In the history of Chinese martial arts novels, Gu Long’s name is like a shining star, radiating and extremely dazzling. Although Gu Long's life was short, fleeting like a shooting star across the sky, his works are as eye-catching as stars and full of brilliance.
Which is better between Jin Yong and Gu Long? "Jin fans" and "Gu fans" have been arguing endlessly. Jin Yong has deep internal power, while Gu Long's moves are weird; Jin Yong's works are heavy, while Gu Long's works are ethereal; Jin Yong's works are broad and profound. Gu Long's works are strangely romantic. Some people compare Jin Yong and Gu Long to Du Fu and Li Bai in the history of poetry. Du Fu is revered as the "Sage of Poetry", and his works are comprehensive, deep and solemn, "the earth bears the sea and contains thousands of things" (Hu Yinglin's comment). Li Bai is known as the "Immortal of Poetry". He has fantastic ideas, flying from the sky, and aphorisms and witty sayings that are unimaginable. Jin Yong is like Du Fu, and Gu Long is like Li Bai. They can be said to be the twin constellations in the history of Chinese martial arts. Such rich, vivid and profound witticisms, Gu Long can freely express them anytime and anywhere in the narrative of the novel, which is enough to prove Gu Long's profound understanding of life and human nature, his deep experience of life and life, as well as his agility in language expression. Talent, the emotional release in the creative process.
The bizarre plot
The plot of the novel is the development history of the characters in the novel. It is the chain of relationships between the development of things and the characters in the novel. It is also the story that readers enjoy talking about and rely on in the novel. important elements for success. Famous novelists are all skilled craftsmen in weaving plots, and Gu Long is even more of a master of plot setting.
Suspense setting and surprise are important features of the plot of Gu Long's novels. "Chu Liuxiang Series", "Lu Xiaofeng Series", "Blood Parrot", "The Sound of Knives in the Wind Chime", and "Xiao Li's Flying Knife Series" are all full of suspense and fog, making it difficult to see and guess. Gu Long uses suspense to capture the curiosity of readers. Gu Long reveals suspense and shows readers the vagaries of events and the causal relationship. In the process of solving the suspense, various characters and various forces restrain each other, causing conflicts and advancing the plot. The readers also break through the fog, get out of the predicament, and gain great aesthetic taste and reading pleasure.
Gu Long is a master of story telling. He has created many incredible stories, the development and ending of which are often unexpected. Who would have thought that the real murderer in "The Fragrance of the Sea of ??Blood" is actually Chu Liuxiang's best friend? Who would have thought that Ling Yufeng, the great catcher in "Falcon", was actually a member of a murderous group? Who would have thought that the gentle, quiet and beautiful girl Xie Xiaoyu in "Full Moon Scimitar" could actually be a big devil? Who could have imagined that the legend of the demon in "Blood Parrot" would have such a complicated relationship and such a tragic ending? In "The Gambling", there are tricks within tricks, truth within lies, truth within lies, truth within lies, truth within lies, and the unpredictable plot evolution and ending of the story are even more unexpected. Unexpected yet reasonable, this is the winning secret of Gu Long's novels to win over readers.
Most of the stories in Gu Long's novels have no historical background. Some people think this is "hidden clumsiness", others think it is due to the atmosphere of the times in Taiwan at that time, but I am more convinced that this writing style is Gu Long's free expression. Character choice. In this story with a historical blank, Gu Long pays more attention to the development and conflicts of human nature and the instinctive state of life. When we are immersed in the story atmosphere created by Gu Long, climbing strange peaks, trekking twists and turns, feeling bizarre and experiencing fear, we can also feel the author's accusation of the injustice of the world and his cry for natural humanity. We may even feel that the whole story is Like a fable, it embodies the eternal true meaning of life.
The plots of Gu Long's novels are bizarre and profound, and they are not only good-looking, but also long-lasting.
Simple and intangible martial arts
Different from the formal and formal martial arts routines written by Liang Yusheng and Jin Yong, the martial arts written by Gu Long are famous and invisible, mysterious and looming. , an ethereal place. Xiao Li's flying sword is a good example; Ximen Chuixue, the sword kills everyone; Ding Peng's magic sword, with a casual wave, the sword light flies up and disappears in an instant; Lu Xiaofeng's fingers can hold any weapon in the world and will never miss it. . ...
