Sentimental Looking Back under the Commercial Tide—Looking at “End of the Century Literature” through the Reappearance and Reconstruction of “Red Classics”
Sentimental Looking Back under the Commercial Tide
——Looking at "fin de siècle literature" through the reappearance and reconstruction of "red classics"
As the end of the century approaches, people seem to be accustomed to examining history one by one, and what follows is a A feeling of nostalgia. Influenced by this nostalgia, "red classics" have resurfaced. The so-called "red classics" refer to the works created by literary and art workers since 1942 under the guidance of the "Speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art" that have national styles and styles and are popular among workers, peasants and soldiers. These works Mainly focusing on revolutionary historical themes, and praising the people's democratic revolution and socialist construction under the leadership of the Communist Party of China as the main content. "⑴ The reappearance of "red classics", in addition to the traditional reprinting of works (such as In 1997, the People's Literature Publishing House launched the "Red Classic Series", which reprinted a number of novels from the 1950s and 1960s, including "Lin Hai Xue Yuan", "Wild Fire Spring Wind Fighting the Ancient City", etc.), as well as the reprinting of "model operas" that had faded away from the stage. Reproductions (for example, around 1995, the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe toured Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to perform Peking Opera "model operas" and received a warm welcome). What is even more prominent are the various forms of expression in the multimedia era: "red classics" It has been adapted into a large number of movies and TV series (such as "Lin Hai Xue Yuan", "Red Rock", "Little Soldier Zhang Ga", "Red Detachment of Women", "Fire King Kong", etc.), which have been aired or put into filming. The ratings have been considerable and have aroused great response. ), MTV, karaoke and other new popular electronic entertainment forms are also keen on "red" themes. Chinese media, including the Internet, have extensively reported and commented on the popularity of "red classics". It can be said that the reappearance of "red classics" is not only a literary phenomenon, but also a cultural phenomenon that has attracted widespread attention.
From the vigorous development after the founding of the People's Republic of China, to the dominance in the 1960s and 1970s, to the disappearance in the 1980s due to the denial of the Cultural Revolution, to the mid-1990s (especially on Mao Zedong's birthday in 1993 (after the 100th anniversary) gradually returned to the Chinese literary stage, until today's wave of "red classics". The ups and downs of the "red classics" have become a weathervane for social development because of their close connection with mainstream ideology. As the "real backbone of the Chinese revolution", after experiencing the trauma of the Cultural Revolution, when Chinese society was transforming into a market economic model centered on personal material consumption, they consciously became the main force and advocate of the national ideological system against the Cultural Revolution. The main force of reform and modernization. The “Red Classics” were mercilessly whipped by intellectuals for being seen as a modern representation of feudal tradition and a product of revolutionary cultural hegemony. In more than 10 years, the positive image of the "Red Classic" has almost completely disappeared, and only a negative image appears in the background that reflects the tragedy of the Cultural Revolution. As the market economy continues to deepen, the dominant position of intellectuals in the humanities and social sciences has gradually been replaced by experts in scientific and economic fields such as business management, finance, marketing, and engineering technology. Intellectuals were gradually marginalized and marketized, thus losing their dominant power over culture. At the same time, because of the huge market and business opportunities that "red classics" brought to the popular culture industry, by the end of the 1990s, the national ideological machine finally joined forces with the commercial popular culture industry to launch a new "red classic" craze with great fanfare. ⑵In this sense, the re-emergence of "red classics" is by no means a natural phenomenon. It is "launched" and manufactured. It must obey the dual constraints of national ideology and market demand.
The reason why "Red Classic" can bring such huge business opportunities is inseparable from a kind of nostalgia. The transformation of Chinese society over the past 20 years has made nostalgia a new fashion, which is a common social sentiment after the disappearance of an era. This nostalgia became even more evident as the twentieth century drew to a close. Nostalgia often becomes an opportunity to create new fashions in business society. The reappearance of "red classics" is nothing more than a moderate fashion in today's culturally diverse and multipolar China. Most of the people who follow this fashion are middle-aged and above. Most of them have personally experienced the era represented by "red classics" or grew up surrounded by "red classics". After revisiting "red classics" At the same time, I also relived my youthful years at that time and the imprint that those years left on me. This kind of nostalgia has a strong reminiscence color. At the same time, the young people are not just disgusted and repelled by the "red classics", but they use a novel perspective to examine the special beauty reflected in them, pursue that period of history that seems strange and mysterious, and show a state of curiosity. of nostalgia. No matter what color of nostalgia you prefer, it can be said to be "a look back at an idealistic era before pragmatism, business trends and consumerism were about to fully win." ⑶
The nostalgia of the end of the century also contains the farewell to the old century. While nostalgic, it is also destroyed and reconstructed, and new elements are added to it. The reappearance of the "Red Classic" is not simply a re-presentation of its original text. It has gone through a process of reinvention while reappearing.
