Academic Exchange Issue 2, 1998
Wife and
Zhu Dong’s Concubine
———Character Theory in "Lin Yutang Trilogy" Part Two
, "Lin Yutang's Three Parts - (The Mistress)", believes that these characters have the fusion of Confucianism and Taoism, the complementarity of Chinese and Western styles, and a "double combination". It shows distinctive philosophical, symbolic and ideal spiritual characteristics and artistic aesthetic characteristics. It embodies Lin Yutang's fusion of Confucianism and Taoism and the complementary cultural values and artistic aesthetics of Chinese and Western styles. At the same time, it also expresses the author's unique views on women, marriage and love, and family culture.
Keywords Fusion of Confucianism and Taoism, Complementarity of Chinese and Western, Philosophical, Symbolic, Idealistic, Views on Women, Family Culture The author Zhu Dongyu, born in September 1938, is currently the director and associate professor of the Modern and Contemporary Literature Teaching and Research Section of the Chinese Department of Heilongjiang University.
We discuss and analyze this below.
The female images in "Trilogy" can be roughly divided into two categories: one is the wife type, and the other is the concubine (mistress) type. A wife has the qualities of a daughter, a wife, and a mother; a concubine has the qualities of a maid, a mistress, a prostitute, and an artist. These two types of characters express the cultural character of Oriental women from different aspects.
Yao Mulan in "The Moment of Beijing", Du Rouanchou, Sun Manni and Niu Suyun in "The Rich Family", "Yao Mo (The Rich Family"), "The Rich Family", "
一< /p>
Lin Yutang has always believed that the quality of a culture does not lie in its achievements in "art, philosophy, culture and practical survival",
①. A civilization that can produce happy families and excellent human relations between husband and wife, parents, etc. is the ideal civilization of mankind. In his cultural family novels, Lin Yutang describes different types of families and the various characters who grow up in these families from different cultural perspectives to demonstrate the advantages of Eastern culture and the complementary cultural ideals of China and the West. In his cultural treatise "The Art of Living", Lin Yutang said when discussing "Family Joy": "All other achievements of civilization can be considered as ways to promote the production of good couples and parents. ... And marriage and family are indeed The most intimate part of human life, so a civilization that can produce good couples and parents can actually create a happier human life, and therefore, it is a higher-level civilization." "Lin Yutang. Three Parts
(Beijing Smoke and Clouds) As a cultural piece, ", The Wind and Crane", ", Zhu Men"
is a wife-type character. They have multiple roles and multiple personalities.
Mulan, the heroine of "Beijing Smoke and Clouds", is the "daughter of Taoism", the "good wife" of Confucianism, the author's ideal "good wife and mother", and the personification of the ideal woman. She possesses the various qualities of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. She is cheerful, optimistic, relaxed and knowledgeable. She is not only extremely intelligent, but also virtuous and capable. She acquired the Taoist spirit of Lao-Zhuang philosophy from her father, and received strict family training from her mother in Confucian women's ethics since childhood. Her Thoughts
In a family novel, the author describes a group of wives and concubines (mistresses) and other female figures with great enthusiasm and talent. What kind of cultural character do these female images have? What kind of cultural values, aesthetics, views on women, and views on marriage do they express? Let
②Lin Yutang: "The Art of Life", 166 pages, published by the author< /p>
Society, 1995.
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Her opinions, spiritual temperament, and cultural literacy are all higher than those of her peers. Therefore, after becoming a wife, she can become a housekeeper grandma that everyone in the Zeng family admires and respects. She has the virtues of Baochai, the talent of Daiyu, and the skill of Tanchun. When she was a girl, she dreamed of being a Confucian "boy", studying and becoming famous, being promoted to an official career, and acting in a responsible manner, worthy of her family, which can be said to be "ambitious"; she had an unforgettable and heartbreaking love affair, and she fell deeply in love with the talented, smart and studious Kong Lifu. , the two share the same goals and have the same spiritual connection. This love will last forever, which can be described as "love". But she allowed herself to be arranged by her parents, letting her marriage take its course, and agreed to marry her great-grandson Ya, who was far inferior to her lover. Although the two have no unforgettable love, they still have a happy and harmonious marriage. Her love for her husband is otherworldly. Li Fu was falsely accused and imprisoned. The headquarters, , can be said to have "righteousness" and is devoted to Taoism. However, in real life, , shows the romance of spiritual life and the reality of material life, which embodies Lin Yutang's life
①The spirit. Living philosophy: "Behave in accordance with Confucius and Mencius, think in accordance with Lao Zhuang"
The author writes her as the incarnation of "Guanyin Bodhisattva"; only Taoism, especially Zhuangzi, leads life to romantic art, and Mulan will Become the lovely "Mrs. Whimsy". Surrounded by traditional ethics, Mulan dares to sing Beijing opera, whistle, throw stones, smoke, and appreciate antiques. She often interacts with men in public, which is not something ordinary women dare to do. However, she is natural and in line with her nature.
