Chapter 75 Section 1 The Literature Characteristics of the Social Transition Period

From the end of the 1980s to the beginning of the 1990s, Chinese society underwent a sharp transformation. The pace of reform and opening up in the national economic field was accelerating, and the awareness of commodity economy continued to penetrate into various social and cultural fields. The ten-year socialist planned economic system has transformed into a socialist market economic system.Under such circumstances, the pattern of traditional ideology has also been adjusted accordingly, and the central position of the intellectuals in the social culture has gradually lost, sliding to the edge of the social and cultural space.However, in order to explore the root of this change, in addition to economic factors, there are also some political and cultural factual backgrounds that cannot be ignored. After the intellectuals’ social ideals and passions have been repeatedly frustrated, it is difficult to quickly regain clarity. The unified pursuit direction and motivation, on the other hand, also exposed the impetuous and inflated flaws of the elite consciousness itself.These two factors contributed to the basic cultural characteristics of the early 1990s: the enlightenment discourse of intellectuals in the tradition of the "May 4th Movement" was questioned, a multicultural pattern of individuality began to form, and intellectual self-reflection appeared .In terms of literary creation, it is reflected in doubts about traditional moral ideals, turning to real concern for personal living space, and especially leading to the rediscovery and active recognition of folk positions.

Among these changes, a series of changes in humanistic consciousness brought about by the rapid development of the market economy are crucial.In the history of contemporary literature, literature and art have always existed as a propaganda tool for national political power, and writers and artists are engaged in writing activities as personnel of the state cadre establishment. In a sense, in the forty years of literary creation However, the publicly published works can only be the embodiment of the will of the country, and the writer may have infiltrated a limited subject consciousness in the specific creative process, but it is impossible to create with a real personal standpoint.The so-called "literature and art serve the workers, peasants and soldiers" is only a reflection on how to make the propaganda of the state ideology more effective, and it does not really satisfy the aesthetic requirements of the workers, peasants and soldiers.With the rapid development of the market economy, the aesthetic requirements from the masses are becoming more and more diverse, and the relatively rigid traditional methods of political propaganda have also changed accordingly. The phenomenon of no direction and no common name, several literary trends coexist at the same time, expressing multiple value orientations.For example, the literary and artistic works that promote the main theme are usually confirmed by the financial support of government departments and the encouragement of national awards; the purpose of consumer-oriented literary works is to obtain promotional success in the mass cultural market; the creation of pure literature is based on circles Some of the more avant-garde literature and art aim to obtain foreign funding and favor, and so on.Since various coexisting themes of the times constitute a relatively multi-level compound cultural structure, it is possible for literature to have multiple trends.

However, under this seemingly free and diverse creative pattern, intellectuals and their literary creation still face severe tests.The cultural construction under the market economy is still unbalanced. The modern media and the mass cultural market have played an increasingly important role in the development of modern urban culture, behind which still embodies the dual forces of strong national will and commercial profits However, the independent standpoint of social criticism held by intellectuals and the aesthetic ideal of pure literature are in a relatively difficult situation in the increasingly marginalized cultural trend, which forces writers to rethink and Explore the relationship between literature and the market economic system. The relatively diverse cultural pattern and cultural debates in the 1990s were all related to the adjustment of such a relationship.

