The writing in "Border Town" is really beautiful!

Perhaps everyone has been to Hunan, to Changsha, and to Fenghuang Ancient City, but probably never visited the place "Chadong". It is the border town written by Shen Congwen.

If you have watched "Bordertown", you will definitely fall in love with this place.

After reading "Border Town", some people even want to visit Chadong, see the creek, the white pagoda, the ferry, and the place where Cuicui and her grandfather lived...

You can’t see that this story was compiled by Shen Congwen.

Because the writing is beautiful and true, some people think that it is really the case.

Is there such a Cuicui?

Yes.

She is a character created by Shen Congwen in his mind based on the women he saw in real life.

True and false, false and true, the creation process is based on reality and transcends reality. His brilliance is that after you finish reading, you will believe that this person is really by your side. .

Shen Congwen is good at writing about girls in rural China. He does not write, but draws. How to draw? Instead of drawing the appearance, I draw the person's psychological activities, add sounds and movements, and the character becomes three-dimensional.

When you first read his words, you will find that he is also a master of landscape painting. The landscape paintings he writes are full of color, vivid and moving. People live in the paintings, and the paintings flow with people.

After reading this novel, someone raised a question: "How could he write the girl's thoughts so vividly? That delicate and indescribable mood was conveyed in a clear and silent way. Come out, this is what we girls have! But Shen Congwen is a man." Cao Xueqin can also answer this question: because of love, he loves the characters in his works.

Similarly, Shen Congwen is also full of love for the girls in the paintings. Only with love can he understand these beating thoughts.

In his opinion, when writing about characters, you should write closely with the emotions and emotions of the characters, and you cannot be separated from the characters.

Once you start writing, you have to live with this character, think about nothing but the character, feel her feelings, put yourself into her situation and state of mind, and concentrate on it.

Thus, there was Cuicui and "Border Town".

The story of "Border Town" is very beautiful and simple: there is a stream outside the small mountain city of Chadong, and there is an old man running a ferry by the stream. The old man's daughter had an affair with a soldier and became pregnant.

Later, the soldier committed suicide by taking poison. After the woman gave birth to a child, she also died with the soldier, leaving behind a child named Cuicui. The old boatman and his granddaughter lived together.

There is a waterman on the wharf in Chadong City, his name is Shunshun. He is an upright and peaceful man. He has two sons, Tianbao and Nuosong. The eldest son is bold and open-minded and does not stick to trivial matters; , but his eyebrows are outstanding, he is smart and emotional.

Both brothers fell in love with Cuicui.

But Cuicui loves Nuosong, the second old man, but not Tianbao, the elder. Disappointed, the elder Tianbao sailed his boat downstream and was drowned in an accident. Nuosong, who had an intractable knot in his heart because of his brother's death, also sailed out.

On a thunderstorm night, the old man on the ferry died, leaving Cuicui alone.

Nuosong's feelings for Cuicui have not changed, but he has never come back.

Such a simple story brings these characters to life, and the scenery and characters are integrated together. It is no exaggeration to say that it is like a modern version of a long poem.

If you come to Chadong, you will see:

In spring, just pay attention, wherever there are peach blossoms, there must be someone home, and wherever there are homes, there must be people selling wine.

In summer, the purple cloth hakama is hung to dry in the sun, which can be used as a flag for people's homes.

When autumn and winter come, people’s houses on cliffs and waterfronts can be seen clearly.

The walls of yellow mud and the black tiles are so well-positioned and harmonious with the surrounding environment, making the impression one gets upon one's face a very pleasant one.

You will not get bored while crouching in a small boat on this small river for a thirty-day trip.

Precisely because there are miracles to be found everywhere, there is no place where the boldness and ingenuity of nature does not fascinate people.

His language is simple, with a different kind of sentiment; it is smooth, smooth yet extremely clear. This simplicity comes from his carving of words; this smoothness comes from his careful consideration of details. He pays attention to the rhythm of language, pays attention to color, pays attention to sound.

