one
Lao She had conscious cultural consciousness when he wrote Four Generations under One roof. There is no need to prove this, just look at the discussion of "culture" in the works. The question is: What is the status of cultural consciousness in Four Generations under One roof? The author thinks that the cultural issue is the core issue of four generations living under one roof. Specifically, conscious cultural awareness not only determines the nature of the characters and environment in the novel to a great extent, but also becomes the starting point for Lao She to think about the fate of the country and the nation.
Read the novel characters first. In previous studies of Lao She, the characters in Four Generations under One roof were mainly recognized from the perspective of country, nation or lifestyle. Some researchers summarized Four Generations under One roof as A History of the Anger of the Conquered, and [1] recognized the characters as China people-China people who were enslaved by the Japanese and became the conquered. When discussing Lao She as a performer and critic of Beijing civil society, some researchers also talked about the characters in Four Generations under One roof [2], focusing on their life style, living environment and social status. These views are of course in line with the actual existence of the characters, but if we look at the cultural significance given to the characters by Lao She, many characters should be recognized as "cultural roles" (cultural symbols). Lao She consciously integrated cultural consciousness into the characters, which not only made the culture obtain a realistic way of existence, but also made the novel characters become the carrier of culture. Moreover, if the ethnic, racial and civic attributes of the characters are "naturally generated", then the cultural attributes of the characters are "deliberately pursued" by Lao She.
It should be noted that the division of the above four cultural roles is relative rather than absolute in terms of their basic tendency. Some characters sometimes wander between two cultures (for example, Ruixuan was once called "the pendulum in the old and new cultures" by Lao She-Chapter 60), and different cultural forms sometimes cross (traditional culture is associated with civic culture and primitive culture because of its lack of vitality-Lao She praised the farmers on the yellow land and said that they "have morality handed down for 3,000 years in their hearts").
In Four Generations under One roof, Lao She gives cultural significance not only to the characters, but also to the environment. The title of the novel is Four Generations under One Family, which is not only a description of the family environment of the Qi family, but also a highly generalized cultural symbol-a symbol of China people's traditional outlook on life and ethics, and a closed, conservative and stable cultural form and life form. Therefore, Lao She said, "In such a family with four generations living under one roof, there are many levels of culture, like a thousand layers of cakes" (Chapter 60). Beiping and the yellow land in the desert are described as the whole symbols of urban culture and primitive culture respectively. Therefore, as an "ant of urban culture", Guan Xiaohe will be so lost and frightened as soon as he walks out of the city gate. "His air is warm, smelly and smells like powder or fried dough sticks; The coolness outside the city made his senses and lungs feel sad and tired. He is a flower in the greenhouse, and he can't hide the real sunshine and rain "(Chapter 66). When Liu Huang and the small mountain village were not carved by manpower, they were compared with Peiping in Ruiquan's eyes, and Liu Huang and the small mountain village became symbols of culture (primitive culture). In other words, families with four generations living under one roof, Beiping and Huang Tu can also be regarded as "cultural roles".
Lao She not only endowed people and the environment with cultural significance, but also explained the fate of people, countries and nations from a cultural perspective. In the eleventh chapter of the novel, there is such a plot: when the news that Qian's second son, Qian, and a car full of Japanese soldiers were mutually assured destruction reached Xiao Yangjuan Hu, Li Shifu said, "If we are all as poor as others, let alone a small Japan, even a big Japan would not dare to criticize us!" Here, Lao She attributed the national subjugation and becoming conquered people to Peiping people themselves, that is, Peiping culture, because the Peiping people's drag out an ignoble existence and cowardice are the result of cultural poison. In the twenty-sixth chapter of the novel, Lao She even said: "He (Rui Xuan-the initiator) knows that he should not judge any individual by bravery or cowardice, but should first blame the culture that is even called peace-loving. That kind of culture has created a quiet and elegant Tiananmen Square, and also created young people who dare not bleed in front of Tiananmen Square! No, it seems that he shouldn't even blame that culture. Is it wrong to love peace? " Despite his hesitation, Lao She did not change the timidity of youth and the crisis of the country was caused by culture. Even for the China people who rebelled against him, Lao She found the reason from the cultural aspect. In the thirty-sixth chapter of the novel, he let Rui Xuan "discover the fact that people with little knowledge often have deep feelings, and this deep spring of feelings is our ancient culture." "... aren't the unsung heroes in Shanghai and Taierzhuang rural areas all people with little education? "
According to the above discussion, we can draw the following conclusions: Four Generations under One roof is a work of cultural reflection and criticism in the deepest sense. If the description of the living conditions of the people in Beiping under the Japanese puppet regime and the presentation of the lifestyle of the people in Beiping constitute one aspect of A Family of Four Generations, then cultural reflection and cultural criticism constitute a more profound aspect of A Family of Four Generations. It can even be said that in "Four Generations under One Family", the life of Peiping people after the fall often exists as the "material" for cultural reflection and criticism.
