The most obvious example is "New Novel Club Essay Kay". Since the publication of Lu Xun's A Brief History of Chinese Novels, the academic circles have always contacted scholars when discussing the "four major condemnation novels" in the late Qing Dynasty. Although there are different comments, it is universally acknowledged that the two novels, Officialdom in the Appearance and What I've Been Encountered in the Past Twenty Years, are deeply influenced by scholars in novel structure and satirical style. Although "condemnation novel" has also been classified as the "novel revolution" advocated by Liang Qichao, it has become the most prominent category, but the relationship between writers such as Wu, who have been active in Shanghai tabloids, and Liang Qichao, who is far away from Japan, has been difficult to implement. In the eyes of researchers, Li and Wu's novels are more likely to be regarded as an independent choice and imitation in theme and style.
And I found an essay for the New Fiction Society in the first edition of Xinmin Cong Bao (No.1 19) collected by Harvard Yanjing Library 1997, which is enough to give a definite answer to the above questions. This notice, written before the publication of "New Novel", should be written by Liang Qichao, the founder of the magazine, suggesting the stylistic clues of "condemning novel" and the close relationship between this writing and "novel revolution". This advertisement, published in 1902 and 10, particularly emphasizes:
What our society wants most is to write love novels, but it is good to write about children's feelings and patriotism. Another example is The Scholars, which describes the current social situation, so as to alert the times, correct bad habits and build a good structure.
It can be seen that 1903' s The Appearance of Officialdom, which was serialized in World Prosperity in May, and "Seeing the Present Situation of Monsters in Twenty Years", which was published in a new novel in June of the same year, are the most timely responses to this call for essays. Moreover, Wu's later novels "Hate the Sea" and "Robbery of Ash" are all love novels, but they all start with an aboveboard "love" except "Be immersed in love".
For example, "Hate the Sea" regards "children's affair" as "infatuation" and "evil nature", and pays more attention to "innate love", and considers it as "loyal to the monarch, filial parents, kind children and righteous friends" [1] (P3), and so on. It can be used to describe the relationship between prose and Wu's creation. This example can illustrate the role that essay advertisements can play in marking magazine themes, guiding authors' writing and even creating a literary atmosphere.
2. Textual research on the true colors of the works
The most famous example is Liang Qichao's The Future of New China. Because of the different publishing methods of modern novels and ancient novels, the serial publication of newspapers and periodicals makes the author not have to wait until the completion of the whole book before publishing it, but can publish it with the writing, which is called "manuscript-free night publication" In addition to "knowing that there are many defects, it is too late to revise", as Zhong Yin pointed out: "It is the most hateful thing to publish it after several times." In particular, it mentioned Silla-Romance and the Future of New China (P 182) written by "the owner of Twitter's ice drink shop", which shows that Liang Zuo's unfinished works were deplorable at that time.
What we can see now is that The Future of New China was published in New Fiction, and besides Wedge, there were five times. The theme of the novel, that is, China's 60-year history of reform has just begun, and the protagonist is still debating whether it should be improved or revolutionized. Previous studies can only be based on texts, and A Ying, the founder of novel research in the late Qing Dynasty, failed to provide more documents.
The initial change of this situation in China was the publication of the second volume of Selected Novels of China in Past Dynasties (Jiangxi People's Publishing House, 1985), which selected New Novels, the only literary newspaper in China. This article is a long advertisement published in issue 14 of Xinmin Cong Bao in August, which is the new novel 5438+0902 1 1 in June. Among them, three novels are listed in the column of "political novels". The first one is The Future of New China, with a synopsis:
This book started with the Boxer Rebellion and lasted for 50 years, all using the method of fantasy reflection. Narrative uses the pen of history. If there is a real person, there will be a real story, which will make readers feel that it is no longer a fantasy. Its structure, before the independence of a southern province, was assisted by national heroes, establishing * * * constitutionalism, making equal covenants with all countries in the world and repairing trade. A few years later, the provinces responded and became independent, with four or five governments. Through the efforts of heroes, they became a federal republic.
