Chapter 18 Reply to the editor's letter of "Xi" Weekly

Mr. Lu Xun learned: The first act of "Ah Q" has already been staged. Although it is not immediately possible to put it on the stage for experimentation, our preparations are about to start.We hope that you can express some opinions when the first act has just been published. On the one hand, it may also help us to prepare for the performance. The script was simultaneously printed as a preface.This is the editor's request, but also the author, readers and comrades of the show.Good luck! editor. Mr. Editor—— I had already seen the open letter sent to me in the weekly "Xi" [2]. Later, I received a weekly magazine in the mail, and I knew that it was probably urging me to reply.I know nothing about drama, and my surest answer is to say nothing.But if the gentleman and the readers are willing to understand in advance that I am just a layman's casual talk, then I may as well say a little bit of my personal opinion.

In each issue of "Ah Q", not many are published, and there are six days between each issue. I have read it intermittently, and have forgotten it one after another.Looking back now, I just remember the arrangement, and the method of inserting other characters in the film to show the whole picture of Weizhuang or Luzhen is very good.But there were many parts of the Shaoxing dialect that Ah Q spoke that I could not understand. Now I would like to say a few words, there are two points - one, where is Wei Zhuang? The editor of "Ah Q" has already decided: in Shaoxing.I am from Shaoxing, and the background of the writing is mostly from Shaoxing. Everyone probably agrees with this decision.However, in all my novels, there are very few that point to a certain place.Almost all Chinese people love their hometown and ridicule other great heroes, and Ah Q also has this temper.At that time, I thought, if I write an exposing novel and specify that the incident happened in a certain place, then the people in the certain place will hate each other, but the people who are not in the certain place will be the same as watching the fire from the other side, without reflecting on each other. Gritting their teeth, a group of people feel smug, not only completely loses the meaning and function of the work, but also creates boring side points, and everyone fights for leisure—"Gossip about Yangzhou"[3] is the most recent example.In order to cure the disease, ginseng was prescribed in the prescription, and he didn't eat it well, so he fell down and was swollen all over his body. He used radish seeds to relieve it, and then he regained the same thinness as before.The same goes for personal names. Sources in the literary circles of ancient and modern times often think that some novels are based on personal revenge, so they must confirm that whoever is in the book is who they are in reality.In order to save these gifted scholars from wasting their minds in vain, and for the sake of adding details, I will use "Mr. Zhao" and "Uncle Qian" as the first two characters in [4]; as for Ah Q's surname, no one is very sure. understand.However, rumors still arose back then.There is also a ranking, because I am the eldest son, and I have two younger brothers. In order to prevent the poisonous tongue of rumorers, there is no bad character in my works who is not the eldest, or the fourth, or the fifth.

The painstaking efforts mentioned above are not because I am afraid of offending people. The purpose is to eliminate all kinds of boring side effects, so that the power of the work can be more concentrated and exerted more strongly.In Gogol's "Guardian" [5], the actors directly said to the audience: "You laugh at yourself!" (It is strange that the Chinese translation has deleted this very important sentence.) My method is In order to make readers unable to figure out who is writing about someone other than themselves, they immediately shirk it and become a bystander, and become so suspicious that it seems to be writing about themselves, and it seems to be writing about everyone, thus opening the way for introspection.But in my opinion, none of the critics in the past have noticed this point.This time the editor has adopted such a casual attitude towards the Shaoxing dialect spoken by the protagonist Ah Q. I think his eyes are also blinded by the world.

However, it is also good to specify Shaoxing.Then came the second question—— Second, what should Ah Q say?It seems that there is no need to ask, since Ah Q's life happened in Shaoxing, he should of course speak Shaoxing dialect.But then came the third question—— Three, "Ah Q" was performed for the people there?If it is for Shaoxing people, he must speak Shaoxing dialect.In Shaoxing opera, officials and scholars have always used the official dialect, waiters and jailers use the native dialect, that is, Sheng, Dan, Jing generally use the official dialect, and the ugly use the native dialect.I think this is not all for the purpose of distinguishing people from high to low, refined and vulgar, good from bad, and there is another big reason, which is aphorisms or epigrams, sarcasm and humor, nine out of ten are from the mouths of inferior people, Therefore, he must use the local language so that the local spectators can fully understand it.Then, it is conceivable how important this relationship is.In fact, if it is shown to people in Shaoxing, other characters can also use Shaoxing dialect, because they are both Shaoxing dialect, so the so-called upper class and lower class speak differently. The latter has longer sentences, more auxiliary words and interjections, and a sentence with the same meaning can be twice as long.But if it is played out to people elsewhere, the play's effect is diminished, or almost completely disappeared.According to my careful observation, anyone from other counties who thinks they know Shaoxing dialect well, he probably doesn’t know much like the current famous people who punctuate Ming people’s sketches[6]; as for people from the north or Fujian and Guangdong, I’m afraid After listening to it, he will not gain more than listening to the jokes in foreign circuses.