From the superficial to the deep, the influence of the market economy on literature is firstly manifested in the rise of a large number of popular modern literature readings.Originally in a social environment where elite culture was shifting to market culture, "modern reading materials" included various cultural categories, among which literary reading materials were closest to the aesthetic meaning.As the market operation mode has entered the field of literary production, and at the same time formed a consumer market for readers that significantly restricts creation, correspondingly produced literary works adapted to this mode of operation and the consumer market, in which the subjectivity or spiritual components are greatly Being repressed, the factors of materialization are obviously strengthened, so that the writing has a more direct purpose of pursuing commercial profits.The "literary reading materials" mentioned here are in opposition to pure literature (or serious literature), including the two completely different artistic concepts, writing methods and aesthetic tastes. Literary reading materials under the market economy are not the same. This kind of spiritual product fulfills the critical responsibility and mission of "modern intellectuals", nor is it a cultural accumulation of national vitality and a symbol expressed through novel aesthetic methods, nor is it a lonely attempt to express various works based on one's own interests. There are many kinds of beautiful literature with different kinds of discourses, the latter are all kinds, all guided by the writer’s subjectivity, and are a mysterious territory occupied by intellectuals.” However, the existence of literary reading materials is “based on the needs of modern society, it will help People live better in modern society"[1], it is a spiritual product that can provide readers with leisure, intelligence and entertainment.Since the 1980s, the prosperity of literary books in the mainland has been stimulated and guided by similar works from Hong Kong, Taiwan, foreign countries, and the Republic of China, such as the romance novels of Qiong Yao and Yi Shu, the new martial arts novels of Jin Yong, Liang Yusheng, and Gu Long, Pu Zuo, The underworld crime novels by Sheldon and others, as well as the leisurely or popular leisure prose by Lin Yutang, Liang Shiqiu, Zhang Ailing, and Su Qing, all took the lead in occupying the cultural consumption market in mainland China, and cultivated and formed the later literary fashion.It is following their footsteps that contemporary literature has produced a huge variety of reading-type works after the 1990s.The more influential works of this type roughly include the following: Wang Shuo's "Stubborn Lord" series of novels, "Cloth Tiger Series" planned and edited by Chunfeng Literature and Art Publishing House (including Hong Feng's "Bitter Realm", Wang Meng's "Assassination", Zhang Kangkang's "Love Gallery", Tie Ning's "City Without Rain", etc.), Yu Qiuyu's "big culture" essays, Ye Yonglie's biographies of political figures, Huang Beijia's romance novels, Qin Wenjun and Chen Danyan's youth novels, Peng Yi Horror novels, essays by scholars such as Zhang Zhongxing, etc.With the further deepening of social transformation, the types and contents of literary readings are becoming more and more colorful, and their readability and attractiveness are gradually increasing. On the contrary, pure literary works are losing readers and becoming a spiritual luxury. Literary readings As a relatively advanced variety of modern reading materials, it has majestically taken over readers from all social classes, and stands on a tripod with film and television culture and pop music, and together controls the cultural consumption market of modern cities.

It should be pointed out that modern literary books cannot be completely equated with popular literature in the traditional sense. Although popular books of different grades are also included in the books, there are indeed many quite serious literary books popularizing "elegant" culture. .For example, Yu Qiuyu's prose is a literary reading that embodies this "elegant" cultural spirit.It is one of the few examples where both the pursuit of urban cultural character and commercial effects are successful at the same time, reminiscent of Lin Yutang, a Shanghai-style literati in the 1930s.There are many unforgettable works in Yu Qiuyu's Heli, such as "The Distant Absolute Sound", which is a prose that recalls the style of Wei and Jin literati and discusses its relationship with the times and politics. "A disorderly and dark post-heroic period" after the disappearance of the heroic era. In such an era, autocracy and chaos are like two wheels carrying the country on a cliff, and the literati are the only sober-minded people in this car. Passengers, but they made the slightest movement and were immediately crushed by the two wheels.So when Ji Kang, a great writer of the generation, was killed, his friends Ruan Ji, Xiang Xiu, etc. had to succumb to Sima's political power. Some died of depression, and some lived with humiliation.Why does such an essay about the living conditions of ancient intellectuals arouse widespread interest in the current mass culture market dominated by material and sensual desires?Its reading target has obviously shifted from the study of scholars to the young people who pursue cultural taste in the general society.The reason is that apart from the author's prose and plain writing style, the more important thing is that the diverse development of urban cultural character breeds a spiritual demand for elegant culture.At the beginning of the formation of modern cities in the 1920s and 1930s, education was not popular, and the elite culture of intellectuals was sharply opposed to the popular culture of the masses. However, secondary and higher education are quite common in modern cities. In addition to vulgar culture, there are still a large number of "elegant culture" in the middle ground, and a large number of "elegant" modern reading materials are needed to meet this spiritual need.Modern reading materials are a multi-layered cultural phenomenon, and "elegance" is a mark of a certain level.From Liang Shiqiu's sketches to Zhang Ailing's novels, from Milan.Kundera's translations to Yu Guangzhong's poetry collections, from Jin Yong's martial arts to Yu Qiuyu's prose can all be included in the category of modern literary readings for inspection.