Take "Red Classics" such as "Lin Hai Xue Yuan" and "Wild Fire Spring Wind Fighting in the Ancient City" that were adapted into TV series. According to the words of the time, the authors of these literary works "embraced deep class sentiments and had rich and practical experiences of war life and The experience of real life, mastering the lively language of the masses and touching stories from the depths of life, can even break through the hard shell of concepts. It still has a certain charm today, and some people still like to watch it, and it can withstand the test of time."⑷ But if it still follows the original theme of class struggle, it may be difficult to arouse the audience's interest. Therefore, in the process of reappearance, the elements of class struggle that originally occupied a dominant position were deliberately blurred and weakened. In contrast, the individuality of heroes and the multiple possibilities of love were obscured and covered up in the past. If you understand this aspect, it is possible to form a new imagination space and become a selling point. It is undeniable that there is a huge market behind this kind of reinvention. Faced with such adaptations and reinventions, extensive and lasting debates have arisen.
If the adaptation of the TV series has caused quite a stir in the reconstruction of "red classics", then the young writer Xue Rong published in the 2003 issue 1 of "Jiangnan", a large literary magazine sponsored by the Zhejiang Writers Association The novella "Shajiabang" undoubtedly dropped a blockbuster in the literary world. In the Peking Opera model opera "Shajiabang" adapted from the Shanghai Opera "Ludang Fire", the main characters A Qingsao and Guo Jianguang's image as anti-Japanese heroes with both wisdom and courage have been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. But in Xue Rong's novels, the characters and their relationships are completely different. In the novel, Aqing's wife is "romantic", and both Hu Chuankui and Guo Jianguang are her public lovers. Guo Jianguang was at a loss what to do and could only rely on Aqing's wife. On the contrary, Hu Chuankui became a hero in the world, "There is a sense of loyalty and a sense of heroism." Thanks to the help of A Qing's wife, Guo Jianguang, an instructor of a certain unit of the New Fourth Army, made a deal with Hu Chuankui, the commander of the "Loyalty and National Salvation Army": In exchange for providing a batch of arms, Hu Chuankui was asked to send troops to rescue the sick and wounded New Fourth Army soldiers who were captured by the Japanese. This well-known story is almost completely "reversed" in writing, so the novel caused an uproar in the literary world as soon as it was published.
At the beginning of the debate, there were two completely different opinions: severe criticism and strong defense. Later, the critical opinions gradually gained the upper hand. "Zhejiang Daily" published Xiao He's cultural commentary on February 18, 2003, believing that the novel "Shajiabang" was "a novel with serious political errors." "Beijing Entertainment News" published an article by Li Gengchen on February 24, 2003, pointing out about the novel "Shajiabang": "In this era of lack of heroes, we should praise heroes and promote their spirit. But this article The novel has vilified and vulgarized the heroes in our hearts, which is a tragedy." Hao Tiechuan believed in an article titled "The Novel "Shajiabang" Is Unreasonable and Illegal" (5) that "it is unreasonable to say that it is unreasonable. Because the author of the novel wants to copy the title of the famous book and also slander the content of the famous book. "It is said to be illegal because the novel has violated the current civil law of our country and the principle of 'public order and good customs' stipulated in the civil laws of most modern countries." Fan and Wang Binbin then said "Can "model opera" represent "public order and good customs" and "national spirit"? "The article ⑹ discussed with Hao Tiechuan. The three people believed that "it is extremely absurd and terrifying to still believe that 'model opera' represents the so-called 'public order and good customs' and 'national spirit' today." The three people said that whether they are interested in the model opera "Shajiabang" or the novel "Shajiabang" ” “does not appreciate it”, but believes that “this is a literary issue” in any case, and “any approach that ‘tops the line’ politically and legally is absurd.” Zhang Xiaoming, editor-in-chief of “Jiangnan”, believes: "Our novel is just an experimental literary creation that denies this 'high-level' form. The author only created it from a humanistic perspective and under the historical conditions of the time. This has nothing to do with 'playing' "In addition, it is said that Shajiabang, where the story takes place, is even more angry about the description in the novel "Shajiabang". The leaders of the town government have stated that if the novel author and the novel publisher do not admit their mistakes, they will go to court. ⑺
No matter which view you have, there is actually a view on model operas behind it. Those who agree with model operas must think that transformation that strays from the spirit of the original work is deviant; while those who dislike model operas must , do not take the problem so seriously. Similarly, the debate on the reconstruction of the "Red Classic" is also determined by the degree of identification with the original text of the "Red Classic". People who try to recall the past from the "Red Classic" are often unable to do so because of the deep imprint left by the original text. Young people who accept the reconstruction of "red classics" and have no memory of the original text, with an aesthetic mentality of seeking novelty, are more able to identify with and accept such reconstruction. Whether you agree or disagree, one thing is certain: this is indeed a literary matter, and there is no need to discuss it at the level of politics and law. However, is literature so pure? Does literature really reject all political, economic, and legal interference? The answer is no. Novel authors, publishers, and even TV drama adaptors may not have treated such a literary reconstruction with a very serious attitude from the beginning. To some extent, it still has a sense of play and kitsch. The public's nostalgia is keenly captured, and cultural merchants timely put the elements of melodrama into the market under the guise of "red classics", with the ultimate goal of making commercial profits.
