Jin Shengtan has approved many books in his life and is a very famous figure.
One day, he went to Lingyin Temple in West Lake to meet the old abbot and asked for Buddhist scriptures. The old abbot said, "Buddhist scriptures cannot be approved." Later, he showed the old abbot the Buddhist scriptures, but the old abbot refused to show them to him. They argued about it until midnight. The old abbot said, "I'll make a couplet. If you're right, I'll show you the Buddhist scriptures." If it doesn't match, don't read Buddhist scriptures. " Jinsheng sighed: for newcomers, this is not digging a hole under the pot. If there was any difficulty, he nodded in agreement. The old monk made a couplet on the spot: 2: 30 in the middle of the night.
This really stumped Jin Shengtan, and he couldn't think of anything right, so he had to leave Lingyin Temple.
Later, Jin Shengtan was beheaded for the case of crying temple against grain. The day of execution happened to be August 15. He suddenly remembered the antithesis of Lingyin Temple and came up with the antithesis at the same time. He said to himself, "Before he died, Jin Shengtan finally matched the couplets sent by the old abbot. I don't owe anything in words." After that, I wrote the following sentence in prison: Mid-Autumn Festival in August.
He asked the jailer to give his next couplet to the old abbot of Lingyin Temple. When the old abbot received Jin Shengtan's confrontation, he repeatedly praised: "You are right! That's right! It's just that this person is arrogant and doesn't associate with ordinary people. This is probably why he was killed! "
The Water Margin is indeed a fantastic book in the literary history of China and even the world, so its appearance is a great event in the literary world of China. However, although it is a fantasy book, it is not justified, because China's fantasy book is taken for granted as the "Four Books" and "Five Classics" of Confucianism, Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism, and poetry and songs full of Taoist spirit and Confucian spirit with the purpose of "carrying Tao" and "preaching". The novel is just "out of office, talking about gossip and hearsay." However, a novel is a novel after all. Since there is a reason for existence, we will certainly fight for the right to development. So is the Water Margin. Since you dare to come out, you dare to let the world accept it. From Li Zhuowu's ranting about Water Margin to Ye Zhou's outrageous remarks, and then to Jin Shengtan's bizarre remarks with real flavor, the Nomura statement of Water Margin is really more and more strange, and it is strange to the point that it must be banned by the government, and it is listed as a category that prohibits destruction, and advocates "not looking at the water margin, not looking at the Three Kingdoms".
Undoubtedly, Jin Shengtan's reading and criticism of Water Margin is one of the most distinctive comments in China's literary history, and the resulting praise and criticism can be described as overwhelming. The debate about his merits and demerits is no less than Gao E's sequel to A Dream of Red Mansions. Jin Shengtan's amazing reading of Water Margin lies in the following points.
The first is the shocking thoughts and opinions expressed in the approval. These ideas and propositions have distinct modern and even modern significance and characteristics, so it is not an exaggeration to say that he surpassed the times in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Jin Shengtan lived most of his life in the late Ming Dynasty, when China's anti-Neo-Confucianism heresy was rampant, among which Li Zhuowu and Ye Zhou were the representatives. Curious by nature, Jin Shengtan is eclectic about Li Zhuowu's theory. His lifestyle is quite similar to that of Li Zhuowu. I believe there will be no doubt that they are on the same road. Based on this, Jin Shengtan suffered the misfortune of his home country and the cultural transformation and reconstruction at the time of changing stars and dynasties. The old cultural model is facing shocking social and political storms and will certainly accept severe challenges.
As an ideological pioneer and a cultural sensitive person, Jin Shengtan, together with Gu and Huang Zongxi of the same period, attacked the drawbacks of feudal monarchy and advocated vague democratic ideals. His thought is tenable with Gu's exposition on the restoration of the Qing Dynasty and Huang Zongxi's school discussion on the right and wrong of the son of heaven, which should be paid enough attention to.
Jin Shengtan criticized in the first chapter of Water Margin: "If you don't write about Gao Qiu, you will write about 180 people, and then you will be born from the bottom; If you don't write 180 people, write Gao Qiu first, which is too much nonsense. In "all over the world, is it the land of kings, the guests of the land, and the subjects?" This "top-down chaos" is tantamount to a sharp arrow that broke through the ground and slammed into the respectable ruling class. The common people are not the bane of the world, but the princes of "the height of the temple" are the initiators of the disaster.