The three northeastern provinces were also changed to constitutional monarchy and soon joined the Federation. The people of the whole country devote themselves wholeheartedly to reproduction and development, and the prosperity and national strength of literature are the highest in the world. Seek the sovereignty of Tibet and Mongolia, go to war with Russia, link Britain, the United States and Japan through diplomatic means, and break the Russian army greatly. Later, some private volunteers secretly helped Russian nihilistic parties in their private capacity and overthrew their dictatorial government. Finally, due to the abuse of the yellow race by the British, American and Dutch colonies, several ethnic wars were triggered. Europe and the United States joined forces to find us, Huang Guo and Lian Heng responded, China's main alliance, Japan and the Philippines coordinated armaments with each other, and the war broke down. When the Hungarians come out to mediate, things will be solved. He held a peace conference in the capital of China, with Premier China as the speaker, and agreed on the terms of equal rights and mutual love between the yellow race and the white race, and this book also ended in a bad ending. This self-report is enough for us to understand Liang Qichao's ideal strategy of building a country.
The importance of this advertisement lies in that it not only narrates the outline of the future story of the new China that Liang Qichao has begun to write, but also previews the creation plan of Liang's series of political novels. "The Future of Old China" "Describe the unchanging China and write its future horror"; New Taoyuan (New Overseas Chinese) focuses on the exile experiences of Liang Qichao and others. Imagine that a group of Chinese ancestors established a new country on an overseas desert island 200 years ago, and now they have transplanted this system to the mainland. It can be seen that Liang Qichao has great enthusiasm for the writing of political novels. But if we don't see the advertisement of New Novel, the only literary newspaper in China, then the whole idea about the future of new China and three other political novels will be buried, which is of course a great loss for Liang Qichao's research.
3. Confirm the true identity of the author.
Writers in the late Qing Dynasty often use pen names or pseudonyms when publishing their works. There are many reasons, such as the legacy of traditional ideas, writing novels, operas, tanci and other popular literature works without real names; During this period, there were also special considerations, such as political taboos, authors wanted by the government or works mocking the government, and it was not convenient to directly name their real names; Male writers appear in women's newspapers to make female readers feel friendly, and they also intend to change their gender. For example, Liu Yazi's name is "Pan, a Songling woman". Moreover, although there are long-term users of pen names, there are also many improvisations, and more than one person has become the norm for writers in the late Qing Dynasty to publish their works. This undoubtedly caused great trouble to the later researchers, and it was not conducive to the in-depth interpretation of the works.
Take a case I handled as an example. 1903165438+10 Liang Qichao returned from his trip to the United States, and he edited Xinmin Cong Bao (No.38 and No.39 bound volumes,1903). 10, actually 1 1) and Xinmin Congbao. In fact, it was published on1904.1-1905.5), the dream of the rest of my life in Zhuhai (an occasional "outsider") and the new interpretation of the heart in Guangdong were popularized and published, and the opera Life in Spring created by the author was published. Until 1906, Liang Qichao was still commenting on two new groups of poems written by the author, namely, The Confusion of Jiba and The Poem of Bamboo Branches in Bay City (Xinmin Congbao No.85). Looking at these names alone, it seems that they are irrelevant. Liang Qichao also deliberately concealed his identity. Perhaps, the poem in the ice room says, "The villagers have a dream of the rest of their lives in Zhuhai, and enthusiastic patriots have been to the United States. I don't want to be named today. " Or, "the villagers will spend the rest of their lives in Cuba to stay in the United States." [3] Refused to disclose his real name and official position. However, because the nicknames "Dream of Zhuhai for the rest of my life" and "Confessions" are still used by the author after the Republic of China, we can find that he is Liao Entao, Consul General of the former Qing government in Cuba (1903- 1907). But why can't people understand "life in the spring dream"?
