Selected Works of Ba Jin (Volume 1) Family

Author: Ba Jin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-09-01
Features: Ba Jin is a renowned Chinese writer who has written many outstanding works in his lifetime. His writings are deeply loved by readers, primarily employing a combination of argumentative and lyrical styles, filling the text with a sense of vitality. This book mainly collects some of his famous works. Among them, there are many that are rich in detailed descriptions, such as: "The wind was blowing fiercely, and snowflakes danced in the air like torn cotton, drifting aimlessly in all directions. At both sides of the wall foundations, there were white paths, as if serving as wide borders for the cement-paved road in the middle." The River Trilogy is set against the backdrop of Sichuan Chengdu in the early 1920s after the May Fourth Movement, depicting the historical collapse of a feudal family (the Gao family) during a new revolutionary period. The work unfolds the entire life of a feudal official family, mercilessly exposing the corruption and decadence of the feudal landlord class and the hypocrisy and cruelty of feudal rituals. The author portrays the images of feudal family women like Mei, Hui, and Ruijue, whose suffering and tragic deaths serve as a heart-wrenching indictment of the feudal marriage system and old rituals. Meanwhile, the deaths of "servants" like Mingfeng and Qian'er more profoundly reveal the social reality of class discrimination and oppression. The work does not stop at exposing the evils of this "family" or revealing its inevitable collapse but further depicts the awakened and rebellious generation, represented by Juehui. This provides a glimpse into the characteristics of the May Fourth era, "proclaiming the death sentence of an unreasonable system." A major feature of Ba Jin's works is that they are born from emotion. This is quite similar to Cao Xueqin. Additionally, Ba Jin excels at constructing grand epics, skillfully organizing numerous characters and complex events, with plots that rise and fall, unfold layer by layer, and steadily approach the climax. The author is also adept at portraying the psychological activities of characters, delving into their souls, creating depth and a sense of dimension.