Combined with Lu Junyi's nightmare, the golden inference conclusion that all the leaders of Shuihu were killed was carried on, creating chaos from top to bottom, forcing the people to rebel, and then killing the right-wingers who were forced to take risks. This is different from Qi Xuanwang's interpretation of "innocence and death" and "exchange of sheep". It is not difficult to draw a conclusion that feudal autocracy is the root of all the evils of "extermination". Jin Shengtan's whimsy is precisely the reason for his keen thinking and extraordinary wisdom. This is not because Lu Junyi's dream is a thief of Jin Shengtan, and he thinks there must be no good place to observe the rebellion. Not only that, Jin Shengtan criticized the highest ruling class, even being alone: "Bachelor Xiao Su, Qiu Xiaowang, Xiao Jiu Duan Wang (that is, Song Huizong). Hehe! " Now we have a small group. If Qiu doesn't succeed, how can he get what he wants? "(for the first time), the bureaucratic group headed by the emperor was itself a villain group, decadent and extremely erosive. How can it be true if the upper beam is not straight and the lower beam is not crooked? Therefore, "if you want the people not to disturb, the country will not die, and you will get it." "
(the fifty-first batch), it is far-fetched to say that Jin Shengtan hates peasant uprisings.
The heresy in Jin Shengtan's thought is not only that he pointed out the root of disaster and the head of all evils. What's more, he criticized the hypocrisy of sages. Confucius said, "There is a saying in the world, but Shu Ren does not discuss it", and Jin Shengtan grasped the key. This is not a question of discussion or non-discussion, but a question of dare to discuss it. In the first general review of Water Margin, he criticized: "It is actually called history to remember 180 people. Where can you live? " Shu Ren's discussion has always been history. How dare Shu Ren discuss this issue? Shu Ren dare not discuss this matter. Shu Ren dare not discuss and discuss, why? There is a saying in the world, and then Shu Ren doesn't discuss it. Today, Shu Ren discussed this issue. Why do you know there is no road in the world? "The king went in and Gao Qiu came. Feudal autocracy suppressed people's freedom of speech, and made people "see six ways" and keep their mouths shut, and they were not ashamed to call it "there is a way in the world." Obviously, Jin Shengtan criticized the sage's way and advocated that "Shu Ren's proposal" is very close to what we now call freedom of speech and supervision by public opinion, and called it "history", which made this thought have distinct modern consciousness and characteristics, and can also be regarded as the early bud of bourgeois democratic thought. While advocating freedom of speech, Jin Shengtan also advocates freedom of literary creation, that is, "writing politics".
When he read and approved the Water Margin, he borrowed Sima Qian's Historical Records to talk about "... the matter between the author and the literati". The great event of a generation is the right of literati ... as unparalleled writing material. Although you are supreme, how dare you stand at the end? ! "Literati's freedom of creation and speech is superior to that of kings and princes. Such sharp brushstrokes and incisive insights are unique "gold" from ancient times to the present. This kind of non-monarch and non-saint thought is well-deserved with Huang Zongxi's criticism of autocratic monarchy at the same time, saying that Jin Shengtan is an anti-authoritarian fighter and a pioneer of democracy.
Jin Shengtan's deviant thought also lies in his respect for the status of popular literature. He doesn't think that the Confucian "Four Books" and "Five Classics" are supreme sages, which is a matter of course. He called Zuo Zhuan, Zhuangzi, Li Sao, Historical Records, Du Shi, Water Margin and The West Chamber "Seven Talented Books". It is not enough to be good at expressing strange ideas. More importantly, we should have the courage to break through the secular prejudice and bear the pressure from all sides. In fact, the pressure of public opinion on Jin Shengtan is unimaginable to ordinary people. Even a wild man like Guizhuang refused to join and attacked him. "He criticized Water Margin as the fifth gifted scholar book ..." It is a book advocating chaos ". A few days later, he criticized the popularity of The West Chamber, calling it the seventh work of a gifted scholar. What I saw was: "This is an obscene book at sea" ... with novels and legends, history, children and collections are all lost ... "And he advocated that it should be punished as an" evil ghost "and" not guilty even after death ". This shows that Jin Shengtan was "alone and inseparable" under the attack of public opinion at that time. However, he is struggling alone. Isn't that "everyone is drunk and I wake up alone"?
Jin Shengtan's reading and criticism of Water Margin is impressive, and his contribution to China's classical novel theory is amazing and remarkable.
Although China's ancient novel criticism did not begin with Jin Shengtan, Ye and others before him had made great achievements, Jin Shengtan's novel criticism surpassed any of his predecessors, especially his many insights into novel creation, which greatly improved the understanding and grasp of the essential characteristics and creative laws of novels, and its value far exceeded the interpretation and criticism of the book Water Margin.
It is no wonder that Feng Zhenluan wrote in Reading Miscellanies in Qing Dynasty: "The golden criticism of The Water Margin and The Romance of the West Chamber is eloquent, which has opened future generations' unlimited horizons and unlimited literary mind." It is true.
After Jin Shengtan's Outlaws of the Marsh was in Guanhuatang, Mao Zonggang and his son read and approved the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Zhang Zhupo approved Jin Ping Mei, all of which found a new way and became a family statement.