Mulan can deal with chaos without being frightened. Whenever she encounters a major life change, she can use the Taoist spirit to seek her soul and realize the spirit of "the Tao" of "transience", which finally makes her. Entering the "autumn of life", Mulan is even more happy. Mature and harmonious. After her parents-in-law passed away, Mulan separated and lived separately. She decided to move her family south to realize her dream of "rural life". She was willing to be a "farmer's wife", cooking and cooking by herself, and enjoying the "secretness of the countryside". Qi, Chaochenyi
③The happiness of "Xing". In family life, she is the highest master.
When she found out that her husband was in love with someone else, with the help of her old father Under the guidance of her husband, she met her husband's lover sincerely, and invited her to his home, treated her with a banquet, and turned her love rival into a friend, which showed her noble feelings and magnanimity. Later, she was on the run. She adopted four more orphans and rescued refugees with a compassionate heart. Her kind deeds were not only the Buddhist spirit of compassion and charity, but also the embodiment of the humanitarian spirit and Taoist outlook on life, for the eternal life of the nation, and for her own personal benefit. She should do this in her life, because the personal life is included in the national life. The obvious philosophical, ideal, and symbolic characteristics of Mulan's image make the description of this character tend to be idealistic, but she can still give people a lot of meaning. New life inspiration and thinking. Through this character, the author shows the excellence and greatness of traditional culture. Although Mulan is a housewife, she creates happiness and happiness for her family, husband and children, and also makes contributions to society. , and her own life is also joyful and happy. This character may make Westerners who are too obsessed with fame, wealth, success, and pursue individual freedom to rethink their own attitudes and values in life, using Eastern culture as a reference, and Mulan as a model. A model to make new choices. For Chinese readers, it can also be regarded as a mirror of ideal life. While seeing their own shadow, it leaves behind a reflection and reflection on ideal personality.
Mochou and her sister. Compared with Mulan, there are more in the novel
Mulan is a typical "good daughter-in-law" in the Zeng family. She respects her parents-in-law, is harmonious to her sisters-in-law, and treats her maids well; She is her husband's lovely "Fantasy Lady". She is curious, fond of fantasy, full of artistic understanding and romantic temperament. She is free and relaxed in the chaotic life, and she is always friendly and natural. Poetry with a Taoist feel of being at peace with things, leisurely and unrestrained, imagining being a boatman and a fisherman, living a semi-reclusive pastoral life. From her clothes and makeup to her food and daily life, she strives to be artistic and renovate with the changes of the seasons; she went to the West When traveling in the mountains, they often go to restaurants, go to parks, and watch movies; they collect lotus dew to make fragrant tea, which is a leisurely pleasure. The Laba porridge they make once made the young and old of the Zeng family marvel. Lin Yutang recorded the joy of family in the Qing Dynasty and wrote about the leisure of couples. Yun Niang is regarded as an ideal woman in the interesting "Six Chapters of a Floating Life" and is highly appreciated. Yun Niang's temperament and character of being elegant, unrestrained, fond of literature and art, good at enjoying nature, and rich in artistic life are all resurrected in Mulan. No wonder Lin Yutang had a special liking for Mulan, and said with emotion: "If
② Mulan is a daughter in his mind, he must be Mulan!"
his ideal woman. However, Mulan is a modern woman after all, with new cultural knowledge, and is the ideal unity of a man's wife, lover, friend, and mother. Wives are easy to get, but lovers and female confidants are the hardest to find. Therefore, the author pays special attention to Mulan's romantic and artistic sentiment. Lin Yutang knew very well that life creates art, and art makes life perfect, so he tried his best to shape Mulan into a perfect ideal woman. The author describes Mulan in a traditional cultural context. In traditional culture, Confucianism leads life to the secularization of reality, and Mulan becomes a "good daughter-in-law"; Buddhism and Zen lead life to the mystification of mystery.
①Lin Yutang: "On Becoming a Good Wife" "People", see "Talk About Everything", page 59
, Hainan Publishing House, 1993.
②③ Lin Yutang's "Momentary Beijing": pages 789 and 643, Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House, 1991.
