Recently, I have been reading Mr. Akutagawa Ryunosuke's short stories. What I like best is not Rashomon, Seven Sages of Bamboo Forest or River Boy, which people often say, but the less well-known Hell Change. This article can be regarded as a review or evaluation of hell change. If I can comment on a corner of this masterpiece, the author will be deeply satisfied.
Based on the traditional stories in Japanese ancient books, this novel mainly tells the story of the "hell change" screen painted by the eccentric painter Liang Xiu, and to some extent, it is also the expression of the author's "art first" view.
Generally speaking, there are three characters in the novel at the center of contradiction, namely, Liang Xiu, Dagong and Liang Xiu's daughter. It was Liang Xiu's beautiful and sensible daughter who lit all the fuses. She is a servant of the Daigong family in Horikawa. The violent archduke lusted after her beauty, or threatened to accept her as his concubine, but she and her father Liang Xiu refused. As it happens, entrusted by CCBA, Liang Xiu got stuck in a bottleneck when painting a picture called "Hell Change", and the most crucial scene could not be completed. He asked the Grand Duke to lock a well-dressed maid in a burning car to bring inspiration for burning the maid. In revenge for Liang Xiu, Dagong locked his daughter in a car and burned her alive. Liang Xiu witnessed everything. At first, he was very sad, and the hot fire was reflected in his wet pupil. Later, he was immersed in fantasy and could not extricate himself. After the fire burned out, the autobots were reduced to ashes, but Liang Xiu finished the picture of "Hell Change" and reached a very high artistic level. The viewers were all horrified, and the archduke was livid and complicated. The day after the completion of "Hell Change", Liang Xiu hanged himself.
If we want to add a symbolic angle, I think the protagonist is a little monkey with the same name as Liang Xiu. Although its existence has no influence on the plot progress, in my opinion, Mr. Akutagawa's article is extremely refined, and there is no so-called "waste pen". Therefore, it is inevitable that the author will feel deeply sorry when he sees various articles commenting on "Hell Change" and ignores them more or less. The meaning it represents is as important as the above three words, which is in sharp contrast with the host's public welfare show in the ending. In the following, the author will try to explain the meaning of this tiny creature with personal understanding.
? The first thing that touched me was neither the writing nor the plot. Although its style is really meaningful and the plot is really bizarre, only these things will never make me like it so much. What really surprised me was its narrative style, from the plain at the beginning to the climax at the end, until it was amazing after reading it, which became the first halo of hell.
? You know, it tells the whole story from the perspective of the first person "I", which virtually sets some visual restrictions on describing fictional events. Because it is not God's perspective, it is impossible to know everything, and some details can't be comprehensive and accurate, which actually blocks many simple ways to shape the real atmosphere and adds inevitable subjectivity to some viewpoints. From my personal writing experience, telling stories from the perspective of God is far more convenient than telling stories in the first person. If it is not for practice, I sincerely refuse to write fictional articles in the first person.
Of course, this is not the real reason why it is amazing. After all, there are many writers who are good at first-person narration. What really makes me feel brilliant and can reflect Mr. Akutagawa's brushwork is another layer of restrictions on narrative setting, that is, as a narrator, "I" is a person with poor soul, not only with low status, but also with low social IQ. I can only understand the bright side, and I can also understand the hidden rules or established rules of the dark side. This is precisely a story that bases the main conflict on the hidden rules, paving the way for the formation of high-rise buildings on the unspeakable basis. Based on the restrictions set by the author, the whole story is full of misleading and filtering, but it has also become its unique charm. If all books are compared to women, hell is not a member of the vulgar powder. The author sincerely admires such writing skills.
In this way, the image of Dagong, one of the four generals, was misled: in the eyes of stupid "I", Dagong was a respectable and decent figure. Even if his ox cart accidentally hit an old man, the old man would say, "It was my pleasure to be hit by you"; Even if he let his servant stand on the dangerous post of Changliang Bridge, the servant would not walk directly over without complaint. In my opinion, these people's incredible behaviors are all manifestations of their respect and love for Dagong. However, we are far from being so stupid, and it is inevitable that we will think about the important role played by high power. Therefore, the more you praise Dagong's behavior, the more you praise him as a figure who likes to "enjoy the fun with the people", the more his dark side is exposed to readers. Like all violent politicians of that era, he was full of control over everything, and those who obeyed prospered and those who disobeyed died. It is a pity, however, that stupid and slow people like "I" have always obeyed him, so they have no chance to realize the fate of disobedient people, and they don't understand that politicians themselves are like chameleons, and they can make changes according to the situation and needs. Instead, they naively think that the temperament of Dagong is inherently kind. I don't believe the rumor that "Dagong is like Qin Shihuang or Yang Di" and "Dagong wants to possess Liang Xiu's daughter". Even in one night, "I" ran into the scene where Liang Xiu's daughter was almost raped. I have no doubt that the man who ran away in a mess was a "wise and upright" archduke.
This number, which was spoken by a fool, became a huge irony force in the stack, just like the irony in life. It seems that rhetoric is more powerful, although the "I" here is unintentional.
If my impression of Dagong only reflects the limitations of self-awareness, then my impression of Liang Xiu truly reflects the prejudice of most people against him.
In the eyes of ordinary people like "we", Liang Xiu is "grumpy" and very "obscene", which is incompatible with this world. As an artist, he didn't get much praise either. His paintings often reflect an ugliness contrary to the mainstream painting school, and many painters evaluate his painting skills as crooked ways. In this regard, Liang Xiu was "smug" and satirized them for "not understanding the beauty of ugliness".
