Characters in Lu Xun's novels

Author: Zhou Zuoren
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Last spring, I was still writing short articles for Shanghai's "Yi Bao" and began compiling "Nansha Yanyi." Although only a small part was published, I continued writing it, probably spending about two months in total, writing over 130 sections. Here, it is divided into two parts: the first part is about "Nansha," and the second part is about "Panghuang" and "Chaohua Xishi." Although they are two separate topics, they can actually be called "Three Derivations." The purpose of writing these articles was to record facts, which was similar to writing "Baicao Garden," but the basis was different. One was about the country and its surroundings, while the other was about the characters and settings in the two novels. Novels are the author's literary creation, but some characters in these works have identifiable models. Their true identities and certain local customs, dialects, and things that outsiders may not easily understand require explanation. Additionally, due to the time and place gap, or because some individual circumstances have changed, and general readers may not be very clear about them, I have briefly explained what I know. These are all facts, so my work is merely a record rather than fabrication. I am only afraid of being short-sighted and lacking memory, and there may be errors in what I say. I hope friends who know more accurately can provide corrections. However, it is already very difficult to find companions familiar with Shaoxing affairs from fifty years ago. I have tried, but the results were very disappointing. "Chaohua Xishi" was originally not a novel, although it was not a formal autobiography. For convenience, it was included here. However, since it is not substantial enough to stand alone, it was placed in the "Panghuang" section. Originally, there were many factual elements in "Chaohua Xishi" that could have formed a volume on their own. However, many of them had already been mentioned in "Baicao Garden," so only the remaining part is discussed here. Not only in "Xishi," but many characters in the two novels have also been mentioned in "Baicao Garden." Therefore, it can be said that "Lu Xun's Former Home" can serve as a supplement to this book, and similarly, this book can also serve as a supplement to "Former Home." The annotations about the Nanjing school in "Xishi" are quite brief because I had previously written an article titled "School Life," which described my own experiences but were largely similar. So, it was included as an appendix and added at the end. Recently, while reviewing old diaries, I found many records about Lu Xun and copied them as another appendix. Although it would have been more appropriate to attach them to "Former Home," this is the next best option. A few days ago, while reading Mr. Yu Jieqing's "A Brief Explanation of Poetic Scenery," I recalled "Qu Yuan Teaching His Grandchildren," and suddenly remembered Lu Xun reading "Qu Yuan Teaching His Grandchildren" at Sanwei Study. Mr. Shou Jingwu taught him to read this book, probably when he was learning to write essays. Later, after he had written the entire book, he asked Mr. Zhu Lin to review it. This should have been written in the third section, "Wuxu Er," but I forgot at the time. The above-mentioned issue of insufficient memory is indeed true. However, before completely forgetting, I was able to record this, which is also quite fortunate. October 24, 1953, Author's Note.