Shen Congwen 14 years old graduated from high school and joined the army. 15 years old went out with the army. He worked as a staff sergeant, and later worked as a butcher and tax collector in the city with the army in the name of a secretary. Seeing the darkness of the world produces disgust. After being exposed to new literature, 1923 went to Beijing, but failed to enter the university. Embarrassed, he began to write under the pseudonym "Hugh Yun Yun". From 1930s, he began to construct his own "Xiangxi World" with novels, and completed a series of representative works such as Border Town and Long River. Prose Collection "Auspicious San Ji". He examined the present situation of urban-rural confrontation at that time from the subjective perspective of "countryman" and criticized the ugliness of modern civilization in the process of entering China. This concept, which is contrary to the masters of new literature, greatly enriches the expression range of modern novels. There are more than 80 collected works created by Shen Congwen in his life, which is the largest number among modern writers. Early novels include Oranges, After Rain and Others, Witch's Love and so on. The basic theme has been seen, but the urban and rural clues are still unclear, the description of gender relations is shallow, and the purity of literature is poor. After 1930s, his works were quite mature, including Dragon Ball, Hotels and Others, Zhou Shi, Tiger Boy, Black Miniature Story, Scenery under the Moon, Eight Horses, Ru Rui Ji, Selected Literary Novels, New and Old, and Housewives Ji. Shen Congwen is known as the "father of local literature" in China literary world for his unique writing style. From works to theory, Shen Congwen later completed a series of contrasting urban life forms, such as Xiangxi, Beauty of Rural Life Form and Synthesis of Critical Structure, and put forward his philosophy of "harmony between man and nature", that is, based on nature and returning to nature. The healthy and perfect humanity represented by Xiangxi, a beautiful, healthy and natural life form without violating humanity, is exactly the content of all his creations.
Historical research
After the founding of New China, Shen Congwen worked in the Museum of Chinese History and the Institute of History of China Academy of Social Sciences, mainly engaged in the study of ancient Chinese costumes. 198 1 year published a monograph on ancient Chinese costumes, which lasted 15 years. The book "Treasure of Wuling" by Mr. Zhou of Hunan Province also records that Shen Congwen was mainly engaged in the study of ancient history and culture in his later years, and points out his achievements in the study of ancient history and culture in his later years. In the book Study on Bronze Mirrors in Ancient Warring States in China, Shen Congwen's History of Bronze Mirrors points out: "Bronze mirrors in Warring States are famous for their standard modeling and exquisite ornamentation, which indicates that ancient bronze mirrors in China have moved from infancy to maturity, and Chu mirrors are one of them. It was first discovered in the Huaihe River Basin, and is usually called' Huai Mirror'. Seven years after liberation, because so many similar mirrors were unearthed in the Chu Tomb of the Warring States Period in Changsha, we realized that it was a product of the State of Chu, and it was more correct to call it' Chu Mirror'. From the analysis of realistic materials, although the invention of bronze mirror may not have originated in Chu State, the mirror casting workers in Chu State have undoubtedly made great contributions to improving production technology and enriching the art of mirror decoration. "This evaluation is in line with objective reality.
A hard life
Shen Congwen's life is bumpy and dedicated. From 19 17 to 1922, wandering in the Yuanshui River Basin in western Hunan. 1923 broke into Beijing, 1923 to 1928 made a living by writing in Beijing; From 1928 to 1930, Shen Congwen was discovered by Xu Zhimo, and recommended this young man to Hu Shi, the president of China College, as a lecturer at Shanghai China College, and edited literary supplements such as Ta Kung Pao and Yi Shi Daily. Qingdao University lecturer 193 1 to1933; 1934 to 1939, editor-in-chief of national Chinese textbooks for primary and secondary schools in Beijing; 1939 to 1947, Professor The National SouthWest Associated University; Professor Peking University from 1947 to1949; 1950 to 1978, cultural relics researcher, Beijing Chinese History Museum; 1978 to 1988, researcher, Institute of China Academy of Social Sciences. Mr. Shen Congwen's literary works such as Border Town, Xiangxi and Autobiography of Shen Congwen have great influence at home and abroad. His works have been translated and published by more than 40 countries such as Japan, the United States, Britain and the former Soviet Union, and have been selected into university textbooks by the United States, Japan, South Korea, Britain and other countries or regions 10, and twice nominated as Nobel Prize in Literature candidates. Mr Shen Congwen is not only a famous writer, but also a famous historian and archaeologist. He has written and published academic monographs such as China Silk Patterns, Bronze Mirrors of Tang and Song Dynasties, Dragon and Phoenix Art, Lacquerware of Warring States Period, and Research on Ancient Chinese Costume, especially the representative work Research on Ancient Chinese Costume, which has great influence and filled a gap in the cultural history of China.
Creative style
Shen Congwen's writing style tends to be romantic. He demanded the poetic effect of the novel, combining realism, recalling dreams and symbolism. The language style is simple, the sentence pattern is simple and steep, the trunk is prominent, simple and heavy, simple and vivid, with strong local color, which highlights the unique charm and spirit of rural humanity. The whole work is full of hidden worries and philosophical thinking about life, just like his real and tenacious life, which gives people lessons and enlightenment.
Novel classification
There are two main types of novels created by Shen Congwen. One is about life in western Hunan, and the other is about city life. The former praises the beauty of human nature by describing the primitive and natural life form of Xiangxi people. The latter reveals the loss of urban natural humanity through the corruption of urban life. The rural world in his works shows the overall pattern of opposition and mutual participation with the urban society, while the "distortion of human nature" of the upper class under the urban theme is exposed under the candlelight of the ideal of "harmony between man and nature". It is his unique value scale and philosophical speculation on connotation that constitute the bridge between urban life and rural world under Shen Congwen's pen, and it is precisely because of this criticism of "modern literature" with money as the core and his romantic ideal.
magnum opus
The novella Border Town is his masterpiece, which embodies Shen Congwen's aesthetic ideals of "beauty" and "love" and is his most outstanding work to show the beauty of human nature. Through the love tragedy of his son and daughter Cui Cui's lover in Xiangxi, it is reflected that Xiangxi can't grasp its own destiny in the face of "nature" and "personnel", and repeats a sad life from generation to generation, pinning the author's national and personal hidden pain.