Rồng?（Selected Works of Modern Writers）

Author: Mao Dun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: The writing motivations for Dissatisfaction and The Rainbow were both about catharsis. During the period from the May Fourth Movement to the Northern Expedition, Mao Dun had firsthand experience, with both life and real feelings (including confusion and, which also served as a ferment for literature, it just depended on how to utilize them). The material was readily available, unlike later when writing The Midnight Sun, which required Mao Dun to go to the Shanghai Stock Exchange for observation and investigation. Mao Dun described the inspiration for the conception of Dissatisfaction in poetic terms: "I remember one evening in August, after attending a meeting, I was preparing to go home. At that time, it was raining outside, with no pedestrians or vehicles. The raindrops were clattering loudly on the umbrella, and one of the women I was walking with, one of the ones I had noticed, was with me. She had been talking too much during the meeting and her face was still flushed with excitement. As we walked along, I suddenly felt a surge of inspiration. If possible, I think I would have picked up my pen and started writing even in the rain?" (A Few Old Words) This kind of writing brought him a specific point: the modern female characters are well-developed and occupy the central position. In Dissatisfaction, the characters of Lady Jing and Lady Hui, and in The Rainbow, Mei Xingsu are all like this. In the later The Midnight Sun and others, the protagonists were male, but the women such as Zhang Susu, Liu Yuying, Feng Meiqing, and Lin Peiyao still left a deep impression. Dissatisfaction depicts the ideological turmoil of young people 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 write about Madam Mei's struggle up to 1927, but later only1925 "May Thirtieth." Mao Dun thus created the model of "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 down in the tight embrace of the mountains, often forming small whirlpools. Faintly, a low rumble could be heard, like the roar of a giant beast, coming from behind the cliffs upstream. A few minutes later, this indistinct sound suddenly expanded into a bold cry, which echoed between the steep cliffs on both sides. A light green steamship moved majestically through the remaining mist, gliding down smoothly, and immediately the river was filled with the heavy noise of the 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.