My era, 1979!

Chapter 64 "Nonsense Literature" (Thanks for the reward, please vote with monthly tickets)

He merely explained the basic methods used by later Chinese literature departments, but he never expected it to cause such a stir at Fudan University in 1979.

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze.

Zhu Dongrun's thin fingers tapped lightly on the table, the force of which revealed his unease.

Wang Shuizhao's hand, holding the enamel cup, froze in mid-air; the tea he was about to drink remained unswallowed.

Su Liancheng's tightly clenched lips twitched slightly. This kid is more than just a little bit; this is going to be difficult.

Jia Zhifang looked up, smiled, and thought the child was quite interesting.

Zhang Peiheng's Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he suddenly let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

He originally thought that the students recommended by workers, peasants, and soldiers were only good at writing pretentious essays.

He even specially prepared the most obscure passages from "The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons" to embarrass his opponent.
Unexpectedly, before it could even be thrown out...

This educated youth unexpectedly presented a complete framework for academic research.

He scanned the expressions on everyone's faces.
Old Zhu's fingers, which were stroking his beard, were trembling.

Su Liancheng wrote rapidly in his notebook.

Even the most discerning Wang Shuizhao put away his carefree attitude.

This isn't a surprise, it's a complete shock!

A thunderclap rose from the ground, shaking the Chinese literary world for 79 years!

"Comrade Xiao Xu,"

Zhu Dongrun broke the silence, his aged voice unusually tinged with emotion, "You say theory is a scalpel rather than dogma, so in your opinion, how should classical literary theory be used to analyze modern works?"

Zhu Dongrun had just finished reading Xu Chengjun's paper and now had only one thought.

The future life is to be feared.

Xu Chengjun straightened his back and spoke in a steady tone: "Taking Wang Guowei's 'theory of realms' in 'Renjian Cihua' as an example, when analyzing the tragedy of Wu Sunfu in Mao Dun's 'Midnight,' we must not only see the transformation between the 'realm of self' and the 'realm of no self' in character portrayal, but also break free from theoretical constraints. Why does the struggle of the socialist class entrepreneurs still hold true within the framework of classical literary theory? Because the common predicament of human nature is the root of literature."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Peiheng sat up abruptly.

In 1979, academic circles were still debating whether "modern literature can be interpreted using classical theories".

You actually provided a practical guide again, didn't you!

What kind of structure?

What kind of field of vision?
What level?
You're just a sent-down youth?

He caught a glimpse of Su Liancheng secretly taking notes.

No, can't you just be more generous?
I thought to myself, "This guy is usually pretty reliable."

What's wrong with me today?

Wang Shuizhao suddenly put down his teacup: "Then, where do you think we should start with the historical research on scholarship? We can't expect students to read through the entire Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries)."

Xu Chengjun was stunned. "Are you the lecturer or am I the lecturer?"

Wang Shuizhao also felt something was wrong.

This question is a bit beyond the scope of the curriculum. I was just about to fill in the gaps when "Teacher Xu's Little Classroom" started.

“First, we’ll create an academic genealogy.” Xu Chengjun gestured in the air, “Taking modern and contemporary literature as an example, we’ll mark the representative scholars and points of contention in each lineage: left-wing literature, the Beijing School and the Shanghai School, and the literature of the seventeen years.” For instance, to understand Qian Liqun’s breakthroughs in Lu Xun studies, we need to compare it with Li Changzhi’s “Criticism of Lu Xun” so that students can see the steps of academic development.

Wang Shuizhao slammed her notebook shut, her face flushed: "This is a great idea! We can even use it in our department's textbooks!"

He stopped mid-sentence, remembering he was an interviewer, and became more reserved.

"To be a role model for others!"
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Once you enroll, let's publish an article together, and I'll get a feel for your theories!"

What a joke!

This is practically a direct endorsement of Xu Chengjun's future thesis!
When Wang Shuizhao was completely unknown in history?

The mentorship of a big shot!
Zhu Dongrun looked out the window. Summer sunlight filtered through the sycamore leaves and dappled the tabletop, casting dappled patterns of light in front of Xu Chengjun.

He suddenly remembered the ancient books that had been burned, and his eyes welled up slightly: "These ideas of yours, were they conceived during your time in the countryside?"

Xu Chengjun scratched his head and gave a shy smile: "I earned work points during the day and read the few books I brought with me under the kerosene lamp at night. If I didn't understand something, I would write it down in my notebook. Only when the news of the resumption of the college entrance examination came did I dare to string together my scattered thoughts."

