Chapter 2 Yan Duhexu

Mr. Zhang Henshui and I met for the first time in May last year, but the words "novelist Zhang Henshui" have been imprinted in my mind for almost six or seven years.Six or seven years ago (actually, I can't remember exactly which year), a certain bookstore published a collection of short stories, which included a work by Mr. Hen Shui. Although it was only a few hundred words long, it described It was very profound, and the wording was very clever. Since then, although I don't know who "Hen Shui" is, or even what his surname is, I have quite acquainted with his novels.In recent years, the novels written by Mr. Hen Shui have been scattered in various daily newspapers in the north; the Shanghai Pictorial has also continuously carried his excellent works.Although I was busy with my duties, I couldn't read them all, but as far as those who have already read them, I always feel that Mr. Henshui's works can at least be regarded as "extraordinary".I went to Peiping last year, and was introduced by Mr. Qian Jiechen. At the beginning, I became friends with Mr. Henshui through a literary friendship, and Mr. Henshui agreed to my request to write a novel for "Happy Forest". I naturally expressed my full appreciation. happy.Since the first day it was published in "Happy Forest", it has attracted the welcome of countless readers; even though it has been published, the popularity of this kind of welcome has never diminished, and there are "fans of "The Cause of Laughter"" in the literary world. slogan.A novel can make readers fall in love with it, which can be said to be a new record in the field of novels among modern works.Mr. Henshui certainly wants to express his sense of confidant to his readers; as far as I am concerned, I also feel very happy, because I am the editor of "Happy Forest". In "Happy Forest", there is a good writer, let's say a joke, for example, a super famous actor came to the troupe, it seems that I, the one who invited the actor, did well.

What I said above is not a "false compliment" to Mr. Henshui, let alone bragging about "Causes of Laughter and Laughter".Mr. Hen Shui said in his preface that you should speak practical words; and what I have said are indeed practical words.However, regarding this book, when I was editing "Happy Forest", I not only read and published manuscripts every day, but now it is publishing a single edition, and I am also responsible for editing. As far as this book itself is concerned, there is still a lot to say.There are too many words, and we have to divide them into several levels. Now we will divide them into three levels: first, the art of description; second, the method of writing; third, the ending and background of the whole book.

art of description It is well known that the novel focuses on description first.Because if a novel does not have good descriptions, or if the author does not know how to describe, then the straight book based on the facts is simply a "book-keeping" narrative, or a "daily note-style" record. Let me ask. What's the pattern, what's the fun?Therefore, to distinguish between good and bad novels, one must first see whether the author has the art of description. When it comes to this "Cause of Laughing", I can say that Mr. Hen Shui has fully used his art in this book, and has fully expressed his art. with his art.Now let's extract a few points from the whole book to study its descriptive strengths.

A. Can express personality.Among the old Chinese novels, the ones that are popular among the people must be counted first, "Water Margin", and these books.However, the first advantage of "Water Margin" and "Scholars" is that they describe the personalities of the people in the books, and they are different from each other, so they feel useful and interesting.The ladies and maids in the fake book, the one hundred and eight heroes in "Water Margin", and many of the characters in the book are cast into a model like the clay figurines on Huiquan Mountain, and people who look at it find it annoying.Not only would it not be a good novel, it would not be a novel at all.The protagonists in the book, except Fan Jiashu has its own characteristics; such as Shen Fengxi, Guan Xiugu, He Lina, their words, actions and thoughts are completely different and do not interfere with each other, and even important supporting roles, such as Guan Shoufeng, General Liu, and Tao Uncle and his wife, like Fan Duanben, also have their own special personalities; they are directly displayed in the text, so that readers feel as if they have witnessed the actions of many people with their own eyes and heard the words of many people with their own ears. There are endless wit and wit.

B. Can be reasonable.Fiction is about life.Since life is described, what is described in the pen should be what life should be, and should not be unreasonable. (Ghost novels and all ideal novels are another matter.) It is common to see that there are many novels in modern times. Because the author wants to write a strange plot and paint a strong color, he makes the characters in the book not like the world. The characters as they should be; the things narrated in the book are not like the things that should be in the world-"Cause of Laughter" does not have this disadvantage at all.From the beginning to the end of the book, although there are many strange passages, the writing is not straight or flat, so people often read the previous chapter and cannot guess the next one;But the changes in fact and the twists and turns in the text, when you think about it carefully, all of them are deeply reasonable, not absurd or forced at all.For this reason, it can make readers feel as if they are in the real world, so that they are fascinated.