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A realistic image of a wife. She is gentle and considerate, virtuous and capable, steady and firm in her work, full of sacrifice spirit and feminine wisdom. She knows how to support her husband, build a career and raise her children, and has the ability to take charge of housekeeping and control her husband. This is the kind of woman who is most suitable to be a wife. She is in stark contrast to Mulan. Mochou is less romantic, more realistic, less talented and spiritual, and more maternal and wifely. She is an image of a "good wife and mother" with "new knowledge" and "old morality". She is more "blessed" than her sister. She is married to an outstanding husband. She is happier than her sisters of the same generation. Because: "In any country, the happiness of women does not depend on the amount of social rights they enjoy, or the quality of the people. ..., ,
Will be considerate of others and fall into the abyss of drug trafficking crimes. However, in Taoism Under the inspiration of the old man and the enlightenment of her sister Daiyun, her conscience and shame, which had not yet been completely eliminated, made her realize her mistake and regret it. She finally came to her senses and helped to eliminate the rape. In the end, she was shot by the Japanese and died a worthy death.
This "Queen of White Faces" finally had some glory at the end of her life. Suyun appears in the novel as Mulan's opposite image. Her thoughts, temperament, values, cultural upbringing,... Her, money rights. Therefore, to her.
The heroine Du Roan in the novel is a typical example of a "good wife and mother" carefully created by the author. She is the embodiment of the spirit of "reasonable and close affection" shown in the novel, and is also a complementary image to the description of Mulan. Lin Yutang believes that ": A reasonable spirit is the highest ideal of human culture, and a reasonable person is the most educated person... Humanized thoughts are reasonable thoughts
③Thoughts." "Heqing" means in line with human nature and humane; "He
is a typical image of a chaste woman. She has been educated in typical traditional "women's virtues" since she was a child. She has a quiet, charming and timid temperament. , chaste and self-loving, she was deeply in love with her fiancé Ping Ya, and their marriage was arranged for "freedom", but it led to tragedy. Her tragic marriage is most easily misunderstood as a sin of Confucianism. In fact, the tragedy of her lifelong virginity was not due to Confucianism, but to the feudal "concept of chastity." Lin Yutang believed that Confucian culture before the Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming Dynasties advocated the spirit of humaneness and rationality. After advocating "preserving natural principles and destroying human desires" and advocating "temperance and restraint", Confucian ethics fell into the quagmire of asceticism and became a spiritual shackles for women. Through this, Manny was a victim of feudal Taoism and traditional bad habits. The tragic fate of the characters exposes the inferiority of traditional culture, the suppression and alienation of human nature, negates the doctrine of Neo-Confucianism, and reveals its unreasonable and contrary to human nature. Manny is the most sympathetic of the three sisters-in-law of the Zeng family. Rather than being an enviable person, times have changed, and now "the ideal woman is no longer the suppressed, demure, and elegant woman of the past, but is close to the innocent, lively and vigorous woman of Europe"
②. The image of Manny further complements the image of Mulan as an ideal and beautiful woman, which is in line with the universal principles of life in the universe. "Reasonable and close affection" is the most basic cultural spirit of Confucianism, and it is also the fundamental reason why Confucian philosophy has been passed down to this day and has not been overthrown. Du Rouan is the character who best embodies the spirit of emotion and reason in the novel. She has received a modern education, but she still retains some traditional Confucian concepts "and feels that a woman's vocation is
④. She is to stay at home, wait patiently, and endure everything"
With a flexible and elegant temperament, but also perseverance and loyalty, she longs for a warm and sweet family, and is a Confucian lady and virtuous woman. She once boldly helped the calligraphy artist Cui Liyun escape from the tiger's mouth. In order to live a beautiful, free and happy life, she went through many hardships and searched for her husband thousands of miles away, which is reminiscent of the story of Meng Jiangnu that has been passed down through the ages. On the other hand, she is also relaxed and open-minded, "often with a dreamy expression", rich in emotions and unpredictable. This lady did not abide by the Taoist etiquette and spent a romantic night with her lover Li Fei on the beautiful moonlit night of Songhua Lake. As a result, she became pregnant out of wedlock, but "all she did was to follow the call of her heart... ...She was completely dominated by love and gave everything." She is self-reliant, free and unrestrained, and has a modern character.