Does this conclusion conform to Lao She's ideological reality in the 1940s? The answer is yes. Lao She didn't talk much about Four Generations under One roof, but his drama The Land of Dragons and Snakes, written two years earlier than Four Generations under One roof, provided us with the answer. "The Dragon and Snake on the Ground" was written by Lao She with the theme of oriental culture, entrusted by the Oriental Culture Association. Lao She clearly pointed out in the preface of the script: "The purpose of the War of Resistance is to preserve the survival and freedom of our culture; Only when culture exists freely can history prosper and continue-those who live and those who die of culture must be slaves. Then, during the Anti-Japanese War, it was a good time to review the culture, because we spared no expense to preserve the culture, so the strength and length of the culture must be reviewed. " The survival of a culture depends on its self-criticism, constantly correcting itself and enriching itself; Boasting the old brand number and stubbornly refusing to go further is self-destruction. " "Our illiterate soldiers and civilians have dared to confront the enemy's mechanized troops. For more than four years, they have fought fiercely with the enemy-there must be profound cultural power to make it so" [5]. This awareness of cultural scrutiny has been more fully and comprehensively reflected in the creative practice of Four Generations under One roof, so this preface can be regarded as a comment on Four Generations under One roof. Some people may say that Lao She thinks "Four Generations under One roof" is a "literary souvenir of the Anti-Japanese War". But in fact, most people in the past understood Lao She's meaning unilaterally and out of context, so they overemphasized the anti-Japanese side of four generations living under one roof. Lao She's original words were as follows: "I decided to write down four generations under one roof. Even if the content has no merit, I must write it and become a bigger literary souvenir for War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression "[6]. "There is nothing desirable in content", that is to say, novels are different from general works that directly promote anti-Japanese, and have no direct relationship with anti-Japanese. "There is no merit in the content", but it will become "a larger-scale literary souvenir of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression", which shows that he is trying to think about the fate of the country and the nation in another sense (that is, in the cultural sense).
After clarifying the position of cultural consciousness in Four Generations under One roof, these two small problems can be reinterpreted. The first is the creative method of the novel. In the past, most researchers thought Four Generations under One roof was a modern work, and even praised it as "an excellent realistic work" [7]. As far as faithfully describing the life style of Beiping citizens is concerned, this generalization is undoubtedly correct and points out the basic tendency of novel creation methods. However, judging from the relationship between Lao She's cultural consciousness and the characters and environment in Four Generations under One Family, it should be said that Four Generations under One Family is very symbolic-many characters and some environments are "cultural" symbols, which constitute a relatively complete cultural symbol system. The second is the creative opportunity of four generations living under one roof. In this regard, Hu Jieqing, Lao She's wife, made the following statement:1autumn of 942 (then1943-leader), she fled Beiping under the rule of the Japanese Puppet Army and went to Chongqing to meet Lao She after six years' absence. "After we settled in Beibei, Chongqing, old and new friends couldn't wait to ask me all kinds of questions. When I told the people in the occupied areas, especially the people in Beiping, about the slavery and ravages of the Japanese invaders, Lao She always sat by, smoking a cigarette, listening quietly and thinking. In this way, the old Peiping added trauma and pain after the fall to his heart. " "Finally, after more than a year of conception, Lao She began to write novels with the occupation of Beiping as the main theme in 1944 1 month" [8]. In another conversation, she described it in more detail [9]. This explanation is undoubtedly correct, but it is obviously not comprehensive. The Oriental Cultural Association entrusted Lao She to write the script, which should also be regarded as an important opportunity for Lao She to create Four Generations under One roof. Because it is this kind of entrustment that caused Lao She to think about cultural issues under the background of resisting Japan and saving the country. Only when the above two things are regarded as the creative opportunities of a family of four generations can we explain why the works not only describe the tragic life of the people in the occupied areas, but also have a strong sense of cultural criticism.
two
From the division of cultural roles in the last article, we can see that Four Generations under One roof mainly involves four cultural forms: traditional culture, civic culture, primitive culture and "pre-culture" (if this is a kind of culture). So, what is Lao She's cultural orientation?