Jin Shengtan's contribution to novels is various. To sum up, he reveals the literary characteristics of the novel in a more detailed and profound way, which is quite avant-garde aesthetic. Because China's novels are inextricably linked with historical biography literature, it can even be said that the development of historical biography literature and the prosperity of telling history and stories contributed to the emergence and development of novels. Most of the early novels are related to history. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is based on history, and Water Margin is also the birth of Xuanhe legacy in Song Dynasty. In the eyes of predecessors, novels have always been regarded as a branch of history and called "Chen Shi". Jin Shengtan's comments on Water Margin in the first and second reviews all emphasized that there is no need to explore whether there is a real person. He said: "If a man does his thing, no calligrapher has ever ignored this truth, but why do today's scholars only ask for it?"
He pointed out that the difference between history and fiction lies in:
"Historical records are based on literature, and Water Margin is based on literature. It's because something happened first, but it counts as a piece of paper. Although he is a scholar, he is still bad karma. " Because literature is not like this. I just follow the style of writing, and I cut the high and make up the low. "("on the calligraphy of the fifth gifted scholar ")
Jin Shengtan believes that novel creation lies in characterization, and it is not necessary to stick to the truth of the incident. All the details serve the characterization. Even historical biographical literature such as Historical Records is not a copy of life. It means "nothing more than copywriting, nothing more than planning", "nothing more than detailed planning", "nothing more than anecdote" and "nothing more than planning". Historical biography literature is still inseparable from simplification, exaggeration and fiction. As a novel depicting characters, revealing contradictions and conflicts and reflecting social life, we should generally adopt these techniques, integrating knowledge, literariness, readability, appreciation and entertainment, and create a profound, learned and well-known work that spreads all over the world.
Jin Shengtan further emphasized that since novels are different from historical biographical literature, they cannot be written in a pure narrative style. In order to portray characters, express their personalities and reveal their psychological activities, proper description is particularly important. He praised most of the well-known plots and details in Water Margin. In short, the author is meticulous and writes as if it really happened, which makes sense. For example, in the 15th section of "Outwit a Birth Program", it is written that Bai Sheng, a wine picker, came to his post, pretending that "I have a rest and don't sell wine", and also bickered with Yang Zhi, making a gesture of partial refusal, which finally attracted all the soldiers who participated in the birth program to take the bait. Jin Shengtan's evaluation is a "peerless miracle" because this passage is extremely vivid. It is from these details that Jin Shengtan reveals the aesthetic characteristics of novels that are superior to "only for things". Commenting on his twenty-seventh visit to Song Wu, he said, "All these things are listed in detail and described in color. It is said that Taishigong's wine and meat account book is a peerless masterpiece, but this one is enough. It is not enough to say that Han Changli's Painting is a printed text. " Commenting on Song Wu's drinking all the way to Jiang Menshen, he said: "This person is the article, not the article." But this is only a fact, so Song Wu was gracefully brought to Jiang Menshen and drank 356 bowls of wine along the way. As long as you take Song as an example, one line in a big book is enough. Why bother Shi Naian to write this article? "These two comments show that if we are confined to a dry narrative, without a detailed description of the behavior of the characters and related things and scenes, and can't write a vivid life, it is not a novel, but a history book and documentary.
The characterization of Water Margin was very successful and Jin Shengtan appreciated it very much. He said that "Water Margin" wrote 180 words, which was really 180 words. If you don't write another book, it's the same if you say he only wrote 1000 people and only wrote two. ""Gai Naian was only talented at that time, and I knew nothing about it. It suddenly wrote a hero, a hero; It suddenly wrote a treacherous man, that is, it is actually difficult to rape; Even suddenly write an adulteress, that is, an adulteress; "Today's article is about stealing. Even so, it is actually stealing." (General Comment 50) These comments are extremely accurate. Although Ye Zhou had similar comments before Jin, the difference between Jin and Ye Zhou is that he pays great attention to the harmonious combination of * * * and personality in characterization, making it lifelike. As the saying goes, 180 people described have their own temperament, temperament, appearance and voice. Therefore, commenting on the achievements of the characters in Water Margin and revealing their personality characteristics has become the key content of Jin Shengtan's comments.
Jin Shengtan's comments on Water Margin touched many aspects of artistic creation and appreciation, such as paying attention to the relationship between plot and personality, the accuracy and expressiveness of novel language, the inspiration of creation and many things we are talking about now about novel theory, which Jin Shengtan has already involved in his criticism of Water Margin.
It is precisely because of the above-mentioned ideological and artistic brilliance embodied in Jin Shengtan's criticism of Water Margin that ordinary readers naturally have to sit up and take notice of it. As soon as his novel "Water Margin in Guanhuatang" came out, it defeated all the water margin books in the Ming Dynasty series with all the momentum, became popular in the Qing Dynasty, and took the lead in nearly 300 years, becoming one of the indispensable books for readers' desks.