"Back to the Future: Junior High Part (Revised Edition)"

Author: Lu Xun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1979-12-01
Features: Lu Xun (1881-1936), a writer, thinker, and revolutionary. Originally named Zhou Zhangshou, he styled himself Yucai and later changed his name to Shuren. He was from Shaoxing, Zhejiang. Born into a declining scholar-official family, Lu Xun adopted the pen name "Lu Xun" in 1918 when he published "A Madman's Diary." In 1898, he went to Nanjing for studies and studied medicine in Japan in 1902. Later, he realized that curing the numb spirit of the nation was more important than treating physical ailments, so he switched careers to advocate for cultural and literary movements. In 1909, he returned to China and taught at middle schools in Hangzhou and Shaoxing. In 1912, he moved to Beijing and worked at the Ministry of Education, while also serving as a lecturer at Peking University and Beijing Normal Women's School. In 1918, he joined the editorial team of "New Youth" and published a vernacular short story titled "A Madman's Diary" in the magazine. He later wrote famous novels such as "Kong Yiji," "Medicine," and "The True Story of Ah Q," as well as numerous essays and satirical writings, criticizing old ideas and morals and becoming one of the advocates of the New Culture Movement. In 1923, he published the novel collection "A Call to Arms," which became a cornerstone of modern Chinese literature. From August 1926, he successively taught at Xiamen University and Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou. In October 1927, he settled in Shanghai and engaged in literary writing, participating in the organization of the Chinese Left-Wing Writers League, becoming the practical leader and symbol of the Left-Wing cultural movement. During the struggle against the Nationalist Party's cultural "encirclement," he became a great figure in China's cultural revolution. During his lifetime, he published three novel collections, two essay collections, fifteen satirical essay collections, one collection of correspondence, and two works on literary history. Lu Xun also made outstanding achievements in translating foreign literature and compiling Chinese classics.
The works in "Retracing My Childhood" recount the author's childhood life and his journey as a young student, recalling unforgettable people and events, and expressing his nostalgia for former friends and teachers. The narrative alternates between storytelling and commentary, criticizing and mocking reactionary and conservative forces. The short story "Dogs, Cats, and Mice" was inspired by attacks from "gentlemen of high moral character," satirizing the "rumors" they spread and expressing hatred for cats' tendencies to "extensively torment the weak," "yowl everywhere," and sometimes "put on a flirtatious air." It recalls the experience and feelings of rescuing a lovable mouse as a child, which was later destroyed, showing sympathy for the weak and hatred for the cruel. "Ah Q and the Mountain and Sea Classics" recounts the author's childhood interactions with his nanny, Ah Chang, describing her kind, simple, yet superstitious and talkative personality, as well as her devotion to finding and gifting him the illustrated "Mountain and Sea Classics" he longed for. The essay uses heartfelt language to express genuine remembrance for this working-class woman. "The Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars" discusses children's reading materials of the time and recalls the author's childhood experience reading "The Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars," revealing the hypocrisy and cruelty of feudal filial piety. The work focuses on analyzing stories like "Sleeping on Ice to Catch Carp," "Old Amusing His Parents," and "Guo Ju Burying His Son," condemning such feudal filial piety for disregarding children's lives, treating "shamelessness as amusement," and distorting ethics to deceive the past and harm the future. The essay also delivers a sharp critique of the trend at the time that opposed vernacular Chinese and advocated for a return to traditional culture. "The Five Demon Festivals" recounts the author's childhood excitement and anticipation for the temple fairs, contrasted with his disappointment and pain when forced by his father to recite "Mirror of the State." It highlights how feudal education suppressed and destroyed children's natural inclinations. "The Ghost of Justice" describes the "Ghost of Justice" seen during village temple fairs and on the stage of theatrical performances, explaining why this "ghost who is also human, who embodies reason yet emotion," and who is straightforward and just, was beloved by the people. It is because there is no justice in the human world, and evil people do not receive their just punishment, while "true justice lies in the underworld." The essay uses alternating storytelling and commentary to mock the "gentlemen of high moral character" who claim to uphold "justice" and "reason." "From the Hermit's Garden to the Three Flavor Study" describes the joy the author experienced in the hermit's garden as a child and the tedious life of studying at the Three Flavor Study, revealing the sharp contradiction between the broad interests of children's lives and the restrictive feudal education of book learning. It expresses the reasonable demand that children should grow up healthy and lively. "My Father's Illness" recalls the author's childhood efforts to find a doctor for his father, describing the behavior, attitudes, and prescriptions of several "," exposing their lack of distinction between medicine and sorcery, their pretense of knowledge, their extortion of money, and their indifference to human lives.