Lao She's cultural inclination is reflected in the arrangement of the fate and ending of different cultural roles. Lao She held a clear negative attitude towards civic culture and "pre-culture", so he let Xiao Cui, Sun Qi, Rui Feng, Guan Xiaohe and others drag out an ignoble existence, endure, be numb and muddle along, and let Lan Dongyang die in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. For traditional culture, Lao She affirmed its elegance and civilization, but denied its lack of enterprising spirit, which stifled people's sense of struggle. "A culture as quiet and simple as an idyllic poem ... may be very good, but it has an obvious defect, that is, it is easy to be trampled on and even destroyed by thugs" (Chapter 27); "Elegance" is the life source of China art and the worst paint in China culture "(Chapter 53); "Culture is a cultural relic. Sometimes, cultural relics in clothes will become a burden to people "(Chapter 50). -This discussion shows that Lao She noticed the two sides of traditional culture. This duality is embodied in Rui Xuan, that is, he is rational, elegant and kind, but weak and hesitant, always living in uncertainty. But as far as the basic tendency is concerned, Lao She holds a more negative attitude towards traditional culture, which is typically reflected in Chen, the "creator of traditional culture", being destroyed by depravity. Lao She also deeply exposed the harmfulness of traditional culture by praising the life style of China literati and tolerating the traditional culture of China. The Japanese said to Yin, "You are the older generation from China. You drink and sing poetry. I like people like you best! " "The real China people should be slow!" (Chapter 34). The Japanese asked China people to burn "foreign books", but allowed them to keep and read "The Book of Filial Piety", "Four Books" and "The West Chamber" (Chapter 36). Lao She not only affirmed the primitive culture, but also yearned for it. It is not difficult to see this from the highly passionate description quoted above. Reflected in the characterization, not only the soldiers and peasants who didn't know many words on the yellow land were praised, but even the heroic Jin and the money who died heroically with a Japanese soldier were somewhat "ignorant": Jin was simple and rude, "kicking plum blossom piles, wrestling privately, throwing stones at locks, practicing Xingyiquan without reading books" (Chapter 18); Money is just a car driver. He "doesn't like thread-bound books or clothing books" (Chapter 5).
Obviously, among the four cultural forms, only primitive culture has won Lao She's affirmation and yearning. This affirmation and yearning has historical inevitability, and it is also the characteristics of the times of Lao She's cultural values. Lao She, who is concerned about his country and people, will naturally tend to the primitive culture when he examines China culture in this specific era when half of the motherland has fallen and the nation is at a critical juncture of life and death. Because only those who bear the burden of primitive culture (soldiers and peasants who dare to fight hard without knowing how many words) can undertake the historical mission of fighting against the Japanese aggressors and saving the country and the people, while those intellectuals who have read a lot of poetry books but are powerless lack this ability (not to mention ordinary citizens who steal peace and "pre-cultural roles" without moral sense). Qian's inferiority complex in front of Mr. Jin fully illustrates this point. He said to Rui Xuan: "These days, Teacher Jin's health is much stronger than our books! Three students can't compare with one who can fight! " (Chapter 27). In this sense, the affirmation of primitive culture is not so much Lao She's choice as the choice of the times. However, the affirmation of primitive culture did not make Lao She a cultural nihilist and an obscurantist. In the 45th novel, it is written that Jin forgot to hate the Japanese after losing the poet Qian's guidance, and got into Qian's eyes. In the 93rd novel, it is written that his mind was simply fooled by the Japanese, which led to Qian's imprisonment again. This description reflects Lao She's understanding of the limitations of "primitive cultural role", which shows that he denies ignorance by separating it from simplicity, simplicity and tenacity. At the same time, this description also contains the affirmation of being a sober and intelligent cultural person (money). This affirmation is intrinsically related to Lao She's dialectical attitude towards traditional culture.