In Shen Congwen's autobiography, he said: "My heart always beats for a fresh sound, bright color, and bright smell."

Another example:

When I arrived at the grocery store, there were a lot of vermicelli, a big vat of white sugar, firecrackers, and red candles. Cuicui had a deep impression on her. When she returned to her grandfather, she always talked about these things. long time.

Vermicelli, sugar, firecrackers, candles, these are all things in daily life, but when they are paired together, it is a picture of sharp contrast. This is the first time Cuicui has seen these, and we followed suit. The text reproduces this image.

It is almost night, and other sparrows seem to have rested. A cuckoo keeps singing. The rocks and soil have been exposed to the sun all day, and the grass and trees have been exposed to the sun. At this time, each person releases a kind of heat.

The air smells of earth, grass, and various beetles. Cuicui looked at the red clouds in the sky and listened to the chaotic sounds of businessmen floating on the ferry, feeling a little desolate in her heart.

The various smells mixed together make you unconsciously think of the fields in summer. As if you walked into the fields, the wet grass brushed your ankles, and there were various insects chirping freely beside them. With...

After seeing this, do you think Shen Congwen is a pleasant pastoral poet?

He can not only write about natural scenery, but also vividly and expressively describe characters:

"The green leaves grow in the wind and sun, turning their skin black, Her eyes are filled with green mountains and green waters, and her eyes are as clear as crystal. Nature has nurtured and educated her.

She is innocent and lively, and she is as well-behaved as a little animal. Likewise, she never thinks about cruel things, never worries, and never gets angry.

When she meets a stranger on the ferry and notices her, she looks at the stranger with bare eyes. You can take steps to escape into the mountains at any time, but after understanding the inadvertence of the person in front of you, you can complete the task calmly."

At this time, the image of Cuicui suddenly appeared on the paper. I saw this girl who grew up on the boat, together with her grandfather, and their yellow dog, who was very spiritual and a member of the family. It participated in their entire life and their entire destiny.

On a sunny day with no one to change, and the whole day long, my grandfather and Cuicui would sit on the big rock in front of the door to bask in the sun;

Or pull a piece of wood from a high Throwing it into the water, he ordered the yellow dog next to him to jump down from the height of the rock and bring the wooden head back; Story;

Or grandfather and Cuicui, each holding a recorder made of small bamboo, played the tune of welcoming a bride and sending off a daughter. When the transition man came, the old boatman put down the bamboo pipe and went alone. Follow the boat to cross the river to ferry people. One of the people on the rock saw the boat moving, so he shouted sharply: "Grandpa, grandpa, listen to me playing, and you sing!"

Grandpa arrived in the middle of the stream and soon Singing happily, the hoarse voice oscillated in the silent air, and the stream seemed to be more lively. In fact, the return of singing makes everything quieter.

Bamboo, landscape, and flute sound are all part of the greenery. Together, they create the impression of this girl’s beauty in your heart.

Cuicui’s beauty lies in her character and her love:

Cuicui is fifteen years old.

The Dragon Boat Festival is approaching again, and the drums for the dragon boat launch are heard.

When the sound of fluffy drums swept across the water and over the mountains to the ferryman, the first thing I noticed was the yellow dog. The yellow dog barked and walked around the house as if it was frightened. When someone passed by, it would cross the east bank of the river with the boat and run to the top of the hill to bark at the city.

Cuicui was sitting on the big stone outside the door, weaving grasshoppers and centipedes with rice dumpling leaves to play with. She saw the yellow dog first fell asleep in the sun, suddenly woke up, ran around like crazy, crossed the river and came back. , she asked it and scolded it:

"Dog, dog, what are you doing! Don't do this!"

But after a while, she noticed the distant sound, so she went around He ran around the house and crossed the stream with the yellow dog. He stood on the top of the hill and listened for a long time, letting the charming drum sound take him to a past festival.

A festival two years ago, this festival is a festival in memories and an unforgettable festival.

Two years ago, Cuicui was only thirteen years old.

During the Dragon Boat Festival this year, she met Nuo Song.