Laozi's "Tao Te Ching" says, "The loud sound is loud, but the elephant is invisible." Buddhism believes that all actions are impermanent, all dharmas are empty, and all conditioned dharmas are like dreams and bubbles. Gu Long's "no move" coincides with the cultural heritage of Eastern philosophy.
One sword determines victory or defeat, and one sword changes the world. In Gu Long's works, the duel between masters does not involve any tricks or superfluous routines, and the outcome is only one move. This move is the struggle of life in the extreme state. Its vitality is extremely strong and extremely gorgeous. It saturates the entire pursuit of life, and the glory of a moment condenses into eternity.
Gu Long’s martial arts focuses on attacking the mind. In a decisive battle between masters, the temperament, mood, temper, clothing, posture, and even the trembling and tightness of the muscles, the wind direction in which they stand, the surrounding environment, etc., of both parties will have an impact on the performance of martial arts, and there is no room for error. In "The Great Desert", Chu Liuxiang and Shi Guanyin competed. Chu Liuxiang deliberately broke the mirror, which made Shi Guanyin feel depressed and ultimately failed. The psychological changes of both sides become the key to victory or defeat. Those who are discouraged and lose their self-confidence will definitely lose even if their martial arts skills are better than the other's.
Gu Long believes in "The First Sword of the Storm" that the highest state of martial arts is "no one has no self, everything and I forget". This is the transformation state of martial arts and the pinnacle of martial arts. This kind of martial arts transformation is actually a manifestation of Zen state.
Before the decisive battle, a master will look back and practice his mind, keep his mind inward, and be as quiet as a virgin. In fact, he is preparing for attack and hiding murderous intent. At this time, there is extreme stillness in movement, and also extreme movement in stillness. Movement and stillness are indistinguishable, which constitutes the Zen mental state of a martial arts master. This kind of quiet contemplation and flying life constitute the duality of Gulong's martial arts art.
When we read Jin Yong’s novels, the description of martial arts is fulfilling, and the practice career seems to have experienced various realms of life, which is extremely fulfilling; while in Gu Long’s novels, the realm of martial arts is ethereal, and it tends to be simple, However, simplicity contains infinite vitality!
Lonely and generous characters
Most of the male characters in Gu Long's works are prodigal sons wandering around the world. Li Xunhuan, Chu Liuxiang, Lu Xiaofeng, Jiang Xiaoyu, Xiao Shiyilang, Fu Hongxue, A Fei, Ma Rulong, Bu Ying, Hu Tiehua, Ding Peng, Wang Feng, etc. They have come from different backgrounds, experienced misery, are aloof and emotionally lonely. They are either not understood by the world, or they are framed by evil people, and suffer unjust injustice. They have families, but lack warmth, and they bear the eyes of the world and the torment of wind and rain alone. They are the outcasts of secular society and rebels in the eyes of the world
Despite misfortune and miserable fate, they are naturally proud and strong-willed. In the face of frame-up and discrimination, they hid their misery in their hearts, endured it silently, and patiently waited for the opportunity; in the face of difficulties and powerful enemies, they were unyielding, calm, and faced with great courage and superhuman wisdom. They are the strong men in life, the masters of destiny, the warriors against darkness, and the heroes calling for justice.
Due to injustice and lack of warmth, most of the heroes in Gu Long's works are unhappy, depressed, and lonely. However, they are not world-weary and pessimistic, and still stick to their spiritual home. They are tolerant, selfless, and compassionate. Heart, emphasis on affection, friendship, and morality. They act bravely for their friends and fulfill their promises without hesitation, no matter how hard it is. They exhibit the best and most fascinating qualities of human nature.
The heroines in Gu Long's works are all gorgeous and sexy. Characters in the book often sigh: "I have never seen such a beautiful woman in my life." Shen Bijun, Su Rongrong, Ding Linglin, Feng Si Niang, Die Wu, Su Ying, Lin Xian'er, Shangguan Xiaoxian, etc. are all so beautiful. woman. They are either quiet, gentle, noble, lively, pure, kind, mysterious, or fierce. In short, the women in Gu Long's works are poetic and ideal. They are like a ray of sunshine, bringing warmth to readers; like a sea, adding mist to the story; like a beauty, seeming real and illusory; like a bouquet of flowers, the fragrance is alluring. Beauties cherish heroes, beauties value heroes, they dare to love and hate, they are clear in body and mind, full of tenderness, and delicate emotions. Even if they are villains, they are cunning, evil and sinister, they are only beautiful, and we cannot hate them. Because when Gu Long describes their misdeeds, he often touches the depth of their emotions, showing readers their helpless and miserable state of mind, which arouses some sympathy from us. The female images in Gu Long's works are true expressions of the prodigal's feelings.