Niu Suyun, the second daughter-in-law of the Zeng family, is the image of a bad wife and a shrewd woman. She comes from a family of officials. Although she has the elegance of a wealthy lady, she is pretentious, vain, exaggerated, acrimonious, selfish, arrogant and rude. She is a bad-tempered young lady in a bureaucratic family who lacks good education and is pampered. She is the most unsuitable woman to be a wife. What she saw, what she said, what she thought about, what she held in her hands were only two things: money and power. Apart from this, she is not interested in anything. Her pursuit of money, power, and pleasure led to her degradation.
The style of Western women. In her cheerfulness and openness, there is a chivalrous woman in her mouth
② Lin Yutang, "Chinese": pp. 153, 175, Xuelin Publishing House, 1994.
③ Lin Taiyi's "The Biography of Lin Yutang":, 195 pages, Beiyue Literature and Art Publishing House, 1994.
④⑤ Lin Yutang's "The Rich Family": pages 243 and 194, China Youth Publishing House, 1991.
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Her benevolence, justice and courage; in her gentleness and quietness, there is a romantic interest. She is a combination of a lady, a chivalrous woman, the Statue of Liberty and Guanyin.
She escaped from the tiger's mouth alone and began her wandering career. Her unfortunate life experiences and tragic fate made her feel that she was like an abandoned ship on the sea, allowing herself to be manipulated by the environment and men. Just when she was like a fallen leaf, drifting in the wind, with nowhere to stay in the whirlpool of politics and conspiracy, she met Yao Boya, a young man from a wealthy family. This self-restrained and solitary "cynic" developed an infatuated love for her, focusing on the sensual body, "worldly fate", and richness. When she came back and reflected on her "secular relationship" with Boya, she fell in love with Lao Pan and decided to marry him. What's interesting is that Lao Pan doesn't want to accept this love.
Marin's love affair with Lao Pan turned her into a "Danni" who was sublimated by her heart to Taoism and purification of her soul. She changed from the secular love that was addicted to lust in the past and pursued spiritual happiness and satisfaction. Falling in love with Lao Pan is a "divine fate" guided by the spirit of Buddhist Zen. Lao Pan is a believer in Zen Buddhism, which combines Buddhist metaphysics with Chinese Taoist philosophy. It was under his care, love and guidance that Marlene was able to get rid of her "mundane fate" and sublime it into the "divine fate" of pursuing soul happiness. Dani's kindness, compassion, and gentleness were regarded by the refugees as the appearance of Guanyin who rescued people in distress. She devoted herself to refugee adoption and relief work during the Anti-Japanese War, and dedicated her life to "save all sentient beings." She held a strange "wedding" with the deceased Boya, and gave birth to his posthumous son. She ended her "secular fate" and found true "happiness and harmony" with Lao Pan in the same beliefs and careers. Joy".
Cui Liyun, the calligraphy artist in "The Royal Family", is the only "geisha" image in the author's works. She is generous, refreshing, smart, lively by nature, and likes free sex. She loves heroes and heroes. A celebrity martyr who is unwilling to give up his art and possesses the heroic spirit and courage of a busker. She is proud, clean and self-respecting, and is a chaste and fierce woman. She doesn't want to cling to powerful people or marry a businessman. She was kidnapped by the provincial chairman to sing drums for the warlords. She was imprisoned and punished because she was unwilling to flatter. Although she escaped from the tiger's mouth and wandered in other places, she eventually fell into the clutches of the devil again, and finally committed suicide by jumping into a river to save her name. In this character, the author has obviously integrated the temperament and integrity of the famous prostitute Li Xiangjun. The author describes the image of this lovely geisha in a soft and elegant style.
Most of these characters in the "Trilogy" are written with distinctive personalities and characteristics, such as the strong and unyielding character of the silver screen; the loyalty and friendliness of Sister-in-law Hua; the intrigues of Yingying; and the shrewdness and ability of Chunmei. , are all quite outstanding
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The image of concubine (mistress) written by Lin Yutang is the most colorful series of characters. They have multiple identities such as maids, concubines, mistresses, prostitutes, and geishas, and have multiple complex qualities: they are docile and pleasant as maids, romantic and passionate as mistresses, dissolute and charming as prostitutes, and charming as geishas. Smart; either loyal and strong, kind and loyal, charming and unrestrained, or versatile. More independent, free, feminine, and feminine images of women in "Zhumen", such as Cui Yiyun, Yinping, Sister Hua, Yingying, etc., are all concubine (mistress) characters. Lin Yutang believes that ": The importance of prostitutes in China's love, literature, music, politics, etc.
① He cannot overemphasize sex in ancient China."
