Wenshi--Sanlian Select

Author: Cao Juren
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: This is a collection of essays by the renowned modern writer and scholar Cao Juren. It primarily consists of articles on literary criticism and appreciation. The author, with profound artistic cultivation and familiarity with modern literary figures and works, selects famous works from all over the world and throughout history for discussion, exploring the creative principles and merits of various literary genres such as fiction, drama, and poetry. His arguments are often both incisive and vividly expressive, unlike the abstract and nature of general literary and poetic theories. The sections on modern literature are particularly outstanding.
Excerpt: On "Humor"
Today is my own punishment, this topic would be best delivered by Mr. Lin Yutang. He runs a company called "Lunyu" in Shanghai, specializing in such material. However, do not be fooled by Mr. Lin's tricks, thinking that the "Humor" shop is truly "the only one, with no branches." That is a lie. "Humor" may be foreign in origin, but it is authentically Chinese, with a long history. The Historian Sima Qian's "Biography of the Jesters" mentions that beyond the grand path, there is also a "small path of subtle words that can resolve disputes." Figures like Chunyu Kun, You Meng, and You Zhan were all "skilled in wit, aligning with the grand path." You Meng once wore the robes of Sun Shuao to mock the King of Chu through performance, which was an embodiment of "humor." During the Wei and Jin period, the fashion of "pure talk" flourished, and scholars deeply appreciated the essence of "humor." Fragments preserved in "Shuoshuo Xinyu" are still celebrated by later generations. At that time, He Yan, Wang Yan, and Le Guang were so witty that they captivated their audiences—perhaps no different from the cigar-smoking professors in Oxford and Cambridge. The trend of "pure talk" faded by the Sui and Tang dynasties, but witty and humorous sayings were preserved in works like Han Dynasty's "Laughing Forest" by Han Dan Chun, Sui Dynasty's "Enlightening Records" by Hou Bai, Su Dongpo's "Miscellaneous Sayings" (attributed to Su Dongpo), as well as the existing "Enlightening Records" and "Laughing Forest." These contain humor, wit, satire, and humor, often with profound and lasting charm. After the Tang and Song dynasties, slapstick comedy became popular. The so-called "Jiangjun Opera" featured clowns as the main characters, telling stories wherever they went, with a hidden sense of satire. Lu Benzhong's "Tongmeng Xun" states: "Those who perform should enter with a burst of humor and exit with a burst of humor." Wu Zimou's "Mengliang Lu" says: " relies entirely on stories, aiming for humor." For example: "During the Xiangfu and Tianxi years, Yang Danian, Qian Wenxi, Yan Yuanshan, and Liu Ziyi rose to prominence through literature, and their poems followed Li Yishan's style. Later generations often stole Li Yishan's phrases. During an imperial banquet, a jester dressed in tattered clothes said to others, 'I have been torn apart by these court officials.' Those who heard laughed." (Liu Ran's "Zhongshan Shihua") Another example: "In the second year of the Chongning era, the Ministry of Agriculture reported a shortage, and a proposal was made to halve salaries. The jester then dressed as a scholar, removing half of his belt and robes, saying, 'I have halved them.' When asked again, he replied, 'Halved.' Then he sighed and said, 'I only knew it would be halved, but I didn't expect it to be impossible to implement!'" (Zeng Minxing's "Duxing Magazine") These were highly humorous performances. After the Northern and Southern Qu Opera, the clown remained an important role in theater. Li Liren once said, "If one man doesn't laugh, I am sad." Before the craze for supporting actresses began, there were many famous clowns in the court. The literati of the late Ming Dynasty's "Gong'an" and "Jingling" schools excelled at writing humorous texts. For example, Yuan Zhonglang's "Bihuizhai Collection," Zhang Zongzi's "Taoyan Mengyi," and Zhong Bojing's "Zhong Bojing Collection" often contain superior masterpieces that leave a lasting impression. Yuan Zhonglang's "Introduction to Bihui's Pure Room" describes two monks in a pure land: one who is a heavy drinker and the other who is always on the go. Both are endearing. That widower, who had been drinking and singing for twenty years, married a wife during a famine. Within a year or two, he was in chaos and had no means to survive. It is amusing to look at, but deeply meaningful to ponder.
In the Qing Dynasty, there were many notes, not only Jin Shengtan and Li Liren who wrote sketches, but also many scholars who could. After the 12th and 13th years of the Republic of China, sketches flourished, and "humor" texts had long been written. The "Lunyu" company was not the only shop for humor; before it, there was the "Camel Grass" company, and before that, the "Yushi" company. Many shareholders of the "Lunyu" company were former associates of the "Yushi" company. Originally, "humor" was not an only child; it had several brothers: "satire," "witty," and "slapstick." They have slightly different temperaments but extremely similar appearances, as if they were twins. When "humor" was born, Mr. Lin Yutang named it, but Mr. Lu Xun found the two characters easily misunderstood as "silent" or "tranquil." Mr. Li Qingya changed it to "yumiao," but "yumiao" cannot include actions. Instead, Mr. Chen Wangdao changed it to "youhu," which Mr. Ye Peiji called "Laozi's scolding," and it represents one aspect of "humor." In my opinion, there is no better translation for "humor" than Mr. Tang Tonghou's translation, "harmonious humor," where "harmonious" represents one aspect and "humor" represents the other, perfectly capturing "humor." However, since "humor" is already widely used, it is difficult to change it now.
