Rồng · Phân vân (Tập hợp kinh điển)

Author: Mao Dun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-17
Features: The writing motivations for Dissatisfaction and The Rainbow were both about venting emotions. During the period from the May Fourth Movement to the Northern Expedition, Mao Dun had personal experiences, with both life and real feelings (including confusion and, which are also catalysts for literature, it just depends on how to utilize them). The material was readily available, unlike later when writing The Midnight Sun, which required visiting the Shanghai Stock Exchange for investigation. Mao Dun described the inspiration for the concept of Dissatisfaction in poetic terms: "I remember one evening in August, after attending a meeting, I was preparing to go home. It was raining outside, with no pedestrians or vehicles, and the raindrops were clattering loudly on the umbrella. One of the women I was walking with, one of the ones I had noticed, was still flushed with excitement from her talk during the meeting. As we walked along, I suddenly felt a surge of inspiration—had it been possible, I think I would have wanted to pick up my pen and write in the rain?" (A Few Old Words) This kind of writing brought him a specific focus: modern female characters who were fully developed and took the central role. In Dissatisfaction, the characters Jing and Hui, and in The Rainbow, Mei Xingsu, were all like this. Later works like The Midnight Sun shifted to male protagonists, but the women such as Zhang Susu, Liu Yuying, Feng Meiqing, and Lin Peiyao still left a deep impression. Dissatisfaction depicted the ideological turmoil of youth before and during the Great Revolution. The Rainbow was intended to "leave a mark of the great drama of China in the past ten years" (Postscript), originally planning to portray Mei's struggle up to 1927, but later only going up to 1925's "May Thirtieth Incident." Through this, Mao Dun created the model for "historical novels."
Excerpt from The Rainbow: The golden light of the morning sun scattered the morning mist that hung over the river like light smoke; the peaks on both banks now revealed their true green. The east wind played a gentle melody of spring. The turbid river water rushed swiftly down through the narrow gorge, forming small whirlpools from time to time. Faintly, a low rumble could be heard, like the roar of a giant beast, coming from behind the mountain cliffs upstream. A few minutes later, this indistinct sound suddenly expanded into a powerful howl, echoing between the steep cliffs on both sides. A light-green steamship moved majestically through the remaining mist, gliding down the river with ease, immediately filling the water with the heavy noise of its steam engine. This was the famous Longmao steamship, known for its trips on the Chuan River. It had set sail from Kuifu at dawn today and was scheduled to arrive in Yichang by 2 or 3 in the afternoon.