The most detestable people in Gu Long's works are the gentlemen such as Liancheng Bi and Liu Ruosong. They come from well-known families and are gentle and elegant, but in fact they are treacherous and sinister at heart. Under the mask of benevolence and morality, they secretly engage in male theft and female prostitution. They hide evil intentions behind the false appearance of being eager to help others. The appearance of this kind of character in the book is Gu Long's warning to kind-hearted people and his exposure of social falsehoods, which contains valuable truths about life.
Pursue novelty, change and breakthrough
Taiwanese critic Hu Zhengqun said: "There was no new school before Gu Long." He believes that the real new school of martial arts novels should start from Gu Long, and Liang before Gu Long Hanyu, Jin Yong, etc. did not deviate from traditional routines. Although this view is somewhat absolute, it is not without some truth.
Compared with the old-school martial arts novels of the Republic of China, the works of Liang Yusheng and Jin Yong also strived to innovate and seek change. Jin Yong, in particular, constantly sought breakthroughs, but on the whole their works were still It belongs to the inheritance and development of traditional forms, and what it pursues and expresses is the cultural atmosphere, stylistic model and aesthetic style that everyone is familiar with. Gu Long is different. He takes innovation, change, and practicality as his creative purposes. He is not bound by any rules and regulations. He gives a full range of "self-expression" from various aspects such as style, language, martial arts routines, character portrayal, artistic conception pursuit, and aesthetic taste. "Performance", its novel text not only provides a new normative sample for the martial arts literary world, but also opens up a new world of reading for readers.
Gu Long has a very clear creative concept. He said: "Martial arts novels have indeed fallen into a fixed form. This form has been written too much and has become a cliché and a formula. "If you want to change, you have to seek innovation. You have to break through the old fixed forms and try to absorb them... Who dictates how martial arts novels must be written in order to be considered 'authentic'? Martial arts novels are just like other novels. If it can attract people, inspire people, and arouse people's enthusiasm, it will be successful!" Gu Long practiced this, showed great enthusiasm, and made great efforts. Looking at the new school of martial arts novel writers, there is no one other than Gu Long who is so persistent and consistent in pursuing innovation, change, and breakthrough! Gu Long’s success is definitely not due to luck. In addition to his talent and talent, the more important aspect of his success is his valuable temperament of not being content with the status quo, having the courage to explore, and striving for innovation.
Poetic and ethereal language
Gu Long’s achievement is to create a unique style of writing, and the most shining and core element of this style is language. Gu Long The novel has unique linguistic qualities.
The language of Jin Yong's novels is elegant and dense, while the language of Gu Long's novels is passionate and jumping.
Gu Long's novels have long and short sentences intertwined, with clear layers and fast rhythm. They can be read in one go, powerful and full of prose charm. In many paragraphs and scene descriptions, Gu Long consciously introduces poetic elements. Even in plots such as character appearances and martial arts fights, Gu Long also shows a kind of poetic thinking, relying on images, and permeating emotional tension between the lines.
Yu Jing is not in the sky, but on a horse.
His saddle is very old, his boots and scabbard are equally old, but his clothes are brand new
The scabbard tapped the saddle, and the spring breeze blew in his face superior.
He felt very happy and comfortable.
——"The Sword of Eternal Life"
There is wind.
The wind blew up Wang Feng’s clothes.
The eerie cold wind blew on my body but there was no feeling of coldness.
It’s foggy.
The melancholy white mist floated around Wang Feng, but did not block his sight. ——"Blood Parrot"
This kind of description has the melody of poetry and the charm of prose. The picture is vivid and the artistic conception is ethereal. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a prose poem. The flexible use of poetic language is the most charming part of Gu Long's novels.
In addition to the poetic language and artistic conception, Gu Long's novels also contain many wonderful and amazing witticisms, which are sublimated and refined through repeated chewing of life situations. They can be regarded as life mottos. read.
Everyone has weaknesses. As long as you know their weaknesses, anyone can take advantage of them.
No matter how twists and turns and bizarre things are, once you explain it to you, you will find that it is not as complicated as you think.
Since ancient times, no matter who wants to stand on the highest point of the mountains, he must first learn how to endure loneliness.