural ethics, and truly appreciated the new atmosphere and new fashion brought to people by the profound changes of the times. "I" witnessed the continuation of the ancient post road and witnessed the new vitality of a village. "I" is a collection of multiple characters, "a cow tendon grass on the post road, looking at everything that happens in the ruins in a prostrate posture". In addition, Shao Zhentian, a trumpeter nicknamed "Whistle Blowing", was ordered to be ordered in danger of "difficult birth" in the election of the village director, and was elected with a high vote, which was expected by everyone. He is a powerful person in the village, serving the villagers indiscriminately, winning support and trust. He loves life, is humorous, witty, good at talking after a break, and the problems and troubles he encounters at work are just "tigers eating grasshoppers - a piece of cake" in his opinion.

The characters in "Grass and Trees" have no distinction between high and low, no simple binary opposition, they have their own survival wisdom, life trajectory and life logic. The author pays attention to the depiction of the character characteristics and the portrayal of the inner texture, effectively avoiding the conceptualization and typology of the characters, and both the main characters and the secondary characters have their own styles and distinct personalities, which leave a deep impression.

(Author: Wang Weiping, Vice President of the Chinese Modern Literature Research Association)