In addition to the above two operas, there is also a single dream of reform, so scholars who study the late Qing opera are also quite concerned about him. Yao's China Modern Legendary Zaju Jing took the lead in recording the author of Snow Tide Legend as Hou [4] (P 106- 109), and it also inherited this theory in the textual research of legendary Zaju in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China [5] (P225). In fact, Zhou Xiangjun has never been abroad in his life, and the student movement was based on a student movement in Cuba in 187 1 year. The author of Dream of Reform clearly stated in the preface that his creation is "suitable for overseas guests" [6], so his person has nothing to do with Zhou's resume.
And by chance, I borrowed several first editions of New Novels from Peking University Library, and found that there was an advertisement on No.7 for "The newly published class book" Huang Xiaoyang Turn Back "and" Dream of Reform "in Beijing":
To unlock the wisdom of most people, it is imperative to improve the class. Across the country, nine out of ten people don't read books or newspapers, and none don't watch plays. Europe and Japan paid more attention to it, so the literati did not hesitate to condescend and play their role. In China, interacting with civilians is obscene and disdainful. There are also different reasons for this strength, mental retardation and stupidity. In recent years, there are many people who advocate improving textbooks, and they have opinions on this.
The above discussion that emphasizes the importance of opera improvement is wonderful, but what is more meaningful to me is that this advertisement provides clues for the author of Dream of Reform:
Another set of "Dream of Reform" is about current events before and after the Reform Movement of 1898, and every sentence is true; And its excellent structure and familiar tone are not under Huang Xiaoyang's review. The author is Chun Mengsheng, who is also called "the dream of the bamboo sea in the second half of his life" in Xinmin Cong Bao and Bing Shi Shi Hua on March 8 and 9.
According to this, "Spring Dream Life" is "Zhuhai Dream for the rest of my life", which is a pseudonym specially used by Liao Entao to write opera works. The Tide of Xuehai is based on Cuban history, so it's settled.
For this reason, I wrote the article "Drama Creation of Liao Entao, a diplomat in the late Qing Dynasty" (published in the third issue of Academic Research in 2007). I take the drama "Dream of Reform" as an example to show that the Qing court's alienation from diplomatic envoys may have exceeded our past imagination, hoping to see how the advocates and responders of "literary improvement" in the late Qing Dynasty interacted (see the author's "On the Poetry of Modern Diplomat Liao Sitao"
4. Collect scattered articles of the author.
Of course, the correct way to sort out the lost articles is to consult the newspapers and periodicals related to the author, but don't let go of the advertising column easily. Because for the author, advertising text is the easiest to lose, because it is often ignored.
I had a deep understanding of this when I compiled a foreign language collection in the ice room. For example, 1904' s Xinmin Cong Bao, No.44 and No.45' s Distinguishing between False Advertisement and White, and No.49' s Distinguishing between False and White, were all criticized by revolutionary newspapers such as China Daily and World Public Service, which was actually Liang Qichao's 1906. It refutes that these two newspapers will be published in the Journal of Dong Bang AssociationNo. 1 10, which is an official book of Mishang Island in Li Baosen, and it has been replaced by Liang Qichao's Ito Bowen, saying:
What time is it today? The country is in ruins! If people are sincere and willing, they will try their best to encourage themselves. If the policy is different, I will be defeated and still hope to succeed; If it can be achieved, why should I achieve it! If you really care about your country, don't you? It is still difficult to distinguish between political views; You can't shoot people with sand, can you? I can't help feeling sorry for these two reports. [7] (P 157) This statement shows Liang Qichao's position at that time. As for the private notices published by Liang in newspapers and periodicals after the Republic of China, I won't go into details here.
Another example is the discovery of a lost poem by Qiu Jin. Professor Guo Changhai of Changchun Normal University was an early scholar who paid attention to and used newspapers and periodicals in the late Qing Dynasty. He published in 1985 "New Discovery of Qiu Jin Research Materials" (Journal of Changchun Normal University) No.4, and published a poem by Qiu Jin:
Seeing Lu He again today, Nvzhong is really a woman who saves the world. It is widely used by later generations to open their minds and is often addicted to it. Xinglin is beautiful in spring, and there is no dream in the blue room. Fesr, the elixir of life, should be given to me. There are many living people in the furnace cup.