Another aspect of the impact of the market economy on literature is that the intellectuals who are the main body of creation have suffered a severe spiritual shock, which is the so-called "loss of humanistic spirit". In fact, due to the long-term cultural work under the old planned economy system Both avoid the issue of interests, so when the commodity economy hits, intellectuals immediately lose their balance in terms of economic status (including psychological adaptation). The most obvious manifestation is that writers who insist on purely spiritual work cannot rely on it to improve themselves At the same time, his career has been increasingly pushed to the margins of society in the process of economic system reform.These closely related values ​​and survival problems have caused a commercialization trend among intellectuals since the 1990s. Some intellectuals voluntarily gave up their positions and missions, and put the so-called "survival" first. In order to "survive" (in fact, in order to obtain corresponding economic benefits in the tide of commodity economy), some writers rushed to "do business" and turned themselves into "economic cultural people", while some In the pursuit of commercial profits, writers lost the restraint and self-discipline necessary for spirituality, and produced a large number of kitsch works.Looking deeply at this cultural phenomenon, we can find that it exposes certain chronic illnesses caused by the long-term existence of Chinese intellectuals under the planned economic system, which is the atrophy and loss of their independent personality. This led to the vulnerability of the intellectual subject spirit under the impact of business, and then formed an increasingly vile and vulgar material fetishism.Of course, this is only a problem that emerged during the process of social transformation, which led to a large discussion on "humanistic spirit" in the early 1990s with the participation of quite a few intellectuals who stuck to their posts. Maintaining and persevering should not depend on changing external social norms (that is, how the social environment of the market economy should adapt to oneself), but first requires intellectuals to reflect on themselves and strengthen internal psychological norms in this situation[2 ]. The main dilemma faced by intellectuals in social transformation is not the question of whether to choose or reject market economy, but how to maintain and carry forward the original spiritual traditions of intellectuals under the social system of market economy. In an era when enlightenment discourse has been questioned, can the humanistic spirit formed in the long-term critical struggle between intellectuals and the real society since the May 4th Movement take advantage of the relatively loose and diverse cultural environment, or is it just a gold rush following the crowd? Erosion in the dream?Market economy uses superficial laissez-faire to dispel the unitary norms of traditional ideology, but at the same time it also has a corrosive effect on the overall humanistic spirit. It has the effect of "double-edged sword", which can not only dispel ideological Covering, but also dispelling all spiritual existence, appearing as a destructive and vulgar dimension[3]. This makes intellectuals use the economic laws of the market to win cultural consumption objects and promote the humanistic spirit. Like tightrope walking, full of the thrill of adventure and the danger of losing yourself. Since the 1980s, from Cui Jian's rock and roll, Wang Shuo's novels to Su Tong and other avant-garde writers on the road of film and television, we can all see such a difficult road from rebellion to submission.

Taking the creation of Wang Shuo, who is known as "the first person in contemporary commercial writing in China", as an example, we can look at the influence of the market on literature from the perspective of individual writers.Wang Shuo devoted himself to writing "romance" and "crime" novels in his early days, including a series of works including "Half Sea Water, Half Fire" and "Playing is Heartbeat", all of which have become the best-selling novels since the 1980s Literary readings. Later, he developed a very personalized "sarcasm style". In novels such as , , "No Seriousness" and other novels, he successfully touched the readers' reading excitement. The commercial tendency of his literary creation became more and more obvious. And prompted him to finally give up novels and turn to purely commercial film and television drama creation. The works planned and written by him include "Desire", "Story of the Editorial Department", "Love You Is Not Discussed", etc., which once caused a sensation and became pioneers. Pioneer of China's contemporary commercial film and television creation.During this process, Wang Shuo has always clearly flaunted his commercial tendency (and the corresponding creative theories of "avoiding the sublime" and "I am born a layman"). When he started writing, he approached The hypocritical moral consciousness and social fashion since the "Cultural Revolution" made a bitter satire, conforming to the turbulent and dominant social sentiments in contemporary society, and what is embodied in his works is his unscrupulous desecration of the sacred presumptuousness and wildness So that decadent language art.However, while Wang Shuo ridiculed idealism, he had revealed his indiscriminate rejection of human ideals. After the 1990s, when idealism was generally cast aside, he quickly exposed it when he devoted himself to the production of film and television dramas. The kitsch tendency manifests its destructive power to the spiritual tradition of intellectuals.

From the discussion above, it can be seen that in this period of social transformation that is still alive, the influence of literature on the market economy is complicated and it is difficult to make a simple judgment. In fact, in this noisy and ambiguous In the new cultural pattern, a new dimension of contemporary literature that is full of vitality and pioneering significance has been formed, and the inspiration and turning point for future literature are also born in it.