Xu Wei (xúwèi) is a strange person, and Yuan Hongdao's "The Long Biography of Xu Wen" can also be called a strange article. Xu Wenchang is a famous poet, dramatist, first-class painter and calligrapher. He has a lofty status in the history of literature and art. But he encountered twists and turns in his life. When he was alive, although he was not an unknown person, he almost accomplished a lot of achievements, but in the end, as this biography said, "he died out of anger because of his ambition." After his death, his name was gradually forgotten. Yuan Hongdao discovered him, published a collection of his essays, and wrote a biography of him, which finally made this unknown figure appear in the world and become famous for future generations. It is no small thing that a short biography can revive the reputation of a forgotten figure. Therefore, "The Long Biography of Xu Wen" can be regarded as a wonderful article.
This article is well written, first of all, because Yuan Hongdao included himself in it and poured his own feelings into the protagonist. Yuan Hongdao can be called Xu Wenchang's true confidant. Readers can see that at the beginning of the biography, it describes Yuan Hongdao and Tao Wangling's excitement and excitement when they read Xu Wenchang's collection of poems "Quebian": the two jumped up, reading under the shadow of the lamp, and screamed at the same time, waking up all the sleeping servants. , I hate that I met Xu Wenchang so late. This kind of joy and admiration from the heart cannot help but make people feel the same infection as the author.
On the surface, Yuan Hongdao highlighted the wonders of Xu Wenchang in this biography. He was a strange person and his deeds were strange. At the end of the biography, he summed it up by saying: "I say that Wenchang has nothing to do with it. There are eight or nine places where the word "odd" is used in the biography: "It's a strange talent", "It's a strange thing", "It's a curious plan", "It's a strange thing in poetry", "It's a strange disease". "People are more strange than poems." Xu Wenchang is extraordinary, and his life is also extraordinary; highlighting his strangeness naturally captures the characteristics of this person's character and behavior. However, the main purpose of Yuan Hongdao's biography is not just this. The main theme of this biography should be the six words written in the biography about Xu Wenchang's "elegance is not in keeping with the times". The failure in the imperial examination made Xu Wenchang a frustrated and cynical person. He "tried and failed many times" and was only a scholar all his life. He "didn't aspire to be an official." Of course, he was unable to use his talents and realize his ambitions. Therefore, "The Long Biography of Xu Wen" mainly narrates such a representative intellectual in the feudal era who was unrecognized for his talent, describing his wildness and grief, as well as his tragic fate that he did not hesitate to compete with the secular world with his life. This is the main purpose of "The Long Biography of Xu Wen".
We can see the arrogance of Xu Wenchang in the legend. When he came to see Hu Zongxian, who "supervised the border troops and was powerful in the southeast", the generals knelt down and spoke, not daring to raise their heads, but he used one of his subordinates to But the scholar talked eloquently. Write about Xu Wenchang's sorrow and indignation, "arrogance of talent", "disrespect of a generation of scholars who cannot be taken seriously", etc. These are obviously not just about Xu Wenchang's strange people and strange things, but also lamenting the sufferings and misfortunes of many frustrated people at that time. "Literati in ancient and modern times have complained about hardship, but none like Mr. Ruo", this is Yuan Hongdao's true expression of emotion in his biography of Xu Wenchang. Therefore, the last two sentences at the end of the biography, although they are written "It's nothing but strange, it's nothing but strange", they still seem to highlight the word "odd", but the conclusion is an interjection: "Sad. "Husband!" Readers can naturally understand the author's intention in writing this article as to why he ends with these two words.