I am a literary giant in Japan

At the same time, in the Swedish Academy, in the large lecture hall.

This exchange model, in which world-renowned literary figures give lectures and open courses at prestigious literary institutions, is very popular in Western literary circles.

This time, the Swedish Academy, the main body responsible for selecting the Nobel Prize in Literature, took the initiative to invite Hideaki Kitagawa, who had missed the Nobel Prize twice, to give a lecture.

As soon as the news broke, literature fans from all over the world flocked to the event. It is said that a corner seat in the inner circle was being sold for a sky-high price of $5, and there were still no buyers available.

Those who have come to this grand lecture hall today are all wealthy and influential, and among the thousand people present, 30% are students at the Swedish Academy.

Most of them were graduate students and doctoral students from prestigious universities' humanities departments, and many also came from Western aristocratic families. They were all well-mannered, and the overall atmosphere in the classroom was very good.

Kitagawa Hide, accompanied by Knut and Göran Malmqvist, and other lifetime members of the Nobel Prize in Literature committee, arrived at the podium.

He looked down and saw countless spotlights flashing all around him; at least twenty or thirty ABC and BBS reporters were staring intently at him.

The seats below were packed with people. Kitagawa Hide had been trying to find Olivia and Victoria, but when he looked down, he realized there were just too many people to tell them apart.

"There are at least 1,500 people in the classroom! It's definitely not the 1,000 that Ma Yue Ran and the others told me."

Kitagawa Hide didn't know whether to feel fortunate or curse inwardly.

The Swedish Academy is quite adept at business operations and fraud, leaving him feeling like he's swallowing a bitter pill—unable to express his grievances.

Such large-scale events with a large number of participants could easily become a dark chapter in his life if he is not careful, and one that cannot be erased.

Of course, if Kitagawa Hideki delivers a brilliant performance, he could leave another significant mark on the history of world literature.

It was past 1:30 p.m., and the noise of the crowd gradually subsided. Everyone's eyes turned to Kitagawa Hide on the podium, their eyes filled with anticipation and curiosity.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted that you have traveled a long way to attend my open class on literary appreciation."

I am also honored to be a pioneer in teaching theoretical knowledge related to literary studies to students in the Faculty of Arts.

Kitagawa Hide's voice came through various traditional media such as television, radio, car radio, and at the same time, reaching the ears of literature fans in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and the six countries of Lingzhi.

When Saito Rena and the others who were waiting by the radio heard his voice, they immediately laughed excitedly, stood up and applauded, cheering for Kitagawa Hide from the bottom of their hearts.

"When did this guy's English become so fluent?" Jabami Rei was shocked, finding it hard to believe that such a fluent British accent came from Kitagawa Hideaki.

She knew that Kitagawa Hide had done translation work for foreign literature, but that was a very early part-time job he did when he and Yumeko didn't have any money.

Since his debut with "Hear the Wind Sing," Kitagawa Shu has never done such a tough job again.

Moreover, it is well known that Kitagawa Hide graduated from high school and did not even pass the entrance exam for junior college. No matter how good his English is, it is unlikely that it is as good as that of a foreigner!

“Xiujun has been practicing his spoken English in his spare time,” Mengzi quickly interjected to speak up for her husband.

The story about Kitagawa Hide practicing English is obviously false.

At home, he's either engrossed in writing in his study or playing with his two little ones in the living room; he hardly has any time to practice his spoken English.

"I see. As expected of Kitagawa-sensei. English has always been a weakness for us Japanese."

I was just worried that Kitagawa's terrible accent might affect his lectures.

Shizuko Kawade quickly accepted Yumeko's explanation.

She is one of Japan's most notorious brainless Kitagawa fanboys. Back when Kitagawa Hide was still unknown, she dared to praise him online by name, let alone now.

A group of women chattered incessantly about Kitagawa Hide's English speaking skills and his new book, while on the other side, Kitagawa Hide began a lecture at the Swedish Academy that was worthy of being recorded in the history of world literature.

"The topic of my lecture today is 'A Systematic Exposition of Tragedy Theory'."

Before discussing this topic, we must first understand what tragedy theory is.

In modern literary theory, Hegel's theory of tragedy is often used to replace the theory of tragedy itself.

I believe that everyone here has studied Hegel's theory of tragedy, so I won't go into too much detail here.

