Knocking girl

Author: Zhang Jie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Some say Zhang Jie is the last angel in the swamp of dreams. She speaks not, her deep eyes gaze at you, and a strange organ-like melody blows past, making you feel the vast treasure trove of moonlight in her heart. Thanks to her genuine and pure spirit and sensibility, she has been writing stories from her heart with excellence. The three books by Shanghai female writer Zhang Jie—The Girl Who Knocks on the Door, Crossing Your Shadow, and Songs of the Mysterious Garden—are grandly launched by Children’s Publishing House (Shanghai), under the brand of "Moonlight novels." Describing Zhang Jie’s novels in terms of moonlight is truly appropriate and accurate. Zhang Jie’s novels predominantly use the third-person perspective, which gives her writing a sincere, innocent, and graceful tone, allowing readers to quickly resonate with their hearts. Her rejection of the filth of the adult world, her disappointments and frustrations in human interactions, her confusion about life, and her melancholy struggles to express herself—all these sensitive emotions of teenage growth coexist with their deep appreciation for pure and beautiful things, creating a rich yet ethereal aesthetic effect. Overall, Zhang Jie’s novels possess a spiritual and ethereal beauty, which is related to the author’s perspective on life and her choice of material. In her heart, she holds a perfect ideal that is both simple and infinite. Her curiosity, confusion, and questioning of life are all rooted in this ideal. She feels pained by any flaws in human nature but also forgives them. The psychology of teenagers is like clouds drifting densely in the sky, but their gracefulness is grounded in inner stability. Too smooth writing can sometimes feel simplistic. When an author’s expression and language flow too effortlessly, it usually means they have mastered what they want to convey, making them appear confident and at ease with their pen. Yet such smooth and polished writing is now far too common. A critic once advised writers to restrain their fluency when they feel it has become excessive. Maturity can also be cliché; overly smooth writing often lacks depth. I’m glad to find that Zhang Jie has avoided such excessive fluency. Her writing is beautiful and precise, but when she constructs a certain atmosphere in her works, she does so from a place of immersion rather than from on high. When she depicts confusion, she doesn’t use it to resolve the confusion but often finds herself still confused in the act of writing. I believe the most outstanding aspect of Zhang Jie’s work is not the ideas it reflects but the vividness of its imagery. As a cliché in literary theory goes: "Image is greater than thought." Only when a work is rich in imagery can its ideas truly resonate. Even, I think, it’s better for imagery to be "rough" or "unrefined" than to be conceptualized or emaciated, especially for children’s literature. For our current literary landscape, ideas have become too abundant, too empty, and too. Zhang Jie’s strength lies in her literary potential, which is a natural refinement, born from her particularly sincere attitude; at the same time, it is also a talent. Her vivid dialogues, dynamic conflicts, lively scenes, and ethereal thoughts—all successfully recreated—owe to these two qualities. Both talent and refinement. Because of her sincerity, she empathizes completely, standing fully in the other’s shoes in her thoughts and portrayals; because of her talent, she brings them to life vividly. Thus, Zhang Jie not only succeeds in creating sensitive and beautiful teenage girls like herself but also masterfully portrays characters like troubled boys. When the Flowers Bloom is an excellent novel. The poetic appreciation of humanity and the vitality of life coexist in Zhang Jie’s works. The liveliness, mischief, energy, and rebellion displayed by boys and girls sometimes surprise us with their almost rugged and forceful appearance, contrasting sharply with the author’s delicate image. Yet this is not surprising. With the support of a broader and stronger vitality, the poetic expression of human nature is not delicate or frail but powerful. Vitality itself is also poetic, just as important and precious as the author’s sensitivity. When an author’s compassion aligns perfectly with their writing subject, or when they find a narrative perspective that just right expresses their emotions, more refined works emerge. I believe that Evening Tea Fragrance, Worldly Smoke, Bathed in Sunlight, Children of Paradise, and When the Flowers Bloom, including the novel-length The Girl Who Knocks on the Door, are the most outstanding among Zhang Jie’s works. They possess excellent narrative rhythms, harmonious unity of form and content, balanced and lingering structures—even when placed alongside adult literature, they stand out. Coincidentally, most of them are written in the third person, which makes me wonder if the third-person perspective allows Zhang Jie to remain calm and in control. Perhaps the moment an author finds the right narrative perspective, their artistic conception also matures instantly.