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Author: Wan Fang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-04-01
Features: This series of books includes Aning's The Hard Soft, Hong Ke's Golden Altai, Ye Mi's The Holy Light of Jesus, Xi Yang's Pufferfish, Wan Fang's Bullet-Free, and Cheng Qing's 36 Hours Under Shanghai Night. They are called "Unique Realism" because their focus and portrayal of reality are distinctly different from traditional realism. Especially when gathered together, their characteristics become even more apparent. The writing background under the influence of globalization trends in the 1990s and China's modernization process has had a profound impact on literary realism. One prominent manifestation is that all current outstanding realistic novels have, to some extent, incorporated modern concepts or techniques. This absorption gives realistic fiction a unique meaning and charm. This is the essence of Unique Realism. Editor Liang Dongfang named it "Peach Blossoms Along the Post Road," accurately and poetically summarizing their artistic features. The toil and hardship of traveling along the post road perfectly depict the full weight and pressure of real life, while admiring the peach blossoms by the roadside show a certain degree of transcendence and mastery over reality. Traditional realism is fundamentally sociological in nature, revealing its sociological significance through characters, events, and history. In contrast, Unique Realist novels strive to break free from the limitations imposed by sociological meaning on fiction, portraying life from the perspectives of survival philosophy, spiritual foundation, and the subjectivity of life. Novels that explore survival philosophy often involve abstracting characters and events. For example, Aning's The Hard Soft and Ye Mi's Growth Like a, their titles reveal the authors' philosophical pursuits. Xu Bin, inspired by the philosophy of bamboo's softness—"actively reducing or abandoning confrontation with the outside world"—achieved success in both career and emotions. His younger brother, who evolved from the life philosophy of "making everyone happy" to the courageous pursuit of doing what must be done exceptionally well, also succeeded in business. The writers do not simply praise or admire the characters' success but vividly reveal the joys, sorrows, bitterness, and sweetness within it, evoking endless reflection and contemplation. Aning's three novels that focus on the survival situations of women are equally profound. In Reconciliation, Susu is essentially a neglected concubine, while in The Chicken Shop, Xiaohong and "I" in Innocence are womening outside the boundaries of others' marriages. These three novels explore women's psychology, portraying the various forms of humiliation, helplessness, and resistance stemming from their material or spiritual dependence on men. Other novels directly grasp and portray characters from a spiritual perspective. Wan Fang's Flying with Angels depicts the life of intellectuals during the Cultural Revolution but avoids sociological themes like "unremitting youth" or "psychological trauma," instead focusing on the spiritual exchanges and interactions between people. The elderly intellectual, despite his fall from grace, demonstrates spiritual sanctity, while the young delinquent's ignorance and foolishness cannot hide his healthy, normal youthful vitality. In their daily interactions, healthy and noble spiritual qualities attract and permeate each other. Another of her novels, Unforgiven, delves directly into the spiritual of humanity. Guo Jiyuan is naturally detached and incredibly patient, considering himself spiritually superior to many. However, his wife's success in wealth and materialism, as well as her infidelity, still impose immense spiritual pressure on him, leaving him unable to escape even until his death. Other examples include Xi Yang's When Solitude Meets Loneliness, where the novel's title itself represents two spiritual states, and the author's delicate distinction between them through characters and stories is truly commendable. (Excerpt)