So what kind of culture is Lao She's ideal culture? This is the harmonious unity of traditional culture and original mother culture through creative transformation. In the words of Qian (Lao She's spokesman), it is the unity of "poet culture" and "hunter culture": "When poets and hunters merge together, we will produce a new culture, which is peace-loving, brave and determined when necessary, and willing to sacrifice for peace and truth" (Chapter 50). The typical embodiment of this cultural thought is Qian and Qi Ruiquan, two "cross-cultural roles". Their similarity lies in transforming or abandoning their own inherent culture (traditional culture or civic culture), and completing the recasting of their cultural personality through the absorption or recognition of the original culture, thus gaining new life. Their life course is essentially a process of changing from one cultural role to another. After experiencing the disaster brought to him by the Japanese, Qian realized the limitations of "idyllic and incorruptible culture", so he took off his gown, abandoned poetry and wormwood wine, and left his family. "From a hermit who grew flowers and drank, he became a warrior who dared to bleed"-an anti-Japanese warrior as tenacious and brave as an illiterate warrior. However, his transformation did not completely abandon China's traditional culture, but retained the essence of traditional culture and completed the transformation and innovation of traditional culture. Lao She wrote from the perspective of Rui Xuan: "The old man showed not only a little determination to revenge, but an empirical study of cultural history. Mr. Qian is a native of China, but a native of China, his poems, his manners, his paintings and his morality will die for a belief. ..... He (Ruixuan-the founder) always pretends to be a new Chinese, and often argues with Mr. Fukuyama about the way China people should go-he advocates that the old must be eradicated and the new must be established. Until today, he didn't see clearly that the old ones, like those owned by Mr. Qian, were just a set of innovative foundations "(Chapter 40). Ruiquan, a college student, also escaped from Peiping, which was over-cultured, and came to the yellow land to mingle with the villagers after the fall of Peiping. "He thinks that the new China is probably produced by these impregnable simple forces, and that decadent city, like Beiping, may not be able to bear this responsibility." "He even thinks that if the villagers have lice, he should have several." "If he wants to get married, he will marry a country girl!" (Chapter 82). Lao She clearly said: "The third son (Ruiquan-the leader) is no longer a member of the Qi family with four generations under one roof, but an independent new Chinese" (Chapter 87).
three
The success or limitation of Four Generations under One roof can and should be explained by Lao She's conscious awareness of cultural reflection.
Conscious cultural consciousness determines the unique position of A Family of Four Generations in the history of modern literature in China and even in the history of modern ideology and culture in China. This position is difficult to obtain in general works that simply promote anti-Japanese.
For the basic development trend of China Thought after the May 4th Movement, Li Zehou summarized it as from "enlightenment and national salvation promote each other" to "national salvation overwhelms enlightenment" [⑩]. Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Hu Shi, Qu Qiubai, Mao Dun and other "May 4th" elites' ideological trajectories and life trajectories prove that Li Zehou's generalization is in line with historical facts. The core problem of this transformation is that group consciousness has replaced individual consciousness, and the desire for survival has overwhelmed the spirit of self-criticism. Political struggle and national liberation movement have diluted cultural introspection and cultural criticism. The uniqueness of A Family of Four Generations lies in that, under the banner of resisting Japan and saving the nation, it not only exposes the ferocity and greed of the Japanese invaders and the meanness and ugliness of the traitors, but also seeks the historical reasons for the national collapse and the crisis of national survival from the Chinese themselves, thus entering into cultural reflection and criticizing the national inferiority. In this way, the theme of the May 4th Enlightenment, which was forgotten by many people in the 1940s, reappeared for four generations under one roof. On the whole, Lao She's reflection on cultural issues and criticism of national inferiority are in the same strain as the May 4th spirit and Lu Xun's thought in at least five aspects. First, in Four Generations under One roof, people are not only identified as typed objects (that is, people from all walks of life