"All great geniuses are characterized by madness," Aristotle said. This seems to be the root of "Good Play" not being understood by everyone, and it also seems to be the highest artist image that the author Mr. Akutagawa Ryunosuke wants to achieve. They don't need to please anyone, but they are free to immerse themselves in ever-changing emotional changes, crying for their works one second and laughing for their works the next. In fact, when discussing the relationship between art and consciousness, Mr. Akutagawa used more intense words. He said: "Consciousness is a form of arousing the unconscious when reaching the limit. To complete a great work, even if you sell your soul to the devil. "
If you look at this sentence in combination with the fate of Liang Xiu and Mr. Akutagawa, you will feel more and more embarrassed. They want to pursue a certain realm of their art without worry, and they can pay everything for it. But there are always some things in this world that you dare not or can't bear to pay, such as morality, such as people you love. They are so gentle and natural in your blood that you will forget that they are necessary.
From this point of view, Liang Xiu's daughter is the only light he has for the world besides art, something he can't bear to pay. He can chain a sturdy disciple for his paintings, let an owl chase others, or throw himself into his works, which is extremely painful in his dreams. He drew these scenes quietly in screaming and depression, without any apology or unhappiness in his heart. He will feel that this is what an artist should do. Compared with precise artistic pursuit, what can physical pain be? But when his daughter was burned by fire on the betel nut wool car, he really hesitated. At that moment, he forgot the art of the picture and the central picture, reverted to the identity of a father, and stretched out his hands like a beast and ran to the burning car. This is the time when Liang Xiu is most like an ordinary person in the whole article, showing his last human glory-when his daughter is about to be destroyed by his outrageous demands and the revenge and anger of the Grand Duke, all the fortresses built for art have collapsed, and only a middle-aged man living in the depths of the fortress is easy to be swayed by considerations of gain and loss.
Here is a thought-provoking plot arrangement. When the fire started, Mr Akutagawa turned his pen and ink, describing the panic and burning scenes of people around him. If this is a movie, then from the climax of the whole movie, it is most necessary to aim the camera at the moment when the protagonist reacts and distribute the camera to other minor characters. This little monkey, also called "Liang Xiu", is the one who has the longest concentration time. It rushed out of the crowd, rushed into the rising fire without looking back, and died with the girl in the betel nut wool car. At this time, the camera turned to the master Gong again, but there was no strong sadness on his face. Just a few minutes after the camera moved elsewhere, he seemed to be possessed by something, from crazy sadness to ecstasy.
When I finished reading it for the first time, I felt very strange about the above plot. Later, I thought that the monkey with the same name as Liang Xiu was obviously a metaphor used by Mr Akutagawa.
Danbo pays tribute to a human monkey. When people saw its ridiculous appearance, they took the name "Liang Xiu" as a prank. But Liang Xiu's daughter is very kind to it. When someone chases her, she will half-jokingly dissuade the pursuer on the grounds that she has the same name as my father. As a result, the little monkey became closer to her. When Liang Xiu was too busy painting "Hell Change" to visit her daughter, this little monkey named "Liang Xiu" brought her a lot of warmth.
It can be said that this little monkey appeared in the girl's life at a special time, and replaced the warmth that her father had brought her in the following period. To put it further, when Liang Xiu indulged in his art and let go of his human feelings, this little monkey filled the vacancy that would have been caused to the girl.
Privately, this is a metaphor of Liang Xiu's humanity. When it jumped into the sea of fire and was reduced to ashes, the humanity representing Liang Xiu was also reduced to ashes in the fire that killed her daughter. After the destruction of human nature, he once again indulged in the artistic realm, and his mood turned into ecstasy to appreciate the beauty of fire.
His daughter is the only fetter of his only remaining humanity; That little monkey is a metaphor for his human side. When both of them were burned, as a person, Liang Xiu also went to the land that he could never come back. At that moment, "the supremacy of art" was realized, such as the shining of holy light, which made the picture of Hell Change break through the past and reach the artistic peak.
In fact, Liang Xiu's heart should still be contradictory, just like the author, Mr. Akutagawa Ryunosuke, who clearly advocates artistic Excellence and should abandon secular concerns, but his body and mind are in secular dust. When the camera turns away, Liang Xiu should stop and reach as far as possible, but he still can't touch the flame. The fire reflected his sad face. In the scorching heat and pain, he recalled all the moments when he was addicted to art, so the fire was beautiful, and the figure on the fire was also beautiful. This would be a stunning color in his works, and he began to wait and see quietly. His expression was ecstatic, like a demon coming to the world, but his heart did not bear a pain until he was numb and painful to death.
? After the completion of the picture of "Hell Change", finally "no one speaks ill of him anymore", or feels respectable or out of sadness. In a word, Liang Xiu finally won the recognition of many people, even the monks who criticized his behavior had to admit that it was an excellent painting. After reaching a very high level, Liang Xiu finally committed suicide.
Yes, if the highest level has to pay such a huge price, how can you bear it when everything is calm, at every late night and every lonely moment?
So, although I like this story very much, I don't think it is necessary to reach the highest level. Most artists may have incomprehensible paranoia, but they must also have a heart that loves life and loves life. That is the source and foundation of art. People generally think that the moral of the title "The Change of Hell" is "one thought of an autocrat is enough to make people go to hell", but I prefer to understand it as "no one can live without care, and whoever loses love and humanity in one thought, this world is his hell".
? Mr. Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the author of Hell Change, also committed suicide in 1927 because he couldn't stand the conflict between thought and reality. Of course, this does not mean that his thoughts are not profound or mature. Maybe he is too advanced, or he pursues an ideal state too much. Maybe when he was writing the ending of a good play, he thought it would be his own ending?
(End, thanks for reading)
wasteland
At 20 18. 12.29