The epic nature of red classics? What is epic? If the focus is on literary historical facts, how should I write a paper?

When discussing the long novels in mainland China from the 1950s to the 1970s, which are known as "red classics", many scholars pointed out their pursuit of "epicness"; many other commentators talked about " Mao Dun Literature Award" epic complex. The current literary criticism circle regards whether it is epic and whether it can be called a true epic as an important criterion for evaluating the literary value of a novel. As to whether the "Red Classics" can be called true epic works, there are currently many negative opinions in the academic community; and the current research on the "Red Classics" mostly focuses on the political and cultural mechanism of its production and whether it is modern. There are few studies from the perspective of its literary aesthetic value itself. Therefore, evaluating the so-called "red classics" from the perspective of "epicness" should not be considered an outdated topic; it is also necessary to re-evaluate its literary value. First of all, it should be noted that this article uses the term "red classics" to refer to a group of once-in-a-life classics represented by "Three Reds, One Creation, Castle Peak Protecting Forests" and "Li Zicheng", "Sanjiaxiang", "Sunny Sky", etc. The extremely influential novels do not mean that the "classic" nature of these works has been affirmed or confirmed in advance, but because they have been established by convention, their meaning is relatively clear, and they are easy to use.

1. What counts as a truly "epic" work?

Although it is almost common knowledge in the academic world to use epicness as an evaluation criterion for novels, what exactly does it count as a true "epic" work? It is an epic work, but it is difficult to reach a conclusion. We might as well go back to the roots and look at the epic theories and creations that are generally recognized in the history of aesthetics and literature. Articles that talk about the epic nature of novels are generally based on Hegel's "Aesthetics" in theory, while in terms of creation, they usually use Lev Tolstoy's "War and Peace" and Sholokhov's "The Quiet Don" and other works as samples. When Hegel mentioned the concept of "epic", he understood it as a literary type alongside "lyric poetry" and "dramatic poetry". As Zhu Guangqian said, Hegel "obviously paid no attention to novels." He mainly regarded Homer's epic as a "formal epic" and as the highest model of narrative literature to define its nature and characteristics. To sum up, he believes that a "real epic" should have the following characteristics:

1. Take deeds and processes that are of profound significance to the nation and the era as objects, and describe the "political life and family life of society" Even the way of material life, needs and means of satisfying needs", "showing the full picture of the national spirit."

2. The epic reflects an era in which national beliefs and personal beliefs, as well as personal will and emotions, have not yet been divided.

3.?For the author, the era reflected by the epic may have become the past, but it is not far away. The author is completely familiar with that kind of life, its way of viewing and beliefs, and the beliefs, concepts, and consciousness of the author's era are consistent with them.

4. When creating, the author was not enslaved by a strong foreign culture, nor shackles by fixed political and moral dogma. He was free and independent in creation, and knew the world he described well, and his own All the thought and spirit are reflected in the work, making people feel warm and comfortable after reading it.

5.? Readers can understand "the honor, thoughts and emotions, strategies and actions of heroic characters" from the epic, and appreciate "the noble and vivid characters". Epic characters "show many aspects of humanity and nationality" yet are complete human beings. It should not express a single characteristic or desire of the character. ③?The main heroic figure "concentrates the qualities scattered in many people in the national character brilliantly in himself, making himself a great, free, and showing the beauty of human nature."

6.? The main element of epic creation has completely receded into the background. “People cannot see the poet’s own subjective thoughts and emotions from these epics.” The author does not appear in the work. “The work seems to be Singing to oneself, appearing to oneself.” But the author has "put his entire soul and spirit into it"; the work expresses "major events of the whole nation" and "the objective way of observing the whole nation", but it was completed by a specific author.

7.?The most suitable subject matter for epic expression is war, “because in war the entire nation is mobilized and experiences a new kind of passion and activity in a collective situation, because the motivation here is The whole nation must defend itself as a whole.”