Simply put, Hegel believed that the essence of tragedy is the self-division and reconciliation of ethics, and that the division of ethical entities is the root cause of tragic conflict.

In other words, tragic conflict is a clash between two one-sided ethical entities.

According to Hegel, the tragedy of conflict lies in the fact that each opposing side has its own justification, while the real content of the purpose and character that each side uses as its own justification can only be the negation or destruction of the other side, which also has its own justification.

In ancient China, there was a proverb that said, "Both sides have their own reasons," which vividly summarizes the cause and actual situation of this tragic conflict.

Kitagawa Hideaki began by quoting classical texts, speaking fluently and effortlessly, his ability to readily recall various literary allusions and theoretical knowledge astonishing the students below.

They usually attend literature lectures given by Nobel Prize in Literature lifetime judges such as Göran Malmqvist, so it can be said that the world's best literary resources are in their hands.

Even masters in this field of literature rarely deliver lectures with the same flow of ideas as Hideki Kitagawa, who speaks extemporaneously and utters memorable quotes from time to time, making it clear that he is not simply reading from a script.

Pete, sitting in the audience, was so angry he felt like he was grinding his teeth to powder.

After the conflict with Kitagawa Hide, he immediately sent someone to inquire about Kitagawa Hide's resume and background.

Born into an ordinary Japanese family, whose parents committed suicide due to the bursting of the bubble economy.

Kitagawa Hideyuki was unable to get into university, which shows that his intelligence and literary skills were just so-so.

However, after March 1995, his life took a dramatic turn for the better, soaring from an unknown security guard to a darling of the world literary scene.

At this moment, all of Pete's friends and family were completely captivated by Kitagawa Hide's speech, their eyes wide and ears perked up, seemingly not wanting to miss a single second.

"In my opinion, this theory of tragedy is classic enough, but it is also a bit outdated."

Kitagawa Hide made a startling statement. After briefly explaining Hegel's theory of tragedy, he suddenly changed the subject and began to criticize the mistakes of his predecessors!

Who is Hegel?
He was one of the leading figures in 19th-century German idealism and classical philosophy.

He provided the most systematic, comprehensive, and complete exposition of German national philosophy.

Many believe that Hegel's thought marked the pinnacle of the 19th-century German Idealist philosophical movement, profoundly influencing later philosophical schools such as existentialism and Marx's historical materialism. His theory of tragedy, also one of his few literary theories, is equally significant and has been revered as a classic by countless scholars and writers.

Kitagawa Hideaki immediately said that the theory was a bit outdated, which immediately drew gasps of amazement from everyone in the classroom.

Before beginning his lecture, Kitagawa Hide was as humble and amiable as ever, which was quite different from his well-known nickname of "suit-wearing literary thug".

Many people who are unfamiliar with him believe that the Western literary world's evaluation of him is wrong and one-sided.

He doesn't seem as radical and arrogant as the rumors suggest.

Unexpectedly, Kitagawa revealed his fangs after a sudden change of topic, which immediately terrified the group of innocent children.

On literature-related topics, Kitagawa Hide has always maintained an attitude of enthusiastic research and strong output.

In his previous life, when he was a graduate student, his radical academic style made his professors both love and hate him.

His outspokenness can hurt many people, but it can also win the hearts of many.

Clearly, Victoria and Olivia in the audience were completely captivated by his style.

The criticism that Hegel's theory of tragedy is somewhat outdated is certainly not something Kitagawa Hideki did to gain attention.

In fact, this viewpoint has been expressed by many clear-headed literary masters since 2020.

Hegel's theory of tragedy is indeed classic, but his discussion of tragedy is also very one-sided, focusing only on the two opposing sides of the contradiction that are incompatible, completely ignoring the emotional and rhythmic aspects.

For creators who rely on theoretical knowledge to improve their writing skills, such a one-sided theory can easily prevent them from making any progress.

"In contrast, I believe that Aristotle's theory of tragedy, which is more classical and often overlooked by modern literature, is actually more suitable for our literary creation."

I believe that tragedy is an imitation of a serious, complete, and lengthy action, designed to evoke pity and fear in the audience through plot twists and discoveries, thereby achieving a purifying effect on the soul.

The core of tragedy lies in the construction of the plot, not in the creation of the characters.

