Evaluation
"Water Margin" is also one of the four famous novels in ancient China. Its literary achievements have been praised by many literary critics of later generations.
1. Ming and Qing dynasties
Jin Shengtan, a literary critic in the late Ming Dynasty, combined "Water Margin" with "Li Sao", "Zhuangzi", "Historical Records", "Du Fu's Poems", " "The Romance of the West Chamber" is collectively called "The Book of Six Talents".
Li Yu designated "Water Margin", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Journey to the West" and "Jin Ping Mei" as the "Four Great Books". But he himself had a very low evaluation of Song Jiang. In his annotations, disparagement of Song Jiang can be seen everywhere. Later, some people called the "Four Wonderful Books", together with "A Dream of Red Mansions" and "The Scholars", the "Six Wonderful Books".
There is a popular saying among the people: "If young people don't read Water Margin, old people won't read Three Kingdoms." It means that young people should not read "Water Margin", otherwise they will easily yearn for a life of fighting and killing, and blindly admire force and rivers and lakes. Loyalty, excessive rebellion, and divorce from reality;
The elderly should not read "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" because the characters in it are good at using tricks, deceit, and intrigues. As elderly people who should keep their promises, they should live in peace. In your later years, you can't think about scheming others all day long, it's not good for yourself physically and mentally.
2. Modern times
In the 20th century, in addition to commenting on the literary achievements of "Water Margin", literary critics also began to become interested in the social conditions and values ??reflected in "Water Margin" .
In the early 1930s, Lu Xun once commented on "Water Margin" in "San Xian Ji: The Changes of Hooligans": "The word 'xia' is gradually disappearing, and bandits are rising, but they are also chivalrous people. They Their banner was "Practice for Heaven." They were against treacherous officials, not the emperor, and those they robbed were civilians, not generals. When Li Kui robbed the court, he used his ax to chop off the heads, and the people he chopped were the spectators. .
A "Water Margin" makes it very clear: Because they did not oppose the emperor, they were recruited as soon as the army arrived to fight other bandits for the country-the bandits who did not "do justice for heaven" went away. . Finally a slave."
From a historical perspective, the focus of the debate on "Water Margin" is the main character Song Jiang's idea of ??"loyalty to the emperor and serving the country". The negative view generally believes that Song Jiang's thoughts have their limitations. After being recruited, the heroes of Liangshan went to conquer bandits from various places for the imperial court. Their end was tragic, which was a historical tragedy. The work praised and beautified Song Jiang, and only opposed corrupt officials, not the emperor, emphasizing that " Loyalty" shows serious ideological limitations.
Positive views generally believe that Song Jiang's thoughts were more advanced than other reckless heroes and could play a positive role in the society at that time.
In 1975, Mao Zedong also commented on the values ????of "Water Margin": ""Water Margin" only fights against corrupt officials, not against the emperor, and it shields the one hundred and eight people. Song Jiang surrendered, engaged in revisionism, and changed Chao's Juyi Hall into Zhongyi Hall, which made people recruit him. The struggle between Song Jiang and Gao Qiu was a struggle between one faction and another within the landlord class.
Song Jiang. If you surrender, go and fight Fang La." He also said: "The good thing about the book "Water Margin" is that it can be used as a negative teaching material to make people aware of the capitulationists." His remarks once caused a "commentary" in China. Water Margin "Movement". At that time, there was an official view that "Water Margin" was a book that promoted capitulationism; Song Jiang implemented a capitulationist line and negated Chao Gai's revolutionary line.
Chao Gai and Song Jiang were fighting on two lines. Song Jiang rejected Chao Gai after he went up the mountain, and the 108 people did not have Chao Gai’s name or his status.
Extended information:
1. Introduction
"Water Margin" is a Chinese chapter novel written in vernacular, and is listed as one of the four major literary masterpieces of classical Chinese literature. One, one of the Six Talents Books. Its content tells the story of the green forest heroes headed by Song Jiang in Liangshanbo, Shandong Province in the Northern Song Dynasty, from being forced to live in the grass, to growing and growing, to being recruited by the court, and conquering the east and west.
Also known as "The Complete Story of Water Margin of Loyalty" and "The Story of Jianghu Heroes", generally referred to as "Water Margin", the whole book was finalized in the Ming Dynasty. The author has always been controversial, but it is generally believed to be written by Shi Naian, while Luo Guanzhong edited it, and Jin Shengtan deleted and revised it into a seventy-chapter version.
2. Influence on later generations
1. Social influence
The description of Zhao An in "Water Margin" once had a negative impact on some rebel leaders. For example, Zhang Xianzhong was favored in Gucheng, which means that he "worked hard for the royal family and imitated the story of Jiang Shui Margin in Song Dynasty" ("Chronicles"). But in comparison, the positive impact of "Water Margin" on the peasant uprising is still the main.
Batches of rebels used "Water Margin" as a textbook for the uprising, drawing strength from it and raising the banner of armed struggle. According to existing records, starting from the fourteenth year of Wanli (1586), the influence of Liangshan heroes on the rebels can be seen.
Especially in the great peasant uprising in the late Ming Dynasty, the slogans of the Water Margin heroes have been widely written on the rebel flags of the peasant army. Many rebel leaders adopted the names or nicknames of the "Water Margin" and became A spectacle in the history of Chinese peasant uprisings.
It was not uncommon for rebels in the Qing Dynasty to use the banner of "Water Margin" later. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Tiandihui, Xiaodaohui, Boxer Rebellion, etc. were all influenced by "Water Margin". There is no work that can compare with it in the history of Chinese novels and even in the entire history of Chinese literature.
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2. Literary influence
"Water Margin" is the first full-length novel written in vernacular Chinese in Chinese history, setting a precedent for vernacular chapter-style novels.
As a new literary style, it has established its due position in the field of literature and begun to gradually change the face of the literary world, which is dominated by poetry. From the perspective of novel creation, it, together with "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", established the national form and national style of ancient Chinese novels, which was loved by the broad masses of the people and formed the unique aesthetic psychology and appreciation habits of the Chinese nation.
But it is closer to life than "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". The author began to focus on urban society, daily trivial matters and ordinary characters, focusing on portraying the layers and fluidity of the characters' personalities, and skillfully using them. It became the vernacular and promoted the development of the art of ancient Chinese novels in many aspects.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-"Water Margin"