Under the Department of "Li Opera Lady Yi Zheng, Autumn Boudoir Jin as a manuscript", Qiu Jin's maiden name before studying abroad was used. Before the seventh tune, there was a passage that said, "Yesterday, Mrs. Brown, the king of central Hunan, was gracious to be a teacher (Wang Jun lived in Rope Craftsman Hutong, whose name is unknown here) and thanked her for her praise." According to Guo Wen's prompt, I searched Ta Kung Pao of19031June 15, and saw that this article included Qiu Jin's lost poems, the total title of which was "Shi Jing Health Women's School Hospital Thanks Poem", which turned out to be an advertisement. This makes me admire Professor Guo's meticulous attention to newspapers. In the Collected Works of Qiu Jin reprinted by 199 1 Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, this poem also took precedence over many lost articles discovered by other researchers and was formally incorporated into the collected works. Obviously, the publisher has no doubt that it came from Qiu Jin, because the newspaper of the year it was published provided the most reliable guarantee.
5. Determine the publication time of the magazine
Magazines in the late Qing Dynasty are different from newspapers, and it is common to delay publication. There are also various reasons, sometimes there is a shortage of funds, sometimes the person in charge goes out or dies, and there is political interference. After the publication expires, there are generally three different ways to deal with it: either indicate the actual publication date, or indicate it according to the agreed time limit, or simply do not indicate the date. The latter two are more common, because they can create the illusion that magazines look normal, thus gaining the trust of readers. The confusion caused by such incorrect information will affect the credibility of scholars' research.
A plagiarism happened between Li Boyuan and Liu E, famous novelists in the late Qing Dynasty. According to Wei Shaochang, who first discovered this matter, "The thirteenth chapter of Travel Notes of Lao Can was interrupted because Xiu Xiang's novel deleted the manuscript of the eleventh chapter without authorization"; "But by the time the 55th issue of Xiu Xiang's Novels published the 59th article of" Civilization Short Story ",in the first half of" Talking about the Revolutionary Shogunate ",Li Boyuan had written an article criticizing Liu Tieyun's" northern boxing and southern leather "Hyunri. One line 1500 words, all copied as it is "[8]. This made Wei Shaochang unable to understand. However, some researchers believe that Liu E was not copied, but Liu E copied (such as Wang).
In all kinds of arguments, I think the method of Japanese scholar Akio Sakamoto to solve this mystery is the most desirable, so the conclusion is the most reliable. He made a list of Xiu Xiang's novels published, listing the time when each issue of Xiu Xiang's novels were advertised in various newspapers, mainly according to the advertisements of five newspapers: World Prosperity, Ta Kung Pao, Chinese and Foreign Daily, Shenbao and Oriental Magazine. It can be clearly seen that the publication time of magazines that have been no longer marked since the issue of 13 has actually been delayed. This book not only breaks the argument that the closure of Xiu Xiang's novels has something to do with the death of Li Boyuan since Ingrid-because Li Boyuan died on March 14th, Guangxu thirty-two years ago, according to the calculation that Xiu Xiang's novels are biweekly, the publication date of the seventy-second issue should be just March 15th-proving that its actual final publication time is December, Guangxu thirty-two years ago; In addition, the publication list clearly shows that the 55th issue of Xiu Xiang's Novels, namely the copy of Travel Notes of Lao Can (No.1 1), was published after the death of Li Boyuan. Therefore, we can be sure that the protagonist of this plagiarism is Li's good friend Ouyang, but not the deceased Li himself [9] (P42-63).