The plot should be complete and inevitable, using twists and discoveries to drive the story forward and evoke emotional resonance in the audience.

When Kitagawa Hide went on to discuss the topic more deeply, he specifically used his newly written book "Childhood" as an example.

"Childhood" became a global phenomenon at lightning speed in the second half of April. Before Kitagawa Entertainment had even finished licensing the film to the global market, pirated copies flooded the internet and physical markets.

This is also the first time that a literary work has been pirated so extensively before its official global release, demonstrating the immense popularity of "Childhood" and Alyosha's autobiographical trilogy.

After the topic turned to the familiar song "Childhood," the students listened even more attentively.

They may not be able to accept Kitagawa Hide's radical literary ideas from later generations, nor may they be able to gain real inspiration from these things that are both real and fictional.

But listening to Kitagawa Hide recount how he wrote "Childhood" step by step, bringing out the charismatic young protagonist Alyosha, was of great significance to them, and had great value for learning and reference.

With the help of "Childhood," Kitagawa Hide's rather radical theory of tragedy was quickly accepted by most of his students.

When Knut, a die-hard Hegel fan, first heard Kitagawa Hide say that Hegel's theory of tragedy was a bit outdated, his face turned dark.

But now, as he repeatedly pondered Kitagawa Hide's new ideas, he felt a sense of sudden enlightenment and clarity.

"Childhood" is a work by Hideki Kitagawa, created through countless field trips and imitations of real life, capturing the unique flavor of the lower classes in Tsarist Russia during the 1870s and 1880s that no one else can imitate.

This is clearly a very practical and advanced concept for literary creation!
In the past, many celebrities who came to speak at these open lectures of the Swedish Academy were worried about saying something inappropriate and damaging their reputation. As a result, their topics were often boring or just old news with little nutritional value.

Before Kitagawa Hide started his lecture, almost everyone thought he would probably do the same thing to avoid giving anyone grounds for criticism.

Most people come here to attend classes mainly to see Kitagawa Shu in person and take photos.

Unexpectedly, Hideaki Kitagawa launched a powerful attack at them, just like when he gave a speech at the University of Tokyo, where he uttered the famous saying to countless people: "What is remembered for generations is the work itself, not the awards."

This man always manages to utter some shocking remarks when you least expect them!
"Clap clap-"

Kitagawa Hideaki's excellent one-hour speech had just ended when the audience erupted in waves of prolonged applause.

Some celebrities even stood up and applauded to show their respect and admiration for Hideaki Kitagawa.

Kitagawa Hide smiled and made eye contact with each of them. After the applause stopped, he said to everyone, "Speaking of which, I have basically finished my topic."

I hastily prepared these things after receiving the notice from the School of Literature, and I don't know if they will be helpful to everyone's literary creation journey.

My level of literary theory is just so-so; I only have a superficial understanding of many things, so I can't really teach them.

If you find this theory of tragedy full of flaws, please don't post it online to criticize me.

Another round of knowing laughter came from the audience.

They grew to like Kitagawa Professor even more for his outspokenness—it seemed that Kitagawa Professor had been slightly tricked by the Swedish Academy again, and he didn't tolerate them, subtly revealing his attitude between the lines.

Writers with this kind of personality are more energetic and youthful, which appeals more to these young people!

Pete's expression turned even uglier.

"Now it's time for open questions. Everyone can ask any questions they have, and I will answer them to the best of my ability."

Kitagawa Hideyuki breathed a sigh of relief.

I haven't given a speech in front of so many people in a long time, and I almost made a fool of myself.

Ma Yue Ran and his team are really ripping people off. They clearly said there would be a thousand people, but now it looks like there would be more than a thousand five hundred!

The invisible pressure he faced from these extra 500 people was not simply a matter of numbers increasing.

Only those who have truly faced so many people and given this kind of speech can understand the mental and physical strain involved in such an activity.

Therefore, every single one of those born orators is an outstanding individual, a prodigy!
Fortunately, the speech met his basic expectations.

After finishing the topic he had prepared in advance, he also took the opportunity to promote his new book. Perfect!
No sooner had Kitagawa finished speaking than Pete, who had been unable to contain himself, raised his hand. Before Kitagawa could even call on him, Pete stood up on his own! (End of Chapter)