Chapter 50 Three Kingdoms of Writers: Differences between me and John Woo

Liu Lei Deng Hongwei, born in 1972 in Xiangshui, Jiangsu Province, winner of the Golden Sparrow Award for Chinese Small Novels, was listed as a writer by the China Fiction Society in 2005, and has published a collection of short stories "Flying Straw Hat" and "Big Fish Crossing the River".Currently working in a bank in Yancheng. Xu You and Cao Cao are old classmates.The two of them hunkered down on the same desk and read books.Eat something delicious and share something fun to play together.The relationship between the two is very strong.Xu You likes to call Cao Cao "A Man", "A Man" is Cao Cao's nickname.The two often talk about their ambitions together.Xu You said, I want to be a prefect and manage a state and county well.Cao Cao said, I want to be a prime minister and govern a country.Cao Cao jokingly called Xu You the prefect, and Cao Cao asked Xu You to call him prime minister.But Xu You still called him A Man.Cao Cao said, why don't you call me the prime minister? Xu You said embarrassingly, it's already a good idea to call you A Man, and I can't change it for a while.Cao Cao smiled and said, then you still call me A Man.

The above passage is excerpted from Deng Hongwei's short novel "Classmates". This novel won the 2001-2002 Best Work Award from "Short Fiction Selected Journal", and was selected as a model essay into the PEP course specimen. Deng Hongwei has created nearly a hundred novels on the theme of the Three Kingdoms, most of which are based on historical figures, especially the alternative lives of small people, such as "Classmates", "Zou Shi", "Hu Cheer", "Lu Bu", "Yu Jin" Wait.Therefore, he is known as the person who "rewritten the Three Kingdoms".

The stories of the Three Kingdoms written by Deng Hongwei are re-examining and interpreting the vivid faces of the "Three Kingdoms Era" from the perspective of modern people, and looking for the causal relationship of "character is destiny" among the numerous clues. Deng Hongwei's love for the Three Kingdoms comes from his father, who was a simple elementary school teacher. As long as he can remember, his father often told him some "Three Kingdoms stories".During the summer vacation of the fifth grade, Deng Hongwei bought a copy with the money he saved from picking up scraps.

Many years later, Deng Hongwei worked as a bank employee in the county.It was at that time that he created the "Three Kingdoms Series Novels". How would such a "Three Kingdoms expert" feel after watching the movie "Red Cliff"?In fact, Deng Hongwei has never dared to watch "Red Cliff", "I love the Three Kingdoms very much. I am afraid that it is really a bad movie. Watching it will damage the Three Kingdoms in my mind!" But by chance, he held a meeting in Nanjing and organized a collective The activity is to watch "Red Cliff". Q: You have watched the movie "Red Cliff", are the characters of the Three Kingdoms portrayed by John Woo satisfactory?

A: There is no character that I am most satisfied with. If you have to say it, I think Cao Cao's portrayal is not bad.Cao Cao has always been the image of a traitor in the eyes of the public, but Wu Yusen gave us a life-like Cao Cao. He can joke with the generals and talk and laugh happily. Waging a war, and being fond of a woman's portrait, made him step down from the altar of a politician and become a normal person with flesh and blood.Of course, this is a replica of the Trojan War in the West.But if you take a closer look, you can still understand it.Cao Cao in history had many women, such as Mrs. Liu, Mrs. Ding, Mrs. Bian, Zou, etc. This man likes women, but he is a politician after all, so he should not be too fond of women. For example, after capturing Wancheng, Zhang Xiu's aunt, Zou, could be accepted and surrendered, and finally turned against Zhang Xiu because of this.Cao Cao should not have considered this point.Therefore, politicians are also human beings, and it is not impossible to be a little impulsive and make mistakes. Many characters in "Red Cliff" are failures. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Xiao Qiao, and Sun Shangxiang are all ridiculous. They are far from the characters of the Three Kingdoms in our minds. The change of these characters makes the film's aesthetic taste plummet.

Q: John Woo subverted the traditional Three Kingdoms. In "Red Cliff", which subversion succeeded? A: Nothing that really convinces me.However, there is one scene that left a deep impression on me, that is the scene where Zhou Yu corrects the flute for the child.This is a Zhou Yu that conforms to history, and can also play a role in relieving the war.It is not impossible to subvert the traditional Three Kingdoms, but there must be a degree and it must be accepted by people.At the same time, be cautious.The plots in it are too superficial.It is better not to change it, and it is not good to change it.The various forms of Three Kingdoms that we have seen, such as storytelling (versions by Yuan Kuocheng, Shan Tianfang, and Lian Liru), TV dramas in 1984, have not been greatly changed, and are basically faithful to the original, so they are relatively successful. The audience had no major objections.