The brothers of "humor" have faces that ultimately make you laugh. When you see "humor," you smile; when you see "satire," you laugh bitterly; when you see "witty," you laugh coldly; when you see "slapstick," you laugh wildly. The depth may vary, but the essence of laughter is the same. In Shanghai, all joyful performances are called "slapstick." The two famous film characters, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, are called "slapstick masters." In reality, there is a significant difference between them. Keaton makes people laugh, but Chaplin goes beyond that. In Chaplin's "Circus," "Gold Rush," and "City Lights," there is a chill in the laughter, making you deeply feel the suffering of the human world. That poor boy with a crooked cane is always wandering alone. At the end of the circus, the carriages are far away, leaving only a rolling dust cloud. He stands alone, lost, can you not shed tears for him? This kind of sorrow comes from a very deep place, not expressed through cold mockery, but through sincere love and passion, which reach the pinnacle of his art.
Kazuo Tsubaki said, "To prevent humor from falling into cold mockery, the greatest factor is pure sympathy. Sympathy is the foundation of everything. Humor is not afraid of being abundant, only of lacking sympathy. Those who laugh at life as a game are cold mockery. Those who laugh while deeply appreciating the dignity of life and retaining a profound love for humanity are humor. Relying on a joyful smile brings a touch of warmth to our bleak lives."
Thus, let us briefly analyze the personalities of these brothers of "humor." Nature has always mocked and humiliated humanity. The Sphinx stands before us, and those who cannot answer it must take it as food. Those mocked and humiliated by fate appear extremely "foolish." When people discover each other's "foolishness," they cannot help but laugh—this is "slapstick." Those who are played by fate but dare not resist can only sneer—this is "witty." Those who are unwilling to submit but lack the strength to resist can only smile bitterly—this is "satire." When one sees through the tragedy of life and feels infinite sympathy, a gentle smile becomes "humor" (Kazuo Tsubaki said, "Tears and laughter are only separated by a sheet of paper; only those who have tasted the depth of tears can understand the joy of life's laughter.").
What I can discuss is just this. Recently, when I spoke at an arts research society about the meaning of humor, I explained it this way: "When one sees through the tragedy of life and feels infinite sympathy, a gentle smile becomes humor." Like Chaplin's "Circus," "Gold Rush," and "City Lights," the laughter is cold, making everyone deeply feel the suffering of the human world. That poor boy with a crooked cane is always wandering alone. At the end of the circus, the carriages are far away, leaving only a rolling dust cloud. He stands alone, lost, can you not shed tears for him? This kind of sorrow comes from a very deep place, not expressed through cold mockery, but through sincere love and passion, which reach the pinnacle of his art.
In short, the essence of humor is "laughter with tears."
Recently, someone asked me to explain the methods of expressing humor. Mr. Wang Xiaoyin once discussed the four laws of humor: the law of contrast, the law of error, the law of inversion, and the law of coincidence. These four laws are also applicable to expressing humor. The result of humor, like slapstick, satire, and wit, is to make people laugh, and the methods are largely the same. The motivation for laughter lies in discovering the abnormality of the object, so the law of error is the most common method. For example, wearing summer cloth in winter or a fur coat in summer; Chaplin eating shoes as ducks and Keaton using cheese as soap—all can make people laugh. As "Laughing Forest" says: A man and a woman are fighting. The man bites off the woman's nose. The official wants to punish him, but the man claims the woman bit it off herself. The official says, "A woman's nose is higher and her mouth is lower, how could she bite it?" The man replies, "She stepped on the bed and bit it." This is the abnormality of thinking that makes people laugh. Another method of expressing humor is analogy. For example, Wu Daliang is three feet tall, which is unusually short, and already funny. Chang Shude is ten feet tall, which is unusually tall, also funny. Once Chang Shude and Wu Daliang walk together, the laughter is so intense that it hurts the belly. This is called analogy.
There is also another method of expression, which is the use of puns. For example, Wang Yuanmei lived in Taicang. A wealthy man in his village hosted a banquet, serving stinking turtles as food and pears as fruit. Wang and his guests raised their cups and laughed, saying, "All the sorrows in the world are nothing but death and separation." This is called the method of puns.