and classes in China were killed by the Japanese invaders as a group), but also as subjects lacking vitality and resisting will. Li Shifu said: "If we are all as poor as others, let alone small Japan, even big Japan will not dare to criticize us!" It embodies Lao She's emphasis on people's self-awareness and subjective initiative. This kind of self-awareness and subjective initiative is an important part of the precious spiritual heritage of the May 4th Movement. Secondly, Lao She's criticism of traditional culture through money and traditional ethics and family values through Rui Xuan and Rui Quan are important components of the May 4th New Culture Movement and Lu Xun's thought. Moreover, Lao She's criticism is more rational and dialectical, abandoning the fanatical "total negation" during the May 4th Movement. Thirdly, Chapter 53 of the novel describes how Peiping people went to watch a figure skating competition organized by the Japanese during the Chinese New Year: "People who love peace too much have little face. Once their faces are stripped off, they are called surrender and enjoyment, submit to humiliation and behave themselves, and they are called preserving their sanity. ..... rich, no money, tried to eat jiaozi, put on the best clothes; If they can't find neat clothes, they will borrow one; Then wear it to Beihai-there are no tickets today-to see the scene of Shengping. They forgot that the soldiers in Nanyuan would be blown up by bombs, how many relatives and friends were imprisoned and tortured, and the chains around their necks. They were all happy, talking and laughing, and feasting their eyes. " This description exposed China people's numbness, forgetfulness, self-deception and "spectator" mentality, which Lu Xun abhorred and lashed out at. Lu Xun said: "The masses, especially those in China, will always be spectators of the drama. Sacrifice to play, if they appear generous, they watch tragic drama; If it looks like a baby, they will watch a farce. " [? Fourthly, Lao She criticized the "traditional concept of promoting to a higher position and making a fortune" (Chapter 50) by exposing the greed of Da Chibao, Lan Dongyang and Guan Xiaohe for power and money, which is related to Lu Xun's traditional values (outlook on life) towards China people-"Fu Wei, children and friendship" [? ]-criticism is consistent. Fifth, Lao She's criticism of China people's hierarchical concept and the duality of "master mentality" and "slave mentality" in China people's personality-the so-called "on the one hand, I want to be an official, on the other hand, I am willing to be a slave" (Chapter 50) were also criticized by Lu Xun. Lu Xun said: "We have already arranged ourselves properly, with dignity, size and ups and downs." I am abused by others, but I can also abuse others; You can be eaten by others, but you can also eat others. Level by level, I can't move and I don't want to move. "[? ]。 In addition, Lu Xun's attitude towards China people in the early period of the May 4th Movement, that is, "Mourning their misfortunes and angering them without dispute", is also Lao She's attitude towards Beiping people in Four Generations under One roof. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to regard Lao She as another banner criticizing the national character after Lu Xun. Previous researchers just didn't understand this point, so they criticized "Four Generations of a Family" for "not writing enough about the persistent struggle of the people and reducing the inspiring power of the work"? ]。 From the perspective of cultural introspection and criticism of national inferiority, perhaps what four generations under one roof are pursuing is not "charisma" at all, but introspection and criticism. Otherwise, it is difficult to understand why the author named the first two novels "drag out an ignoble existence" and "confusion".
Four generations under one roof belongs to that era in exposing the Japanese aggressors and showing the miserable life of Peiping people, but it goes beyond that era in cultural introspection and criticizing the national inferiority. Belonging to and surpassing the times is the unique value of four generations living under one roof. Li Zehou summarized the development process of China's modern thought from May 4th to 1980s as "double variation of enlightenment and national salvation" [what? ], and the two major themes in this variation-"enlightenment" and "salvation" have long been harmoniously accommodated by Lao She in Four Generations under One Family.
For some excellent works, success on the one hand is often at the expense of loss on the other. Four generations under one roof is no exception. The conscious consciousness of cultural examination not only makes the works gain greater ideological depth and special historical position, but also brings limitations that cannot be ignored.