In 2004, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television issued the "Notice on Taking Seriously Issues Related to TV Series Adaptations of Red Classics" which explicitly prohibited joking about "Red Classics". This undoubtedly restricted the direction of the recreation of "Red Classics" and allowed them to continue to play their role as a communication tool for national ideology. , what cannot be ignored is that many "red classics" are re-launched in the form of "gifts". No matter what name the "red classic" is given (national spirit, public order and good customs, heroic deeds, or patriotism), it is the product of the national ideological machine and the commercial mass culture industry.
The "Red Classic" has deeply moved several generations. Therefore, as an important cultural resource under the leadership of mainstream ideology, it has received long-term attention and is constantly being explored and utilized. More importantly, the nostalgia and commercial atmosphere displayed in it can be said to be important symptoms of "end of the century literature". The resurgence of "red classics" from the mid-to-late 1990s to the present has lost its original meaning. The reason why it was put into the market and given the opportunity to be launched again was to allow "red classics" to enter the consumer field, not to Let people enter the world of red trend again. Whether "red classic" literary works have been adapted into TV series and other forms (such as Qu Bo's novel "Lin Hai Xue Yuan" was adapted into the TV series "Lin Hai Xue Yuan"), or other forms of "red classics" have been re-created as literary works (such as The novel "Shajiabang" written based on the model opera "Shajiabang" has a more or less commercial component, and the ultimate goal is to earn a lot of commercial benefits. At the same time, for the public, these familiar stories and scenes allow them to relieve real-life anxiety and loss, psychologically transcend the historical faults, and return to a youth full of strong emotions and romantic expressions. Under the impact of the commercial tide, idealism can only appear in nostalgia in this form.
Finally, it may be necessary to explain that because today’s literature is so closely connected with multimedia forms such as film and television, I can no longer separate the concept of “end of the century literature” or even “literature” from the entire culture. Have a separate discussion. As various inventions and creations (such as televisions, movies, the Internet, etc.) enter our lives, the concept of literature seems to be even less clear. Under the overall control of electronic media, should literature move closer to commercial mass culture, or should it keep a certain distance from it and maintain some purer characteristics? This is a question worth continuing to think about. In the tide of "fin de siècle literature" full of commercial connotations and nostalgia, adapting to reality and remaining critical may be the helpless and only choice for intellectuals in the humanities and social sciences who are gradually losing their elite status.
[Note]
⑴ Quoted from Meng Fanhua's "Two Times in Current Chinese Popular Culture", "China Reading News", October 19, 2000.
⑵ See Liu Kang: "Recreating Red Classics in the Era of Globalization" (quoted from Cultural Research Network)
⑶ Quoted from He Guimei: "The Road to Self-Redemption at the End of the Century" ——A cultural analysis of the publication of "anti-rightist" books in 1998" (quoted from the Cultural Research Network)
⑷ Quoted from Radar: "My views on the adaptation of red classics" (originally published in "People's Daily·Overseas Edition", quoted from China Book Information Network)
⑸Published in "Wenhui Po" on April 25, 2003.
⑹Published in "Literary Contest", Issue 4, 2003.
⑺See "The Novel "Shajiabang" Invites Criticism" written by Bai Ye, page 120 of "China Literary Situation Report 2003", Social Sciences Literature Press, first edition in May 2004.