Lu Xun's Turmoil and Roar - Soaring and Despair

Author: Chen Jing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features:
The greatest quality of Lu Xun is a "sympathy for their misfortune and anger at their lack of struggle." Seeing endless suffering, he felt "sympathy"; seeing suffering without progress, he felt "anger." In an era dominated by "individualism," such a mindset was criticized. Others' "misfortune" was none of his concern; he could choose not to "sympathize." Others' "lack of struggle" was none of his concern; he could choose not to "anger." Lu Xun's entire life was lived in a complex "complex" of alternating "sympathy" and "anger," sometimes "bowing his head," sometimes "frowning fiercely," sometimes "willing to be a cow for the people," and sometimes "indifferently facing the scorn of the masses." He seemed to be the most criticized person, with at least a hundred people being named and cursed by him, and about two to thirty important figures who engaged in "combat" with him. He cursed Zhang Shizhao's ideology and personality, cursed Hu Shi's certain statements and actions, cursed Chen Yuan (Xiyin) for serving warlords, cursed Xu Zhimo's poetry, cursed Yang Yinyu's "Normal School Windstorm," cursed Liang Shiqiu for lacking "class consciousness"—he could curse anyone he wanted, and the more he cursed, the greater he became. He was regarded as the "founder of new literature," the "pioneer of ideological revolution," the "authority in thought," the "people's writer," the "national soul," the "pioneer and model of modern Chinese fiction," a "long-lasting evergreen tree in the literary world that withstood wind, thunder, and axe," a "great litterateur, great thinker, and great revolutionary," and the "most correct, brave, resolute, loyal, and enthusiastic unprecedented national hero."
He also seemed to be the most cursed person, from being called "not a revolutionary" to "Lu Xun visiting brothels," with various forms of criticism. His "revolutionary" identity was questioned, believed to have "done little revolutionary work," "never truly engaged in underground activities," and not "a true revolutionary." His "thinker" identity was questioned, seen as "lacking profound philosophical thinking," "having no distant questions," and "only having scattered essays without a system." His private life was questioned, seen as an "enjoyer of sexual environments," "having improper living habits," and "looking like Confucius yet also engaging in visiting brothels." He was seen as a "spreader of rumors" and "a person who throws cold arrows," as someone who "immediately constructed the crimes of others" upon writing, "not citing out of context, but fabricating facts," as someone "wearing a paper-maché authority's false crown into a state of physical and mental illness," as someone "wandering between the light and dark of art and fame," as someone "mentally," "personally vile," "a petty man of bad character," "a remnant of feudalism," "a fascist in white gloves," "a dualistic counter-revolutionary," and "having made no large-scale literary efforts."
Reasons to Read This Book:
Yu Dafu said: "A nation without great figures is the most pitiful group of creatures in the world; a country with great figures but not knowing how to support, love, and admire them is a slave country with no hope. Because of Lu Xun's death, people became aware that the nation could still achieve something; and because of Lu Xun's death, people saw that China was still a very slave-like and half-despairing country." Li Chang said: "If judged by a specialized academic mindset, he was fundamentally a nihilist. He often said he couldn't be sure whether things were right or wrong, and he was somewhat vague about how to walk on the right path."
Recommended for the following groups to read this book:
Scholars or enthusiasts of modern Chinese history, scholars or enthusiasts of modern Chinese literature, supporters or critics of Lu Xun, scholars or enthusiasts of biographical literature, and primary and secondary school students.