In addition, there are doubts about the time when the publication of New Novel will be closed. Since the fourth issue, this issue of the magazine has also become outdated. However, from the ninth issue to the fifth issue (No.17) of the following year, regardless of the interval, magazines are basically marked according to the actual publication date. However, since the No.6 (18) of the following year, this logo has been cancelled, and in the Catalogue of Modern Journals in China compiled by Shanghai Library, which is trusted by researchers, time is still added according to the monthly publication cycle. In this way, the 24 issues of * * * New Fiction, which is generally recognized by the academic circles, were published in 1906 1.
In July, 2002, Guo Haofan published the article "On the Creation and Publication of New Novels" in the 66th issue of Late Qing Newsletter edited by Sakamoto, and the article quoted the 3rd and 6th issues of Novel Monthly (1906,1907,3). The two gentlemen used to be the chief writers and translators of Yokohama New Novel Society, and they have long been welcomed by domestic audiences. At the urging of the organization, the merchants begged again and again, only to get Mr. Er's permission, and the "new novel" was temporarily suspended "; In the sixth issue, Wu and Zhou Guisheng even claimed that "the new novel was closed for a long time after being hired by our society". Regarding the Prime Minister's remarks of Novel Monthly, Guo commented: "Because the last issues of Volume II of Novel did not indicate the date of publication, people usually infer that it will be closed in 1906 65438+ 10, and it has been ten months since the publication of Novel Monthly, so people don't believe what Novel Monthly said. Although Guo affirmed that the advertisement of Novel Monthly was "not nonsense", he also said that the specific causal relationship between Wu and joining Novel Monthly on Tuesday and the closure of New Novel needed new evidence to explain. The publication date and printing place of Akio Sakamoto's subsequent New Novel [9] (P207-2 17) provided new evidence needed by Guo Wen. The magazine quoted the advertisement of 1906 1 13 October (September 27th, Guangxu thirty-two years), which proved that the end time of the magazine was around September of Guangxu thirty-two years. It is ten months later than the' December of the 31st year of Guangxu' mentioned in the conclusion. "This time coincides with the novel of the month, June 1 906165438+10/. Wang Qingqi is not bragging.
Actually, earlier, in the second issue of Novel Monthly (1906165438+1October 30th), an urgent advertisement signed by our agency was published:
Mr. Wu from Nanhai and Mr. Zhou Guisheng from Shanghai are both outstanding people in the field of novels and translation hired by our society. Most of the masterpieces published in New Fiction Newspaper in Yokohama were written by Jun Jun, which was well received by readers. Yokohama's new novel has been closed, and people who love novels are disappointed and unhappy when they hear it. And then it will come back to life. Who will be responsible for this? The second investment promotion king, starting from the third, should gradually increase the self-written and self-translated manuscripts in order to satisfy the readers' magnanimity.
Considering that Wu has published a lot of works in New Novels since the 8th, such as Strange Land Seen in Twenty Years, Anecdotes of Electrosurgery, History of Pain, History of New Laughter, etc. All kinds of novels were rolled out in an all-round way and immediately became the first author of the magazine. Zhou Guisheng's translation is almost a must-see in every issue; Therefore, whether they stopped publishing new novels because of their departure or moved their seats because the publication of new novels was planned to stop, in short, without Wu and Zhou Guisheng, new novels would be unsustainable. The details are also revealed through advertisements.
In addition, newspaper advertisements are promising in many aspects, such as the gradual establishment of modern manuscript fee system, the change of genre level reflected by manuscript fee standards, the emergence and foundation of novel classification and so on. Many researchers have discussed this and achieved considerable results, so I won't repeat them here.
In a word, newspaper advertisement is a rich mine to be developed by a willing heart, and its utilization value even exceeds the history of literature. Bamboo chips can also be of great use. What is needed here is a vision of discovery.
Xia Xiaohong: The Literary Significance of Newspaper Advertisements in the Late Qing Dynasty
Source: Journal of Nanjing Normal University College No.4, June 5438+February 2008.
This article is the author's speech at the symposium on "Mass Media in the View of Literary History" held by the Chinese Department of the University of Hong Kong on June 3, 2008.
I didn't give you the answer directly, but you can summarize the answer you want from the detailed paper here, which is also helpful for your study.