Morning Glories Plucked at Twilight - (Junior High Part) (Revised Edition)

Author: Lu Xun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1979-12-01
Features: Lu Xun (1881-1936), a writer, thinker, and revolutionary. Originally named Zhou Zhangshou, he styled himself Yucai and later changed his name to Shuren. He was from Shaoxing, Zhejiang. Born into a declining scholar-official family, Lu Xun began using the pen name "Lu Xun" in 1918 when he published "A Madman's Diary." In 1898, he studied in Nanjing, and in 1902, he went to Japan for medical studies. Later, he felt that curing the numb spirit of the nation was more important than treating physical ailments, so he switched careers to advocate for cultural movements. In 1909, he returned to China and taught at middle schools in Hangzhou and Shaoxing. In 1912, he moved to Beijing and worked at the Ministry of Education, while also serving as a lecturer at Peking University and Beijing Normal Women's University. In 1918, he joined the editorial team of "New Youth" and published a prose fiction titled "A Madman's Diary" in the journal. He later wrote famous novels such as "Kong Yiji," "Medicine," and "The True Story of Ah Q," as well as numerous essays and critiques of old ideas and morals, becoming one of the pioneers of the New Culture Movement. In 1923, he published the novel collection "A Call to Arms," which became a foundational work of modern Chinese literature. From August 1926, he successively taught at Xiamen University and Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou. In October 1927, he settled in Shanghai and engaged in literary writing, participating in the organization of the Chinese Left-Wing Writers League, becoming the practical leader and banner of the Left-Wing Cultural Movement in China. During the struggle against the Nationalist Party's cultural "encirclement," he became a great figure in China's cultural revolution. During his lifetime, he published three novel collections, two essay collections, fifteen essay collections, one correspondence collection, and two works on literary history. Lu Xun also made outstanding achievements in translating foreign literature and compiling Chinese classics.
The works in "Retracing My Childhood" recount the author's childhood life and his journey as a young student, recalling unforgettable people and events, and expressing nostalgia for his former friends and teachers. The work critiques and satirizes reactionary and conservative forces through a mix of narration and commentary. The work "Dogs, Cats, and Mice" was inspired by attacks from "gentlemen of high moral character," satirizing the "rumors" they spread and expressing hatred for the characteristics of cats—such as tormenting the weak, yowling everywhere, and sometimes putting on a flirtatious air. It recalls the experience and feelings of rescuing a lovely mouse as a child, which was later destroyed. The work shows sympathy for the weak and hatred for the cruel. The work "Ah Q and the Classic of Mountains and Seas" recounts the author's childhood interactions with his nanny, Ah Chang, describing her kind, simple, yet superstitious and talkative personality, as well as her devotion to finding and gifting him the illustrated "Classic of Mountains and Seas" he had longed for. The article uses heartfelt language to express genuine remembrance of this working-class woman. The work "The Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars" discusses children's reading materials of the time and recalls the author's childhood experience of reading "The Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars," revealing the hypocrisy and cruelty of feudal filial piety. The work focuses on analyzing stories like "Sleeping on Ice to Catch Carp," "Old Amusing His Parents," and "Guo Ju Burying His Son," condemning such feudal filial piety for disregarding children's lives, treating vulgarity as amusement, and distorting ethics to mislead future generations. The work also delivers a sharp critique of the trend at the time that opposed vernacular literature and promoted retrogression. The work "The Five Demon Festivals" recounts the author's childhood excitement and anticipation of watching the temple fair, as well as his disappointment and pain when forced by his father to recite "The Brief History of the Dynasties." It points out how feudal education suppressed and destroyed the natural inclinations of children. The work "The Ghost of Justice" describes the "Ghost of Justice" seen during rural temple fairs and on theater stages in the author's childhood, explaining why this "ghost who is both human and spirit, who embodies reason and emotion" was beloved by the people—it was because there was no justice in the human world, and evil people did not receive their just punishment, while "just judgment lay in the underworld." The article satirizes those who claim to uphold "justice" and "reason" with sharp wit. The work "From the Herbal Garden to the Three Flavor Study" describes the joy the author experienced in the herbal garden at home as a child and the tedious life of studying at the Three Flavor Study, revealing the sharp contradiction between the broad interests of children and the restrictive feudal education. It expresses the reasonable demand that children should grow up healthy and lively. The work "My Father's Illness" recalls the author's childhood efforts to find a doctor for his father, describing the behavior, methods, and prescriptions of several "doctors," revealing their lack of distinction between medicine and sorcery, their pretense of knowledge, their extortion, and their indifference to human life.