Controversial is the ranking of Jin Yong, Gu Long and Liang Yusheng. Among these three people, the most indisputable is Jin Yong's status as a master. The profound meaning of Jin Yong's works is beyond the reach of Gu Long and Liang Yusheng. He is not only a master of modern martial arts novels, but also a famous writer in the history of China literature.
So, who are Gu Long and Liang Yusheng? This is entirely a matter of opinion. Gu and Liang respectively represent the two poles of modern martial arts novels, with different styles and achievements. As Chen Mo said in On Gu Long:
"Although he (Gu Long) can't compete with Jin Yong, he can compete with Liang Yusheng."
"No matter how it is arranged, Gu Long is already a superstar, which is an indisputable fact in the history of martial arts novels."
David Henry Hwang, a famous Hong Kong writer and host, commented on Gu Long: Whether Gu Long's novels are better than Jin Yong's, as long as we talk about the genre of martial arts novels, we can't help but mention Gu Long.
Jin Yong also said that Gu Long's novels are unique and have wonderful ideas and achievements.
Ni Kuang saw Gu Long's works at first, marveling at them as wizards, and vigorously promoted them in Hongkong. He thinks that Gu Long is the best martial arts novel writer since Jin Yong, who breaks through the tradition, has a unique style and is romantic and affectionate. He is such a person himself. His works depict profound human nature and vivid characters, which can combine tradition with modernity.
Wen Ruian, a novelist, said that there is no martial arts novelist in Taiwan Province province who can be compared with Gu Long before and after his death. His writing style is concise and innovative, combining tradition with modernity, which is suitable for the fast-paced modern society. Some contents using symbolic techniques are the epitome of modern society. The reason why Gu Long's martial arts novels have sprung up among many famous artists and become unique and popular all over the world is inseparable from his unique creative techniques. With the aim of "innovation, change and breakthrough", he turned the plot novel into mystery novel. He also applied the literary propositions of writing about people, their fate, their feelings and their personalities to the martial arts novels. He has said many times:
Martial arts novels should stop writing about ghosts and gods and start writing about people, living people and people with flesh and blood! The protagonist in martial arts novels should have the advantages, disadvantages and feelings of others.
If the plot of martial arts novels can't be changed, why not change it? Write the conflict between human emotion and human nature, and create climax and action from emotional conflict.
Only human nature is indispensable in novels. Human nature is not only anger, hatred, sadness and fear, but also love and friendship, generosity and chivalry, humor and sympathy. Why pay special attention to the ugly side?
Gu Long attaches great importance to the analysis and description of characters' inner world, and boldly draws lessons from the writing skills of modern stream of consciousness and mystery novels. Make the characters more profound, the plot more logical, the artistic conception of the works more virtual and real, and have a unique flavor when reading, so that you can enjoy the deep artistic beauty.
He likes Hemingway's works best and praises his writing for its accuracy and strength. Gu Long's language style is obviously influenced by it, but it has the characteristics of China's classical popular novels: clear water produces hibiscus, and it is naturally carved.
There are many Buddhist terms in Gu Long's works. "People can't help themselves in the Jianghu" is his famous saying, which has attracted countless readers.
He likes to use long sentences and short sentences alternately. He said: "Long sentences read like a mighty river pouring down, suddenly connected with short sentences, like a sword without water, which can receive special effects of ups and downs."
Gu Long's later novels are full of free emotions and thoughts. On the one hand, it erased the historical background of the novel and gained the greatest creative freedom; On the one hand, it uses a lot of techniques that meet the tastes of modern readers, such as background cutting; Montage techniques such as staggered pictures and split shots make the novel appear distant and ethereal. It is not only a poetic style, but also a frightening business style.
Gu Long is brilliant, but he lacks restraint and is too indulgent. After becoming famous, he didn't slow down the pace of creation. Unlike Jin Yong, who changed all his old works after he became famous, he showed a very strict creative attitude and still "produced" in large quantities as before. He wrote many wonderful novels and many terrible novels.
Gu Long is a person with obvious personality defects, and at the same time, he is a person who makes people feel that his defects are sometimes cute.
Maybe he should be content. He enjoys a world-famous reputation, a luxurious house and a virtuous wife.
In Gu Long's study hung couplets inscribed by Mr. Chen, with his and his wife Mei's names embedded in them:
Long Yinqiu, the ancient box said the sword, and the treasure curtain beads were rolled up to make a small village.
Bao Yan Zhu Dangchun auditioned, Gu Jian night paper.
His wife never interferes with his lifestyle, and Gu Long sometimes goes out to play for three or four days without a word of blame. Because she knows that when he is bored outside, he will naturally think of home.
Wife and fame didn't restrain Gu Long's creativity. On the contrary, in the face of great success, what burns inside him is greater dissatisfaction and deeper loneliness.
He can only hide in his room, sometimes wearing only shorts naked and doodling on white paper with a pen. Only at such moments did he vaguely capture a little truth.
Before Gu Long wrote his manuscript, it was often like attending a grand ceremony, even a little like attending a sacrificial ceremony. He will wash his hands carefully and put on the lightest and most comfortable clothes. Then I sat at my desk in no hurry, stared intently for a while, reached out and opened the drawer. Instead of a pen, I took out a pair of exquisite manicure tools, neatly trimmed ten nails, and finally I really started to write.
When he gets carried away, he will leave the table, sit on the ground and write with a drawing board.
His writing speed is very fast, and his inspiration came. He wrote three or four thousand words in an hour. When he is blocked by inspiration and can't squeeze out a word, he will smoke cigarettes and float away in the thick smoke, hoping for Vince's arrival.
Sometimes, he put his ear close to the wall and listened with bated breath, as if the wall would tell him how to write.
He likes to start writing around 5 pm. In order to force himself to finish the manuscript quickly, he invited some friends to a restaurant and asked them to wait at his house in advance before leaving. So he will feel a strong pressure and have to work hard.
Some people think there is something wrong with Gu Long's knowledge structure. He studied a foreign language, and he only had a little knowledge of China's history and culture. Compared with Jin Yong and Liang Yusheng, Gu Long's accomplishment in Chinese studies is obviously slightly inferior, and he is no match for them. But Gu Long has a wide range of knowledge and a strong thirst for knowledge. He has a large collection of rare books and other books, which is the main property of his family. He reads everything, even the astronomical yearbook compiled by the Hong Kong Observatory and Gu Long read it with relish.
Gu Long loved China's classical poems since he was a child, and he had certain attainments. He also studied painting from a painter. His calligraphy is not mediocre, and several restaurants in Taipei still retain the poems and inscriptions of dragons. His writing habit is very special. Many people write while drinking tea, while he writes while drinking.
Gu Long has a special talent for language. Born in Hong Kong, of course, he can speak Cantonese, not to mention Mandarin. English is his major. Interestingly, he can also speak other dialects. It is said that his Sichuan dialect is more authentic than that of Sichuanese.