Q: What kind of Three Kingdoms does Wu Yusen want to tell about?Did he do it? A: Wu Yusen seems to want to make a feature film. He once said that "Red Cliff" is his dream about the feelings of the Chinese homeland. He hopes to let the West understand China better through this film.But he seems to be afraid that Westerners will not understand, so he discarded many wonderful chapters, fabricated some nonsensical plots, and over-westernized and entertained the film. In the end, what the West learned was only a superficial Chinese history, and the essence of the Three Kingdoms was a little bit Not expressed.In fact, the current "Red Cliff" should be a commercial blockbuster, because it has a more obvious entertainment tendency, and it is very simple entertainment.For such a blockbuster, there should be some people like the history of the Three Kingdoms and literary consultants to check it.This will avoid some mistakes.

Q: Your novel is also rewriting the Three Kingdoms, so what is the difference between you and Wu Yusen? A: What I write is between history and jokes.I am more pursuing the truth of historical figures, capturing their details, paying attention to the interrelationship of their personalities, fate, emotions and other contingency and inevitability factors, and making the characters and stories closer to reality and the public, easy to read, durable, Not jerky.That is to say, on the one hand, it has the weight of history, and on the other hand, it is the observation of reality.The two complement each other and cannot be separated.It is not impossible to change the Three Kingdoms, to innovate or re-narrate some plots, but it must be adapted reasonably according to the character and destiny of the characters, and must not be changed too casually.Because the Three Kingdoms has its unique cultural environment and historical value, which cannot be replaced by any era.The Three Kingdoms are the Three Kingdoms, and the characters of the Three Kingdoms are still rooted in the soil of the Three Kingdoms, and cannot be tampered with at will.Rewriting the Three Kingdoms requires rigor and a good grasp of a degree, that is, the degree of history and jokes.Wu Yusen didn't grasp the degree well, the reform was too shallow, and the inner meaning of the reform was not revealed.Breaking away from Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Romance, and also breaking away from the audience.So those who understand the Three Kingdoms don't buy it, and those who don't understand the Three Kingdoms don't buy it either.

Q: What is its position among the four great classics? A: From the artistic point of view of the novel, it is actually not as good as the other three.The Three Kingdoms is too realistic, focusing on grand narratives, and not digging enough details and characters.If future generations learn the skills of writing novels, I am afraid that they should read more "Red Mansion", "Water Margin", and "Journey to the West". These three books can teach you how to describe emotions, portray characters, and have imagination.But the Three Kingdoms has the essence of traditional Chinese culture, and has a unique view of history and values.This is irreplaceable by the other three.I prefer Three Kingdoms.

Q: The Three Kingdoms fever that has formed in recent years, among the four great classics, seems to be the most vital work at present.Where is the charm of the Three Kingdoms? A: The charm of the Three Kingdoms also lies in its grand narrative and its traditional cultural value orientation.Although it writes about war, three points will be returned to Jin, and the final unification will entrust the working people's good wishes for reunification, opposition to war, and yearning for peace.In addition, many characters in it, such as Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, etc., are the incarnations of Mingjun, virtuous ministers and good generals, and representatives of loyalty. They have the spiritual pursuit entrusted by the Chinese people, so they can live in the hearts of the people for a long time.Furthermore, the Three Kingdoms are rich in content and profound in meaning. Different people have different value orientations. People from all walks of life, businessmen, soldiers, and literati can see a different kind of "Three Kingdoms", so they can last for a long time.

Q: Who is your favorite character in Three Kingdoms? A: I like a little character, Jia Xu.The counselor of Wei State, this person is very wise. Although he is not as famous as other counselors such as Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia, and Xun's uncle and nephew, this character has a three-dimensional image.His personality characteristics, life trajectory, and mental journey have strong research value.He protected several masters and did some outrageous things, but in the end he stabilized and died well.If you pull him over to study, you can write a long novel. Q: Are you still looking forward to the next episode of "Red Cliff"? A: After watching "Red Cliff (Part 1)", when I walked out of the theater, someone asked me, how was it?I said, I have a dream, and it is everyone's dream, that is to see "Red Cliff (Part 2)".The person said, that means the movie is still good.I smiled and said, not necessarily, the last episode didn't make me feel good, so I want to see a good next episode.I hope that "Red Cliff (Part 2)" will no longer have so many criticisms.