I think universality, eternity, and completeness, these three treasures are naturally remarkable, but they are also the nails in the writer's coffin, which will nail him to death.For example, in today's China, it is actually impossible to compile a script that can be used anytime, anywhere.So I think the current method is to write a script with dialogues that are relatively easy to understand. If it is performed in a school or other places, there is no need to change it. If it goes to a certain province, county, or village, then this Even if the book is a basic copy, if the words in it are changed to the local dialect, not only the language, but also the background and names of people can be changed to make the observation more realistic.For example, if the place where the play is performed is not a water village, then the boat can be turned into a cart, and Qijin[7] can also be called a "little braid".

I have finished my opinion, and to sum it up, I just want to say that it is best not to specialize this script, but to allow everyone to use it flexibly. There is still a little tail at the end, of course, it is by no means as interesting as Mr. Ba Erjun's tail.I am very sorry for this, but it must be said.I remember that a few months ago, I answered a friend’s question about the popular language, and this letter was published in the "Society Monthly" [8], and finally it was an article by Mr. Yang Cunren [9].A Mr. Shao Bo said in "Torch" that I had reconciled with Mr. Yangcunren, and he was deeply moved by the Chinese people's ability to reconcile [10].This time, my letter will probably be published, but I remember that the weekly magazine "Xi" had already published an article by Mr. Zeng Jinke and Ye Lingfeng[11]; Mr. Ye also drew a picture Like Ah Q, it seems that my copy hasn't been used up when I go to the toilet. If I haven't been constipated for many years, I must have bought a new one.If I had been overwhelmed by Mr. Schober's verdict, I should not have dared to write any more this time, but I don't think so.I just want to declare here by the way: I don't have the right to prohibit others from publishing my letters in journals, and there is no way to know who else's articles are published in advance, so any author on the same journal has no I didn't mean to reconcile or disagree; but if someone in the same camp disguised itself and stabbed me from behind, my hatred and contempt for him was higher than that of the obvious enemy.

This is not a personal matter, because now it is time for Mr. Schauber to use his old tricks. If I don’t make a statement, then the passages I have said, even if they are not comprador conscious[12], are also the theory of conciliation. What does that mean?Reply hereby, please Wen An. Lu Xun.November fourteenth. CC 〔1〕This article was originally published in the fifteenth issue of the weekly drama "Xi" in the Shanghai "China Daily" supplement on November 25, 1934. 〔2〕One of the supplements of the weekly "China Daily" of "Xi", edited by Yuan Muzhi, founded on August 19, 1934.The script of "The True Story of Ah Q" written by Yuan Mei (Yuan Muzhi) was serialized from the first issue of the magazine.

[3] "Gossip about Yangzhou" written by Yi Junzuo, published by Shanghai Zhonghua Book Company in March 1934.It is a miscellany about Yangzhou.The description of local customs and living conditions in the book aroused the dissatisfaction of some Yangzhou people. They sued the author for defamation and asked him to be dismissed for investigation (the author was the director of the editorial review department of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education at the time), so the book was destroyed soon. Edition discontinued. 〔4〕 One of the literacy textbooks used in previous schools, compiled by people in the early Song Dynasty.For ease of reading, the surnames are concatenated into four-character rhymes. "Zhao Qian Sun Li" is the first sentence in the book. [5] Gogol (ab] GRGQc, 1809-1852) Russian writer. "Guardian", a translation of "Imperial Envoy", a satirical comedy. "You laugh at yourselves" is what the mayor said to the laughing audience in the eighth scene of the fifth act of the play when he realized that he had been deceived.In "Xuan" published by the Commercial Press and translated by He Qiming in 1921, this sentence is translated as: "What are you laughing at? Isn't it you who are laughing?"

〔6〕Referring to the punctuation errors in "The Complete Works of Yuan Zhonglang" punctuated by Liu Dajie.See "Lace Literature Cursing and Praising". [7] Qijin is a character in Lu Xun's novels.There is also such a character in the script of "The True Story of Ah Q" adapted by Yuan Muzhi, who is called "Seven Catches on a Ship". 〔8〕That is the "Letter to Mr. Cao Juren" in this book. [9] A native of Yangcun (1901-1955) from Chaoan, Guangdong.He joined the Communist Party of China in 1925, joined the Sun Society in 1928, and betrayed the revolution in 1932. "An article" refers to "Return from the Red Area (Continued)", please refer to the "Supplementary Notes" of this book.

[10] Schaub's article was titled "Reconciliation" and was published in "Da Evening Post·Torch" on August 31, 1934.See the "Appendix" of this book. [11] Zeng Jinke (1901-1971) was born in Taihe, Jiangxi.He once advocated the so-called "Liberation Ci", most of which were vulgar and boring; and co-organized "Literary Forum" with Zhang Ziping to attack left-wing literature and art.See "Pseudo-Liberty Book · Postscript".Ye Lingfeng (1904-1975), was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu.He once published the novel "Autobiography of Poverty" in the second issue of the third volume of "Modern Fiction" (November 1929). Tongyuan tore off three pages from a volume bought at a second-hand stall and defecated on the balcony." [12] Comprador consciousness Lin Mo (Liao Mosha) in "Da Evening News·Torch" on July 3, 1934 Published the article "On "Lace Literature"" and mistakenly believed that Lu Xun's essay "Dangti" had comprador consciousness.See "Lace Literature · Reverse" and its appendices.