Cuicui is not very sensible yet. She and her grandfather went to Chadong City to watch the dragon boats. Grandpa walked away. It was getting dark and everyone watching the dragon boats went home.

Cuicui was waiting for her grandfather alone. Nuo saw her and treated her as a child. He said a few words to her with great concern. Cuicui misunderstood and scolded her: " You're the one who chopped off your head when you were in trouble!"

Later, Nuosong kindly sent someone to light a torch to send her back, and she realized that the person just now was the famous Nuosong Erlao, "Remember the curse words she said before? , I was surprised and shy, and said nothing more, silently following the torch and walking away."

When they got home, "another thing happened that belonged to me and had nothing to do with my grandfather, but it made Cuicui silent all night."

Cuicui has passed two Mid-Autumn Festivals and two New Years, but "it is not as sweet and beautiful as what happened during the Dragon Boat Festival."

Later, Cuicui's love did not blossom into beautiful flowers, but left endless hope and concern in the heart of this reserved girl.

Let’s talk about the beginning and end of “Border Town”.

Many novels have classic beginnings and endings, and Shen Congwen's is no exception. Although his early works were a bit loose and lengthy, most of his subsequent novels are always very structured.

When writing a work, a writer must consider the whole and feel the coordination of parts. The sense of symmetry between words is very important. Just like a forest, a tree, or a piece of grass, what is long here and what is short there is necessary and reasonable.

Okay, let’s go back to “Border Town”:

The beginning is told in a story-telling way: from Sichuan to Hunan, there is an official road to the east, and this official road is close to western Hunan At the border, when we arrived at a small town called "Chadong", there was a small stream. There was a small white pagoda by the stream, and a single family lived under the pagoda. There is only an old man, a girl, and a yellow dog in this family.

Such a beginning, from far to near, slowly draws the relationship between the characters in front of you. It's very simple, very approachable, and it immediately evokes the pastoral mood of the whole text.

Tang Xianzu commented on Dong Jieyuan's "The West Chamber" and discussed the ending of the opera. He said that there are two kinds of "tail", one is "du tail" and the other is "sha tail".

"Duwei" is like a painting of a boat, coming from far away, passing close, and then going far away; "Shawei" is like a horse pulling back its reins, suddenly stopping, without moving an inch, he said. very good. The same is true for novels. There are only two kinds of exquisite endings.

Cuicui was sitting on the big stone outside the door, weaving grasshoppers and centipedes with rice dumpling leaves, when she saw the yellow dog sleeping in the sun, then suddenly woke up and ran around like crazy, crossed the river and came back again. She asked it and scolded it:

"Dog, dog, what are you doing! Don't do this!"

But after a while, she noticed the distant sound, so she also walked around the house I ran and crossed the stream with the yellow dog. I stood on the top of the hill and listened for a long time, letting the charming drum sound take me to a past festival.

This is "the end".

It is laid out like a prose, and the ending of the prose is usually long, melancholy, and infinitely emotional, like ripples on the water, rippling bit by bit.

And the "evil tail" is another feeling.

Cuicui felt, looked, listened, and at the same time thought:

"Grandpa is seventy years old this year... three years and six months of songs - who gave that Where's the white duck? ...It's good luck to get it. Whoever gets it is even more lucky..." He suddenly stood up and dumped half the dustpan of peas into the water. When I reached out to pick up the dustpan from the water, someone from across the stream shouted "Transfer."

This is the "evil tail".

It stopped suddenly, with a strong sense of rhythm, and was directly cut off. The originally rippling ripples suddenly stopped and switched to another scene.

Let’s take a look at the ending:

In winter, the collapsed white tower was repaired again. The young man who sang under the moon, causing Cuicui to gently lift her soul to the sound of singing in her sleep, had not yet returned to Chadong.

...

This person may never come back, maybe he will come back "tomorrow".

- END?-

Creative lifestyle writer and writing teacher.

A pragmatic and artistic young woman who loves literature is good at long copywriting and will teach you to write touching personal stories.

May everyone find their talents and passions.