C. Capable and expressive in small movements.Those who talk about movies these days all pay attention to "little tricks".The famous director Lubitsch paid the most attention to small movements.Because in a film, it is stupid to express all thoughts or emotions with instructions or dialogues alone; it is alive if it is expressed in "little actions".Novels and movies are the same in terms of their nature: it is better to have less "dialogue" and more "actions" in movies, and it is better to write less "talks" and more "actions" in novels, especially "little actions".It will be particularly intriguing if you can reveal everyone's thoughts in the "little actions" of each person.Try to give a few examples from this book: For example, the third chapter of Feng Xi's handkerchief and walking with bricks; the sixth chapter of Xiugu's manicure; the twenty-second chapter of Fan Jiashu's two falls; The curtains, and the family tree, where the chrysanthemum stems are picked up with fingers, are both magical strokes.There are many places like this in the whole book, not to mention listed, readers can understand it carefully, and it has its own meaning.Mr. Hean Shui has a long history of film addiction, I think his approach may be somewhat filmic.

method of writing With the art of description, there must be a method of writing.The so-called method of writing refers to the structure and layout of the whole book. Before starting to write, a whole method must be determined.What should be cut, what should be echoed, what should be rendered, and what should be written forward, what should be reversed, what should be written on the reverse side, and which should be written on the front side, all have a definite plan, and then you can write freely. The twenty-two chapters of "Causes of Laughter and Laughter" are completed in one go, with no slack, no mess, and no self-contradiction. This is a lot of effort in terms of "structure" and "layout".It can also be said to be the "method of writing", which is especially subtle.In addition, there are two special advantages, which must be mentioned.

A. Hint.Hints are often used throughout the book, so that careful readers can have a considerable feeling and understanding of the future of the characters in the book without waiting for the final chapter.For example, Fengxi is greedy for vanity, and after the fifth time of school, she asked Fan Jiashu to buy glasses and fountain pens, which already hinted.Ru Jiashu and Xiugu's inability to combine has already been hinted at in the nineteenth episode of watching the play and criticizing Shisanmei.As for the twenty-second chapter on the combination of Fan and He, it is still unclear, and only a pair of red candles on the table are used as a hint.This is obviously a bridal chamber, but the meaning is still not revealed, and it is left to the reader's experience.

B. False writing.If the plot in the novel is written clearly, it will be too troublesome and stupid.Artists talk about painting, saying that there must be "a painting within a painting", and that a part of the beautiful scenery must be hidden inside to have meaning.When it comes to writing novels, there must be "books outside the book".There are many wonderful articles, all of which are written in fiction, and it is not necessary to tell the whole story to be interesting.There are three big passages in the book, all of which are written in fiction: 1. After the twelfth chapter of Fengxi's "returning the pearl but the benefits", Shen Sanxuan clearly conspired with General Liu to trap Fengxi, but there is no word in the book.Only when the police checked the household registration, Shen Sanxuan rushed to report that he was singing the big drum, which slightly revealed his meaning, and the reader naturally understood.2. The nineteenth chapter "Eradication of Traitors in the Mountain Temple" is not laid out from the front, but only borrowed from newspapers, and the pen is very simple and ingenious.3. In the 22nd chapter, Guan Shoufeng said to Fan Jiashu: "It's a pity that I gave you two points and only one point." Just this one word, you know that Guan's father and daughter not only wanted to make Fan and He marry, but also once He wants to reunite Fengxi and his family tree.Many of the plots are written in fiction, the artistic conception is very ethereal, and the essay environment also saves a lot of burden.If it is done by ordinary hands, the above three paragraphs alone can be extravagant at least three or five times.This is the way to "make soy sauce soup" - the more soup, the thinner the taste.

The Book's Ending and Background Readers of novels naturally pay attention to the ending and background of the whole book.Regarding the ending of the story, Mr. Hen Shui has already explained it very clearly and in detail in "After Completing <Causes of Laughing and Laughing> Courtyard Conversations", so I don't need to say anything more.In short, in my personal opinion, and the criticisms of most readers who are good at novels, I think that apart from this ending, there is no other way of writing that has more aftertaste than this one.As for the background in the book, according to Mr. Hen Shui's preface, it is said to be completely fictional.But when I asked him face to face, he laughed and said, "I don't know how many people like General Liu can be found in the warlord era; I don't know how many plots like the one described in the book can be found in modern society. Why do you have to get to the bottom of it and say that it is specific." The meaning behind the words can be imagined.In short, there is no truth or illusion in the world, and there is no illusion but reality. After all, the people in the book and whether the things in the book have a background, for the sake of readers, there is no need to ask too deeply.

I have said too much, so I will end here.In the end, I have two things to tell readers: 1. The novel has been filmed by the star film company. After the booklet is published, the characters in the book will appear on the screen in a short time.2. Mr. Henshui has decided to continue to write novels for "News" and "Happy News".This matter will be extraordinarily gratifying to those who are addicted to reading novels and especially welcome Mr. Hen Shui's works. December 19, 1930