As for Lu Xun’s extremeness in traditional criticism, the evaluation of Lu Xun in modern times includes the following:
In recent years, some people at home and abroad have begun to criticize and even deny Lu Xun. This is very different from the previous situation where Lu Xun was deified. They tried to subvert the deification and return Lu Xun to his earthly roots.
There is a view that Lu Xun has no place in the history of Chinese thought and culture. It is believed that Lu Xun spent his life attacking and belittling the traditional national culture, vilifying the Chinese people, and causing the traditional culture to be broken and lost during the May Fourth Movement. It has enhanced the nation’s self-esteem and self-confidence.
From an objective point of view, Lu Xun’s criticism of tradition may have its reasons, but the problem is that there is more destruction than construction; in addition, some people think that since the “May 4th Movement”, he has pursued radicalism and violently criticized tradition, and has comprehensively criticized the tradition. Negation resulted in severing the tradition and damaging its vitality. Lu Xun was accused of being a representative of total negation of tradition.
Correctly view the extremes in Lu Xun’s traditional criticism.
1. From the perspective of extreme characteristics.
Lu Xun was one of the people who criticized traditional culture “most profoundly and attacked most violently”.
For example, in "Diary of a Madman", Lu Xun highly summarized and compared Chinese history and civilization to a "cannibal feast" through the mouth of a madman, and traditional China became a "kitchen for a feast of human flesh."
2. From the perspective of reverse thinking.
Lu Xun often adopts reverse judgments that are different from conventional thinking. Lu Xun adopted a skeptical attitude towards tradition and rethought and judged it through the essence of history.
Use this kind of rebellious judgment to warn people, break away from the mindset bound by traditional habits, and face up to the decadent elements in traditional culture that are not suitable for the development of the times.
As written in the "Sikuquanshu" compiled during the reign of Yongzheng and Qianlong.
3. From the context.
In response to the trend of thought that once again advocated "respecting Confucius and reading scriptures" after the decline of the "May Fourth Movement", Lu Xun proposed to "read less Chinese books", which contained Lu Xun's overall understanding of Chinese books, that is, traditional culture. , especially against the kind of numbing "zombie optimism".
When tradition as a whole still seriously hinders the progress of Chinese society, we have to take a decisive attitude.
For example, in "Youth Must Read" 1925, "When I read Chinese books," I always feel that I have become silent. I have to look at the position I hold and the basic spiritual direction of my speech. I cannot Analyze without eradication.
4. Judging from the actual content.
What Lu Xun opposed and resolutely criticized were mainly those feudal and backward things in traditional culture, which were the authoritarian system and culture.
For example, "preserving natural principles and destroying human desires", which makes the national spirit ignorant, numb and superstitious, depends on the stance it holds and the basic spiritual direction of its speeches, and cannot be analyzed in isolation from the times.
For example, the era in which Lu Xun lived: On the one hand, "foreign enemies invaded, they were beaten and ceded territory for compensation, and signed unequal treaties". They were in an international environment of "the weak and the strong" and faced the crisis of "subjugation of the country and genocide." On the other hand, , the feudal traditional thought and culture is still seriously imprisoning the national spirit, numbing the soul and dissipating vitality. To alert everyone, we must speak out loudly.
5. From the standpoint of resolutely opposing compromise and reconciliation.
This is a strategy. The feudal tradition is so deeply rooted that if we do not adopt a completely negative attitude toward compromise and a complete break with the compromise position, we will inevitably be trapped by the social inertia of compromise, and any reform will only fail. In empty talk.
As Lu Xun said: "Chinese people's temperament" always likes to reconcile and compromise. For example, if you say that this room is too dark and you need to open a window here, no one will allow it.
But if you advocate removing the roof, they will mediate and be willing to open the windows. Without more drastic ideas, they are always unwilling to implement even peaceful reforms. Moving a table also bleeds.
6. From the perspective of analyzing the national culture.
① It advocates that tradition must be criticized, inherited and transformed.
For example, the 1907 "Cultural Bias Theory" proposed that national culture should be updated as it converges with world trends: externally, it should not lag behind the world's trends, but internally, it should not lose its inherent blood. Don’t establish a new sect.
② He is doing two aspects of work:
The first is to criticize, attack, and destroy, and the second is to sort out, inherit, and innovate.
For example, because he was a litterateur, Lu Xun expressed more emotions and spirits in his creations, and was very decisive in his criticism of tradition, in order to "expose the suffering of illness and draw attention to treatment."
In addition, it should be noted that when Lu Xun was criticizing, he also devoted a lot of energy to carefully sorting out, researching, and analyzing traditional cultural heritage, and discovering those elements that are still viable, can be used for reference, and may achieve transformation and development.
For example, he compiled 22 ancient books, "Collection of Ji Kang", "Collection of Legends of Tang and Song Dynasties", and "Old Novel Notes", and also collected a large number of inscriptions and rubbings in an attempt to write the history of the changes of "Chinese calligraphy". While taking classes at Peking University, he also wrote works such as "A Brief History of Chinese Novels" and "An Outline of the History of Chinese Literature".
Lu Xun's creations also absorbed rich nutrients from traditional culture and were in the same vein as his articles in the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Liu Bannong once sent a couplet saying: "Tony's theory, Wei and Jin articles".
③ He conducted a "revaluation" of national culture, that is, from the perspective of cultural transformation, he re-evaluated, judged and criticized the inheritance of tradition.
For example, Lu Xun adopted an analytical attitude towards tradition, with clear praise and criticism, and a unique vision. He was by no means irresponsible and threw out the baby with the bathwater.
For example, Lu Xun pointed out the common "happy reunion" and "Ten Scenery Diseases" in traditional literature, believing that their function is to whitewash reality and create a trap of concealment and deception. But Lu Xun was not interested in traditional literature either. Deny all.
He also discovered and affirmed many excellent elements in ancient literature that are worthy of inheritance and reference. For example, he believed that "A Dream of Red Mansions" "dare to describe it truthfully without pretense" and it was definitely sober. The spirit and techniques of realism.
In short, we must see that Lu Xun was not only a fierce critic of traditional culture, but also the most insightful interpreter of traditional culture, finding things in it that were beneficial to new literature and new culture. That is revaluation. In fact, in Lu Xun's era, there were people like Chen Duxiu, Qian Xuantong, and Liu Bannong who, like Lu Xun, evaluated, judged, and criticized traditional culture.