时间：2022-10-29 11:22:57
I like to read postscripts of Jia Pingwa’s novels. Words in postscripts are totally different from that of his novel’s. Passions are hidden in his novels, with restrained plainness and simplicity. Though the words are plain and simple in postscripts, passions are expressed lyrically. That is where difference lies. When you read Jia Pingwa’s novel, you will feel a drought and see farmers working with their face towards earth and back against the sky. While you read the postscript, you will feel a spring breeze stroking the face and you are not thirsty at all.
Jia said in the postscript in Daideng that the style of his Shanxi Opera and Ancient Stove I similar to that of Barcelona football team, trivial, detailed, and magnificent. Besides, he also noted the difficulty of changing styles, “I often hear my knuckles when turning around.”
The writing style of this novel is half previous “trivial, detailed, and magnificent” and half soft and elegant. The reality is the field with loess and the imagination is beautiful starry sky.
From trivial details in Daideng, two lines are seen: two expectations from readers. One is where the story leads and another is the result of Daideng’s love to Yuan Tianliang. Thus, in the two lines lies the profound meaning of this novel: the land and people living on the land are taking care of each other; Daideng suffers and struggles alone in the messed and confusing world.
Jia Pingwa is meant to write a tragedy, or a story full of tragic color. First take a look at farmers in the Ying Town. Similar to Lu Xun, Jia critically depicts farmers because of love and care. Main characters in the novel are mostly annoying, sometimes evil, like Wang Housheng, Yuan brothers, Xue brothers, etc. At the same time, there are also kind people, docile, obedient and stupid, like Daideng’s old women mates. These mates are suppressed and damaged people by common sense. Their miner husbands are completely bedridden because of silicosis and they have a tough life. Then look at officers in town government. The secretary seems a robot driven by power. However, the author just draws the bow without shooting. Until the end, when Xue brothers and Yuan brothers fight against each other, the secretary is exposed. He kicks Yuan brother and abuses him, “You mother fucker! What the hell are you doing? I don’t care you die or not! Don’t mess up my game” The rest are typical of having it both ways. In this messed and confusing world, Daideng and Zhuzi are two exceptions.
Daideng is decisive and knowledgeable, while Zhuzi listen to her, like an intimate sister. The reason why Daideng never complains is that she builds up a spiritual world beyond the real world. The spiritual world stems from her love to Yuan Tianliang, who is an excellent youth and works as an officer in city. It is more a thirst for spiritual world than love to a man. The power brought by it is strong enough to offset tiredness and boredom of the real world. Letters written by Daideng to Yuan Tianliang are fluent and beautifully sounded, which is never seen in Jia Pingwa’s works. In the end of the novel ,Daideng got hurt in the head during the fight between Yuan and Xue. Thus she often sleepwalks and talks nonsense. The real world and her spiritual world both collapse in front of her.
In the last but one section, the game, in which one is drumming while the others pass round a spray of blossom, is rather symbolic in this realistic novel. After half an hour, everyone gets nervous when the beat is faster. Everyone is afraid to get the flower. The wine is not wine. Instead, it is threat, and punishment. The flower is not flower either. It is hedgehog, fire ball and bomb.
Jia Pingwa does not solves such problems, like whether the big factory is built at last, or whether people get compensation for loss of families dead of silicosis. Jia is a pessimist. The last section is titled with “Ying Town still has story to be told”. It is full of meaning.
I marvel at its profound and thought provoking meaning under the disguise of trivial and dazzling appearance. Jia is always criticized by others for his taste for ugliness. When I covered Daideng, I accept his taste because the land is in a state of devastation. No matter what, we love the land from the bottom of the heart.
I once owned a village like that whose flowers and grass were like my siblings. I dream of going back. However, I cannot go back any more.