Name The appreciation of prostitutes Li Xiangjun, Dong Xiaowan, Chen Yuanyuan and others directly infiltrated the characters in his novels. He said: "Prostitutes taught the Chinese people about romantic love... They are more educated, more independent, and easier to deal with men's society than those housewives; in fact, they are
② They are super "The liberated women in ancient China based on ethics", more free and romantic women.
Marlene (Danny) is the most typical romantic mistress image in the author's works. She is a liberated free woman in modern China. She enjoys full independence and freedom. She does not have to cry out for "belonging to myself" like the Zijuns, nor does she have to worry about the love choice of "spiritual and physical harmony" like the Shafies. She does not have the loneliness and sadness of women of her generation. It is the Taoist Buddhist Zen spirit that makes her get rid of all this. The novel injects Buddhist Zen thought into a unique love triangle story, writes an extraordinary realm of life and spiritual realm, and describes Marin's religious spiritual purification and self-transcendence. Her transcendence and sublimation from desire to love, from flesh to spirit, from form to form, shows the status and influence of Buddhist Zen spirit in China's real social life (that is, traditional culture). Ma Lin is a Xiaojiabiyu-type woman . She is extremely charming and tender, and her unique life experience and ups and downs experience add to her legendary character. She was originally the illegitimate daughter of a great warlord. After her mother and daughter were abandoned, she grew up in a poor environment and developed her free and independent spirit. She is "willful and stubborn" but also "reserved and restrained". Unfortunately, she happened to marry the son of her father's enemy, and was isolated and imprisoned by her husband's family, forcing her to commit suicide.
② Lin Yutang's "The Rich Family": pages 165 and 167, Chinese Youth Out
Publishing Press, 1991.
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Color. Such characters have become an indispensable part of the elegant culture of scholar-bureaucrats and literati, and are the product of the imperfect marriage system. This problem also made the Eastern wise man Lin Yutang at a loss. He said: "As long as life is imperfect, the marriage system will always be imperfect. This
①Lin Yutang recognized the problem and let us leave it to future generations. Let’s solve it.”
Wife’s job is to please her husband. He said, "If a man has any sense, he will see that marriage is the best and only career for women." Women do not necessarily have to go to society to have sex with men.
People compete for superiority, and family is their kingdom. The images of wives in novels often have motherhood and maternal character.
"A woman is a woman.
③It is a woman's nature to give birth to children. She is a wife and a mother."
For, whether it is the Western lover style or the Eastern concubine style, Or an extramarital affair in the name of modern monogamy, both are not ideal, and the author cannot make a choice.
It is also their greatest right. ":I still insist on being a woman." Refuse to be a mother, but become, ":I think that as long as a woman has children, but if she has no children, even if she is a wife, she can only be regarded as a concubine. Children are the The concubine raised her status but had no children
④ Niu Suyun was the daughter of the Niu family, and the young master of the Zeng family demoted his wife. "
Three
The author reveals. When looking at the female image in "Trilogy", the author views the value from two aspects: :, Spirit, . Such as: Mulan's Taoist thoughts, Du Roan's Confucian thoughts, and Marlene's Buddhist Zen spirit. At the same time, they all have various spiritual elements from Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. The author endows these characters with philosophical, symbolic, and ideal cultural qualities, intending to express the fusion of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism that Lin Yutang has always advocated, and the complementary cultural spirit of China and the West, which he believes is the highest cultural realm of mankind.
Although the female images created by Lin Yutang have different thoughts, temperaments, and cultural characters, they still have one thing in common: most of them get married, become mothers, and become "good wives and mothers" in the family; Most of them are the masters of the family and the person in charge of housekeeping. Mulan, Mochou, Rou'an, Manny, etc. are all "good wives and loving mothers". And most of them are women who "have both modern knowledge and ancient moral character." Lin Yutang believes that marrying and getting
Ye's wife was regarded as the biggest flaw by the Zeng family because of her infertility, and she was eventually divorced and kicked out of the Zeng family. Yinping was just a maid, the mistress of Master Yao, but because she gave birth to a child of the Yao family, she was even invited to the Yao family's ancestral hall after her death and was regarded as his main wife. Lin Yutang frankly admitted: "The most ideal wife is described as a woman who has both modern knowledge and ancient virtues. ... The ideal woman in my mind is still
⑤The one who is smart, gentle, and determined The image of women in "Trilogy" clearly reflects Lin Yutang's views on women and marriage. This is also the answer to the idealization tendency of the characters in his novels.
[Editor in charge: Cao Jinzhong]
①②③④⑤ Lin Yutang ": Rich Family", pages 170, 149, 180, 160~161, China Youth Publishing House, 1991.
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