However, there are often very good jokes that have used the methods of "error," "analogy," and "puns," but the result is still not funny. That is a flaw in the technique of expressing humor. To express humor, one must avoid being too obscure, so that the audience does not understand, but also avoid being too obvious, leaving no room for reflection. Therefore, subtlety is a condition of technique. To lead the audience into the trap, once they are in, let them explore on their own, so that the author and the audience share the joy of creation. This is the power of subtlety. For example, in the fourth issue of "Lunyu," on page 130, "Yuhua," it records Wu Jingxiong's eloquence. The title "eloquence" already makes the intention clear, but adding a line below "Wu Jun's stern face said: You are wrong" that "it provoked a thunderous laugh in the classroom" makes it lose its interest.
In literature, is often used to express the true meaning of the content through indirect words and actions. Expressing humor also often uses this method. For example, in "Enlightening Records," it is recorded: A man held his written work to seek advice from a respected scholar. The scholar highly praised his calligraphy. The man said, "I only ask for guidance on the article." The scholar said, "In my opinion, it's still this brush." Clearly, the scholar was saying the man's article was not good but praised his calligraphy—this is an indirect way of saying it. In the fifth issue of "Lunyu," Qi Fan's "Record of the Shanghai Municipal Government's Liu Yansu European Tour Art Exhibition," it is clearly satirizing Liu Yansu, but he mentions the Shanghai Municipal Government, Liu Yansu's life, the Yingshi Memorial Hall, the story of Shousheng Temple, the hosts, the lighting, the stalls, even urinating, but never mentions Liu Yansu's works. The meaning is implied, and this is the charm.
However, even with subtlety and skillful hints, one cannot fully express humor. In such cases, one must pay attention to two additional techniques:
To be serious. Mr. Fu Yanchang once said, "Tian Han's stern face spreads dung." Spreading dung is not funny, and a stern face is not funny. Only a stern face spreading dung is truly funny. Mr. Tang Tonghou translates "humor" as "harmonious humor," meaning that one aspect of humor is "harmonious," and the other is "humor." Humor without harmony is not humor; harmony without humor is not humor. Harmony and humor must work together to show humor. Mr. Lu Xun told jokes, but he never laughed himself. Most skillful joke-tellers are like this. Therefore, a serious attitude, acting as if it were important, sometimes makes even slightly poor material successful.
To be concentrated. Expressing humor is like a summer thunderstorm—after the rain, the clouds clear and the sun shines. Each joke should have only one focus. Before reaching the peak, it must be well-prepared, and when it reaches the peak, it must be released completely without dragging on. However, if one has done their best to express humor but still fails to achieve the desired result of making people laugh, it may be a question of whether the level of the audience matches the level of the humor. The match or mismatch can be divided into three categories: "time," "place," and "knowledge."
Dr. Mei Kun came from the United States to Japan as a professor. When he gave lectures, he said many funny things, but the audience did not laugh. He had no choice but to say, "I will no longer tell jokes from now on." This was due to regional limitations, as the customs and habits of the audience were different, making it impossible for them to appreciate it.
For example, in "Laughing Forest," the "Student's Article": The Imperial Examiner set the topic "There are indeed such things." The student's answer was, "There are no people in the world without a cover." The examiner marked, "I alone have none." When reading further, the student added, "A person who claims to have no cover must have many covers." The Imperial Examiner quickly erased the original mark. This was very funny at the time, but now it is not considered particularly interesting. This is due to the difference in time.
The most important thing is the difference in knowledge level. For example, in the third issue of "Lunyu," Han Musan's "Mozi and Me" is considered one of the best works since the founding of "Lunyu," but some said Mr. Lin Yutang should not have published this article. Perhaps those with simple minds easily understand the abnormal, but those who need to think deeply find it hard to appreciate.
For example, in "Laughing Forest": An old man loved to fart. He dug a hole in the chair to let out the gas. The landlord saw it and asked him about it. The old man explained why. The landlord said, "Just fart, why make a fuss?" Many people laughed at the old man's love for farting and digging a hole in the chair to let out the gas, but they did not understand the original intention of the author, which was in the phrase "Just fart, why make a fuss?" Knowledge mismatch can make a father unable to explain to his son, or a husband unable to explain to his wife. Sometimes, appreciating humor really requires some training!
However, if one advances even further, humorous works can also become great, enjoyable by both the refined and the common, deep for those who seek depth, and shallow for those who seek simplicity.
Returning to Chaplin's works, old and young, men and women, wise and foolish, all left satisfied, each with their own critiques and insights, each seeing a part of the whole—this shows the perfection of artistic mastery.
Zhuangzi said, "The great earth breathes, its name is wind. It is only when it acts that all things roar. Have you not heard the sound of the wind? The fear of the mountains, the holes of giant trees, like noses, mouths, ears, beams, mortars, and ditches. The rushing, the splashing, the snorting, the sucking, the crying, the groaning, the bursting, the biting. The former sing, and the latter follow in whispers. Cold wind brings small harmony, strong wind brings great harmony. When the fierce wind passes, all the holes are empty. But have you not seen the gentle and sharp wind?"
Such great works are not to be found in the only humorous "Lunyu" company. This is exactly what awaits our efforts.