8. When war is used as the basis of plot, "a broad and rich subject matter will appear, and many fascinating deeds can be described. Among them, bravery plays a major role, and the power of environment and accidents also play a major role." And its status will not be weakened. "And war between different peoples is the most ideal epic situation.

9. The epic should be an organic whole in structure. ④?

After Hegel, people also called certain prose narrative works (mainly novels) with epic characteristics "epic" or "epic works". Measured by this yardstick, "War and Peace" is well-deserved. Although "The Quiet Don" is not about a war between different nations, it is also recognized as an epic novel. But it is a bit far-fetched to say that Stendhal's "The Red and the Black" and Zola's "Rougon Macquarie" are also epic.

Here we need to analyze a current misunderstanding in the academic community: although epicness is a complimentary evaluation of novels, it is not the only criterion for measuring the excellence of novels. It's just a standard for the genre within the novel. For example, the best Chinese classical novel "A Dream of Red Mansions" is not an epic, because its subject matter is not a major political or military event of the era, it does not focus on showing a broad picture of social life, and the protagonist is not a hero; it describes daily life in a delicate way. The trivial matters of life win. "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is an "epic" novel, but "The Scholars" cannot be counted, although it writes about many scholars of all kinds. When we say that the Soviet films "The Battle of Moscow" and "Liberation" are epic works, but the American films "Saving Private Ryan" or "Mr. and Mrs. Kramer" are not, it does not mean that the ideological and artistic level of the latter is lower than that of the former.

However, in any case, the unique aesthetic value and artistic shock of epic works are an important factor in determining the literary value of full-length novels.

Among the "red classics", "Song of Youth" and "Great Changes in the Mountain Country" are not epic. Although "Red Rock" is about heroes, it seems that it cannot be counted. Although "Red Flag Pu", "History of Entrepreneurship", "Defending Yan'an", "Red Sun", and "Three Family Alleys" all have a certain epic nature, the one that best meets the "epic" standard is Yao Xueyin's "Li Zicheng" 》.

2. "Li Zicheng" is the most epic character among the "Red Classics"

The epic nature of "Li Zicheng" is not recognized by academic circles. There are many affirmative views. Before the debate between Liu Zaifu and Yao Xueyin in 1987, the majority held this view, and there were also some afterward. ⑤? The negative viewpoint should be represented by Wang Binbin's "On "Li Zicheng" as "Humanology" ⑥? To sum up, the reasons why Wang Wen denies the epic character of "Li Zicheng" are: 1. The author did not devote all his efforts to writing about people, and the characters are basically submerged in the events; 2. "Li Zicheng" is lacking in writing: the characters have no development and no depth. , lacks insight into the characters' hearts and souls, and fails to write about the characters' "spiritual struggles"; 3. The structure of the whole book is fragmented; 4. "Reproduce the style of historical life" and "reflect the essence and laws of history" The creative intention is wrong, which is the reason why the whole book is "fragmented"; 5. The author's intention is too straightforward and unbearable to be chewed, and cannot form "Li Xue".