He pulled a worn-out notebook from his canvas bag, filled with his reading notes.

Where is it?
If you have new ideas and thoughts but no corresponding notes or sources, isn't that pure nonsense?
I started taking supplements a long time ago so that I could finish them today.

Zhang Peiheng took the notebook and lightly tapped the table: "I think this educated youth, Xiao Xu, is much more presentable than some of those with formal training!"

Tsk, who is this guy subtly implying?

At this moment, before Zhang Peiheng could continue speaking, Jia Zhifang, who hadn't spoken until now, suddenly spoke up, her voice stiff: "How should we study traditional culture, and does the development of comparative literature conflict with it?"

These words were like a stone thrown into a lake, and the meeting room fell silent instantly.

Zhang Peiheng frowned slightly, knowing that Old Jia's question was very profound.

The current situation is that the study of traditional culture has been interrupted, and with the gradual opening of the country's doors, many people feel that the things of our ancestors are outdated.

And asking a former educated youth to discuss comparative literature is indeed a bit beyond their level.

but,

This question is not difficult for Xu Chengjun, especially given that he has witnessed the future of Chinese culture and the continuous development of traditional culture in the 21st century.

The difficult part is figuring out the right balance in your answer.

What is comparative literature?

Comparative literature, simply put, is the systematic comparison and analysis of literary phenomena in different countries, ethnic groups, cultures, or academic disciplines from a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary perspective, exploring the universal laws, specific differences, and deep connections of literature.

Sounds good?
Like a bridge, it connects different cultures and explores depths through connections.

However, the problem with this kind of thing is that people tend to get stuck on trivial details and add their own "personal agendas."

In many people's eyes,

The "comparison" method that comparative literature is most proud of is essentially a set of "floating logic" without ontological support.

Unlike national literature, which has a clearly defined research object (such as classical Chinese literature centered on Chinese texts), or literary theory, which has a relatively stable core category (such as narratology focusing on "narrative structure" and aesthetics focusing on "aesthetic experience"), this approach is not limited to specific national literatures.

Comparison is merely a means of operation, yet it has been forcibly elevated to the core of the discipline, causing theory to become a "universal key."

If you want to talk about influence, just use the "communication school"; if you want to talk about parallel systems, just use "thematic studies"; if you want to talk about cross-civilizational issues, just use "postcolonial theory".

Is that ridiculous?

There's something even more outrageous.

For example, when people see Daiyu burying flowers in "Dream of the Red Chamber," they insist on quoting the "natural melancholy" of Western Romantic poetry, saying that both "express compassion for life," but they never mention that Daiyu's "burying flowers" is rooted in the philosophy of "interconnection between man and nature" in Chinese agrarian civilization, as well as the survival anxiety of women in feudal families, while the "melancholy" of Western Romanticism stems from the destruction of nature and alienation of individual spirit caused by the Industrial Revolution.

These are flowers that grew in completely different soils. To insist that they are of the same origin because their "fragrance is similar" is pure academic color blindness.

Even more absurd is the forced combination of "numbers" and "imagery".

When Li Bai wrote "The Yellow River's waters come from the sky," he compared it to Shelley's "If winter comes, can spring be far behind?" saying that both of them "use natural imagery to express their feelings."

The Journey to the West has "seventy-two transformations," which is related to the "metamorphosis myths" in Homer's epics, saying that "both the East and the West have supernatural imaginations."

This kind of "forced comparison" is no different from saying "apples and the moon are both round, so they are essentially the same."

Using the most superficial similarities to cover up the most essential differences, the final conclusion is even worse than "nonsense literature".

　Please vote with your monthly tickets and keep reading! My book has dropped quite a bit from the new release charts! This is affecting my performance, and I'd like to stay on the charts for a couple more days! The interview process will be a bit longer because without sufficient evidence to prove your ability to skip academic stages, the book's logic won't be coherent. The early plot progressed too quickly, making the later portrayal of a literary master seem unsound. So please forgive me, especially given the limited release period during the new release phase. Also, a reader mentioned the group yesterday, and I'm considering it. I'm worried that if there are too many people, I won't be able to manage it, and it might easily overwhelm the group. Furthermore, too many negative reviews can also affect my mindset. I'll give it some time to think about it, and I welcome your feedback.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)