Chapter 51 Fragrant flowers from the shore

"Are you embarrassed?" a friend asked me. The thing is this: Sanlian Publishing published a set of "Gao Yang's Works Series" in 2001, a complete set of eight works with a total of thirteen volumes, all related to Cao Xueqin and Cao Xueqin.The responsible editor asked me to write a related article.The reason why I was invited is that I know that I do research in my spare time, and the other is that I have also published my research experience in the form of novels.Of course, there are only three essays with a total of more than 100,000 characters in my novels to express my research experience. Mr. Gao Yang’s

Guan's novel has nearly 4 million words, and it is really not easy to comment on Xiaoqiu looking up at the majestic mountains. However, my friend's question is because I know that my amateur "red studies" research "started" in "Qin studies", which originated from the exploration of the image of Qin Keqing, the last hairpin in the "Twelve Beauties of Jinling": what she based on What is the origin of the prototype of life?How did Cao Xueqin originally describe it?Why did you accept Zhi Yanzhai’s suggestion, for non-artistic reasons, delete the four or five leaves (equivalent to the current eight to ten pages) of the text, and then “patch” and hide Original traces from life to art?In addition to my thesis, my research results include the novel "The Death of Qin Keqing".It is not an easy task for any researcher to establish a statement in the field of "Red Studies", let alone a layman like me.It is only natural to defend one's own research results and to either argue with or remain silent on very different academic opinions.A friend has read Mr. Gao Yang's "Dream of Red Mansions". The book begins with an affair between Li Xu and his son Li Ding's daughter-in-law. : The prototype of Ningguo Mansion in the book is Suzhou Weaving Mansion, where Jia Zhen had an affair with Qin Keqing, and the source material is Li Xu’s family ugliness in Suzhou Weaving; Li Xu is the brother-in-law of Cao Xueqin’s grandfather Cao Yin; the relationship between the corresponding material and artistic image is: Jia Zheng is the projection of Cao, and Baoyu is at least partly the projection of Cao Zhan... Mr. Gao Yang's research results on "Qin Learning" and the strength of his expression, especially the number of his writings, presents a situation of tens of thousands of troops. Other explorations and explanations about Qin Keqing can be said to be completely "drowned".The reason why my friend estimated that I would be embarrassed is mainly due to the logic.But in my own feeling, there is absolutely no embarrassing factor, and I am very interested in reading Gao Yang's writings about Cao Xueqin and He.In addition to being interested in Trent, I still have to write articles and commentaries. Is this out of the ordinary?

Although I can't agree with most of Gao Yang's research results on Cao Xueqin, the starting point of our research is basically the same.This is the key to empathy.In "A Family of Red Mansions", Mr. Gao Yang said: It is obviously a self-narrative book that "hides the truth".Since "the real thing is hidden", there must be a part of the false plot instead; this part of the "false" plot is used to express the "true" emotion.If the time, place, name, plot, and even emotion are false, then it will not be a good novel, and it will not be worth spending so much effort on textual research.He also emphasized: it is a great literary creation, not a biographical literature.Real people and real events are just the material for creation in Cao Xueqin. After he decomposes, tailors and blends them, he reshape them into another person and another thing; therefore, we can say that a certain person in the book has a shadow of a certain person, But it cannot be said that a certain person is a certain person.However, there are indeed some real characters of the Cao family in the book, which must be studied from the "Zhi Bian".The writing process is quite chaotic and complicated. It is writing, copying and revising at the same time.He also made it clear: "I never thought that Gao E was the author of the last forty chapters." It is definitely not a draft of 'addition and deletion five times', so the final concept should still be based on the fifth chapter's preview." I wrote "The Mystery of the Three Hairpins in the Red Chamber", although the house I built is quite different from Mr. Gao Yang, The "foundation stone" is taken from the same mountain.

"Gao Yang's Works Series" published by Sanlian Bookstore, in addition to "A Word of Red Mansions" is a monograph, "Dream of Red Mansions" tetralogy ("Moling Spring", "Maoling Autumn", "Wuling Tour", "Yanling Sword"), "Cao Xueqin's Biography" (volumes 1 and 2), "Three Spring Struggles and Early Spring Scenery" (volumes 1, 2, and 3), and "Da Ye Long Snake" (volumes 1, 2, and 3) are all novels.They are historical fiction as much as academic fiction.If it is a historical novel, there is no dispute; if it is an academic novel, some people must ask: What is an academic novel?In my opinion, academic novels are unique novels in which the author first has academic research results and then melts his academic insights into novels.For example, Mr. Gao Yang’s 12 volumes of novels, he didn’t just rely on his artistic imagination, his character setting, plot line, even key scenes, key details, and running through props are all based on the understanding of Cao Xueqin’s family background and creation. Based on the academic research results of the material.For example, he believes that the Cao family did not have a concubine who entered the palace during the Qianlong Dynasty, let alone the fact that the concubine was ordered to visit relatives. Cao Xueqin's biological aunt; and the imagination of concubine Yuan's visit to relatives comes from the family memory of Cao Xueqin's four previous visits to Emperor Kangxi's southern tour.In this regard, he has excellent textual research as the "foundation stone".I dare not say that there is no academic novelist who can embody his academic achievements in such a vast and huge novel, but I am afraid that it is not an exaggeration to praise him as unprecedented.

My friend, who is both a fan of historical novels and "Red Studies", said that reading Mr. Gao Yang's novels is of double interest.In fact, readers who are not interested in "Hongxue" only appreciate these words as novels describing the historical features of the Kang, Yong, and Qian dynasties in the Qing Dynasty, and they will also find it interesting to read.The sophistication of the world, through the sophistication of the narrative text, is connected with the encounters and feelings of contemporary people.However, I think the biggest weakness of Gao Yang's series of novels is that although many historical figures (such as Li Xu) have been brought to life, Cao Xueqin has not been well written, and his flesh and blood are not full enough, especially his inner activities have not been described in detail enough. After all, readers who are familiar with "Hongxue" or unfamiliar with "Redology" pay the most attention to Cao Xueqin in the novel. You peel the bamboo shoots layer by layer until the end. The heart of the bamboo shoots cannot be unforgettable, no matter How is it a pity.

Flipping through this set of "Gao Yang's Works Series", half of the couplets in it emerged in my mind: the flowers on the other side share a fragrance.It's a pity that Mr. Gao Yang over there passed away in 1992, so there is no way to "talk about cooking tea" with him.But his series of fragrances will always be lingering on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and are expected to spread to the whole world.