This limitation mainly lies in the tendency of cultural determinism caused by a strong sense of cultural censorship. This involves the issue of human nature. It is undoubtedly correct to regard people as the product of culture. "Culture has continuity. ..... Although the undertakers of all specific cultures in each generation are completely different, it will exist as a unique and unique entity. And each generation of culture will be passed on to the new generation as a whole. From this, from generation to generation "? ]。 Only by understanding people from a cultural perspective can we reveal that people are "historical mammals" [? ] Inherent inevitability. Ernst Cassirer, a German philosopher, knows people from the perspective of culture, and he has reached a depth that his predecessors have not reached. [? But the cultural perspective reveals only one aspect of human beings, and it is also the aspect of historical existence. As a realistic person, he is restricted by many factors other than "culture"-political and social factors and so on. In this sense, Plato and Marx's understanding of man is the same. Plato believes that "human nature is written in capital letters on the nature of the country"; [? Marx said: "The essence of man is not an abstract thing inherent in a single person. In its reality, it is the sum of all social relations. " [? Only by understanding people from different angles can we have a comprehensive and scientific understanding of people (in this sense, Cassirer, Plato and Marx's understanding of people is "fragmentary" because they are concerned about the individual level of "people"). As far as Peiping people are concerned, their poverty, cowardice and subjugation are caused by many reasons, such as the backwardness of modern China society, the dark politics of old China, the passive resistance of the Kuomintang authorities and so on. Cultural problems are only one of the reasons why they became conquered-not the direct reason. Therefore, thinking about the character and destiny of Peiping people should not only trigger cultural criticism, but also trigger historical criticism, political criticism and social criticism. Cultural criticism is not accompanied by historical criticism, political criticism and social criticism, but based on historical criticism, social criticism and political criticism, and its critical power is bound to be weakened.
In addition, the high consciousness of cultural consciousness has also led to the tendency of "conceptualization" of individual characters-that is, as pointed out by researchers, Qi Ruiquan and Qian, who became heroes of the anti-Japanese war, all have the tendency of "conceptualization" [22]. Specifically, on the one hand, Lao She's cultural ideals on the characters dilute the richness of the characters themselves to a certain extent; on the other hand, the two cultural characters contained in the characters-the poet's cultural character and the hunter's cultural character-are difficult to achieve harmony and unity. Moreover, as the embodiment of Lao She's ideal cultural character, it is difficult for them to find a prototype in Lao She's life, so it is impossible to be shaped as vivid as a citizen image (in contrast, money, as a traditional intellectual, is very real). Strictly speaking, Qian and Ruiquan reflect Lao She's psychological truth, not his real life. However, whether we should doubt the authenticity of these two characters or consider them as some kind of symbolic images is still a question to be further discussed, which involves the creative methods and overall aesthetic style of four generations under one roof.
four
Finally, I want to talk about the position of four generations under one roof in Lao She's works.
In the study of Lao She, Xiangzi Camel is always more respected than four generations living under one roof. Different versions of literary history works regard Camel Xiangzi as Lao She's masterpiece without exception. In the theory of Lao She's creation published in recent years, Camel Xiangzi is regarded as Lao She's "peak on the road of creation", while Four Generations under One roof is still just a "monument" [23]-a "monument" cannot be higher than the "peak". There are two main reasons for this situation. One is political reasons. Four generations under one roof is about people's confusion, drag out an ignoble existence and famine in enemy-occupied areas. Conquered people pinned their hopes on Chiang Kai-shek's "national army" (not the Eighth Route Army, but the producers) and yearned for a blue sky and a white flag (not a five-star red flag). Of course, it is not as good as Camel Xiangzi, a work with the theme of "working people", which is more suitable for more than 30 years after the founding of New China. Second, there are publishing reasons. Four generations under one roof only published the first two books before liberation, and it was not until after the founding of the People's Republic 1979 to 1983 that it entered the society in a complete appearance, which is undoubtedly very unfavorable to the circulation and research of the works. Camel Xiangzi has been widely circulated since the revised edition of 1955 was published. In fact, regarding Camel Xiangzi as Lao She's masterpiece does not conform to Lao She's creative reality. Of course, this novel is excellent, but in terms of vividness and artistic appeal, Lao She's Divorce written in 1933 can completely rival it. As far as the richness of life pictures and the depth and breadth of thoughts are concerned, A Family of Four Generations is obviously above it. Moreover, Camel Xiangzi, regarded as Lao She's masterpiece, is a revised edition of Lao She in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic, which does not reflect "historical facts" at all.
Therefore, if you want to quote a novel as Lao She's masterpiece, I think it should be Four Generations under One roof, not Camel Xiangzi. Regarding Four Generations under One roof, Lao She once said, "I personally like this novel because it is the longest and probably the best book I have ever written" [26]. This shows that Lao She has "self-knowledge". Unfortunately, the research on four generations living under one roof is far from enough. This article is also a masterpiece.