Chapter 38 Contact with Lu Xun

Hu Shi and Lu Xun, during the May 4th Movement, both belonged to the "New Youth" group, were both advocates of the literary revolution, and both taught at Peking University.When Hu Shi was researching novels, Lu Xun was teaching a course of "History of Chinese Novels" and engaged in the research of ancient Chinese novels. ① Therefore, they have had many contacts in this regard. At that time, when they published their own works, they would always give each other presents; when they saw the insightful insights in each other's works, they would always give enthusiastic affirmation and appreciation.Hu Shi was the first to research and analyze the reasons why Jin Shengtan cut "Water Margin" from the perspective of the times.Lu Xun thought it was very good, so he quoted it many times in his treatises, and affirmed:

As for why Jin Shengtan deleted the articles after "Zhaoan"? This was probably influenced by the social environment at that time.Mr. Hu Shizhi said: "Sheng Tan was born in an era when thieves spread all over the world. He saw Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng like thieves spreading poison all over the country, so he felt that thieves should not be advocated, but should be punished with words and pens." This is very true. It was Sheng Tan who thought that it was unreliable to use bandits to put down foreign bandits, so he didn't want to listen to the rumors of Song Jiang's meritorious deeds. ②

Lu Xun also quoted a lot of Hu Shi's "Textual Research on a Dream of Red Mansions", and repeatedly pointed out that Hu Shi's textual research was "the most powerful". , the various fallacies of the old Hongxue "has been proven to be wrong".He especially praised Hu Shi's achievements in determining the author's life. He said that in the past, people didn't know what kind of person Cao Xueqin was. Said, "It is the most credible one." ③ Hu Shi has always had "the most sincere respect and love" for Lu Xun. ④ For Lu Xun, he was even more impressed. He once said:

In terms of the historical materials of the novel, I myself have made a little contribution.But the greatest achievement is of course Mr. Lu Xun's; this is a pioneering creation, collected very diligently, selected materials very carefully, and cut it carefully, it can save countless energy for us who study the history of literature. ⑤ When Hu Shi did textual research on his novels, he often referred to materials and viewpoints in Lu Xun's works. In May 1922, he wrote "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms Preface", and he also specially noted at the end of the article: "When writing this preface, he used Mr. Zhou Yucai's (note, that is, Lu Xun)'s manuscript of "Lecture Notes on the History of Novels", and it is not as good as annotating them one by one. , specially recorded here." It can be seen that there are many materials and opinions that are "referenced".In Lu Xun's book, he saw that there was no "ancient version" of "Water Margin" about Jin Shengtan. He felt that it was "very detailed and thoughtful" and admired it. He quoted more than a thousand words in detail and corrected his original assumption that there was an "ancient version". "mistake.

They also borrowed books and periodicals from each other, copied and mailed materials, or returned letters and manuscripts, and discussed and discussed issues related to textual research on novels.In the existing Lu Xun diaries, letters and "Hu Shi's Diary", there are also many exchanges between them, such as correspondence, interviews, and mutual donation of books and manuscripts. Although it may not be a good story in the literary world, it is quite interesting. ⑥ In 1921, Hu Shi wrote the "Preface to Journey to the West". It is not known who the author was, but he only said that it was "made by an unknown novelist after the middle of the Ming Dynasty".Later, Lu Xun helped him collect and copied many materials about the author Wu Chengen to him.In some of Hu Shi’s diaries kept in Beijing, there is such a record on August 14, 1922:

Yucai sent five papers of materials and two papers of letters, which were all pasted on the bottom. Now, in the diary of this day, there are still two copies of the original letter from Lu Xun to Hu Shi on August 14, and another letter from Lu Xun to Hu Shi on the 21st of the same month is attached, both discussing other novels. ⑦ It was just the material about the author's deeds in those five papers, which was cut out by someone, but Hu Shi had already "transcribed" it in his later "Journey to the West Textual Research". ⑧ Hu Shi's textual research novels like to collect good editions; "Secret Collections of Orphaned Editions" are not to be taken lightly.Just in June of this year, he got a copy of "Jing Chen Miscellaneous Records", which is the four notes of Yang Maojian (Zhang Sheng) in the Qing Dynasty, and the lithograph of Shanghai Tongwen Publishing House during the Guangxu period.Among them, the fourth kind, "Menghua Suobo", records "Pinhua Baojian" and the deeds of its author Chen Sen in detail.Lu Xun needed this kind of materials to talk about the history of novels, so he said in a letter to Hu Shi:

Tongwen Bureau has printed a precious book about the textual research of "Pin Hua", so I hope to see it and take a look. Seeing Lu Xun's big face, Hu Shi also generously agreed to lend this "treasure book" and other related "many books" to Lu Xun. ⑨ Hu Shi was the first to research, but when he wrote "Water Margin Textual Research" and "Hou Kao", he had not seen the 120 chapters of "Water Margin Complete Book of Loyalty". In 1921, Mr. Masayoshi Aoki of Japan copied the bibliography and preface for him from a book in the Kyoto Library, and he learned the general outline of the book.It was not until 1924 that Hu Shi bought a copy of one hundred and twenty chapters, and it happened that Lu Xun recommended it to him.Around the Spring Festival of this year, Qi Shoushan, a good friend of Lu Xun, bought a copy of one hundred and twenty copies.Mr. Qi's family has another one, the version is clearer, and it costs 50 yuan.Qi Shoushan asked Lu Xun if he wanted it.At that time, Lu Xun was buying a house in Xisantiao, and it was going to be rebuilt, and the Spring Festival was coming, so money was very tight.Knowing that Hu Shizheng lacked this version, he wrote a letter to recommend it.Hu Shi was naturally very happy, and wrote back immediately, and bought the 120-volume "Water Margin Complete Book of Loyalty" for 45 yuan. ⑩

The above-mentioned exchanges tell people that in the period after the "May 4th Movement", Hu Shi and Lu Xun respected each other academically, learned from each other, and sometimes debated difficulties and corrected mistakes, showing a kind of good manners that scholars should have.Lu Xun once said to his friends: "Hu Shizhi has an addiction to research and sometimes has kind words."Until the 1930s, he criticized Hu Shi's political attitude of being attached to the Kuomintang government, but he never completely denied Hu Shi's novels. In 1934, Lu Xun revised it for the last time. He also revised Cao Xueqin’s birth and death year and relevant conclusions based on the relevant textual research articles collected in the newly published "Selected Works of Hu Shi". Japanese translation.Although this is an afterthought, it is an actual evaluation of Lu Xun's textual research on Hu Shi's novels after accepting the influence of Marxism.He doesn't talk nonsense because of people.

①Since August 1920, Lu Xun has been employed as a part-time lecturer in the Department of Chinese Literature of Peking University to teach "History of Chinese Fiction" In the same month, he served as a lecturer at Beijing Higher Normal School and later at Beijing Women's Normal University (October 1923), where he taught "History of Chinese Fiction".The first volume of his lecture notes was published by Xinchaosha in December 1923; the second volume was still published by Xinchaosha in June 1924. ② Lu Xun's "Historical Changes in Chinese Fiction", see "The Complete Works of Lu Xun", Beijing People's Literature Publishing House, 1981 edition, Vol. 9, p. 325. Hu Shi's assertion was also quoted in "The Fifteenth Chapter of History from the Yuan and Ming Dynasties", see page 147 of the above book.

③Refer to Volume 9 of the above book, pages 234-236 and 336-338. ④ See Hu Shi's letter to Zhou Zuoren on September 4, 1929, contained in "Hu Shi's Correspondence and Selected Letters", Beijing Zhonghua Book Company, May 1, 1979, volume 1, pp. 541-543. ⑤ "Preface to the History of Vernacular Literature", contained in the first volume of "History of Vernacular Literature", published by Shanghai Xinyue Bookstore in June 1928.It is also included in "Three Collections of Hu Shi's Wencun", the first edition of Shanghai Yadong Library in September 1930; for quotations, see Yadong 3rd Edition, Volume 8, p. 989.

⑥According to "Lu Xun's Diary", from January 1921 to September 1924 (the diary in 1922 is missing, and there are only some excerpted fragments), during the contacts between Lu Xun and Hu Shi: Hu Shi wrote 12 letters to Lu Xun (from January 3, 1921 to September 2, 1924). Lu Xun wrote 14 letters to Hu Shi (from January 3, 1921 to August 13, 1924; two of them can be seen in "Hu Shi's Diary" and "Lu Xun's Letters Collection"). Books and periodicals that Hu Shi sent to Lu Xun: "Reading Magazine", "Journey to the West", "World Philosophy in the Past Fifty Years", and "Chinese Literature in the Past Fifty Years". Lu Xun gave Hu Shi a book: . ⑦ For these two letters from Lu Xun to Hu Shi, see "Hu Shi's Diary", Beijing Zhonghua Book Company, January 1, 1985, Volume 2, pp. 427-428; see also "The Complete Works of Lu Xun", Volume 11, pp. 410-414 Page. ⑧Refer to "Hu Shi Wencun Two Collections", Shanghai Yadong Library, March 6, 1929, Volume 4, pp. 84-89. ⑨ same note ⑦. ⑩See Lu Xun’s letter to Hu Shixin on February 9, 1924, Volume 11 of The Complete Works of Lu Xun, p. 423; Vol., pp. 487, 493. See Xu Shoushang's "Impressions of the Dead Friend Lu Xun" "Fifteen Miscellaneous Talks", Beijing People's Literature Publishing House, June 1953 edition, rearranged version in 1977, p. 52. See Lu Xun's letters to Yang Jiyun on May 24, 29, and 31, 1934, which were published in Volume 12 of "The Complete Works of Lu Xun";