Whether the author of "Li Zicheng" has done his "best" in writing about people, only he knows best. General readers and critics were still deeply impressed by the characters in it, and did not feel that the characters were "submerged" in the events. Putting aside the controversial images of Li Zicheng and Mrs. Gao, at least Liu Zongmin, Hao Yaoqi, Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, and Zhang Xianzhong have distinctive personalities. The images of Ming Dynasty monarchs and ministers such as Chongzhen, Hong Chengchou, Yang Sichang, and Lu Xiangsheng are not stereotyped. The author treats them as Written by "people", it analyzes his inner world in more detail. Chongzhen's borrowing of salary, Yang Sichang's governorship, Hong Chengchou's surrender to the Qing Dynasty, and Lu Xiangsheng's death for the country should be said to be wonderful chapters in modern Chinese novels. As for saying "the character has not developed", this judgment is not objective. Reading through the whole book, it is not difficult to find that the protagonist Li Zicheng was not discouraged in the face of adversity in the first and second volumes, but gradually exposed his shortcomings when his career was at its peak in the third volume, and then in the fourth and fifth volumes, "his rise was rapid, and his demise was sudden." In the process of "Yan", self-confidence develops into perversity, personal desires change from restraint to gradually letting go without being particularly indulgent, and the relationship with subordinates changes from equal closeness to gradual distance. Even if there is no character development, it does not affect its status as an epic - how much character development are there in "The Iliad" and "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"? Different readers and critics have their own understandings of how to determine the "depth of soul excavation" of a work. Since the new era, there seems to be a tendency that only writing about people's subconsciousness or highlighting the division of the character's soul can be regarded as having human depth. Indeed, after the emergence of Freud's theory, modernist and postmodernist works discovered areas that had not been touched by previous novels, which can be regarded as taking psychological description a step further. But we can’t say the other way around. Works that include subconscious writing are definitely deeper than those that don’t. We can’t say that Faulkner’s “The Sound and the Fury” is definitely deeper than Stendhal’s “The Red and the Black” or Shi Zhecun’s “The Stone Show” is. It's definitely better than Shi Naian's "Water Margin". Besides, it does not necessarily have to be a "spiritual battle" to be considered an epic work. On the contrary, according to Hegel's understanding, because the epic reflects the era, national beliefs and personal beliefs, personal will and emotions have not yet been separated. , the heroes in classical epics, such as Achilles and Agamemnon, did not have particularly intense "spiritual struggles". They acted firmly according to their established beliefs, "He is that kind of person. Be that kind of person”. ⑦The structure of the whole book "Li Zicheng" has been carefully designed by the author and is not "fragmented". It has been continuously modified and improved during the creation process for more than 40 years. Its aesthetic achievements have been affirmed by many critics, even if they deny the shaping of the protagonist's image and the author's From a historical perspective, there doesn’t seem to be much objection to this point. Writing the fifth volume first and then the fourth volume just shows that the author has a plan in mind. Intentionally pursuing "reproducing the style of historical life" and "reflecting the essence and laws of history" are almost the only characteristics of epic works, and are not inconsistent with character creation. As for the problem that the book failed to form "Li Xue", it will be discussed below.

Some commentators believe that the "Red Classic" can hardly be called a truly epic work because it is too idealistic in its depiction of positive characters based on mainstream ideology and "lacks the transcendence of the history it represents." sexual grasp”. ⑧? It is an indisputable fact that the works of that era were all framed by mainstream ideologies. We understand the writers of that era, but literary history is ruthless, and readers of later generations are ruthless. They judge whether a work has literary value and whether it is an excellent work. Of course, they will not give "emotional points" because of understanding and consideration; whether the work can be passed down to future generations. , you have to rely on yourself. Then, we will use a "historical" perspective to examine the idealized description of the characters in the "Red Classics" and study its "transcendent grasp of the history it represents".

Let’s talk about idealization first. "Li Zicheng"'s "modernization" in character creation and perfection of positive characters have always been the main factors that have been criticized. There are so-called "Li Zicheng is too mature, Mrs. Gao is too tall, the red lady is too popular, the old fairy is too divine, the old "The Eighth Army is like the old Eighth Route Army". The author believes that when talking about "modernization" alone, two situations must be distinguished: if ancient characters are allowed to have ideas that only modern people have (such as class viewpoints) and say things that only modern people can say, if it is not like Lu Xun's "New Story" If it is intentionally "slick" like "Editor" or "spoof" like some of today's "jokes", it is undoubtedly a failure; but if it refers to seeing some modern flavor from works with ancient themes, it is normal. As Croce said, "All history is contemporary history." When contemporary people look at history, they will inevitably "re-read" it from today's perspective. Although the authors of historical novels write history, they will inevitably integrate their own real life experiences. Send it in. Not only is this not a shortcoming, it actually brings vitality to the work. There are many such examples in the history of Chinese and foreign literature: Shakespeare's Hamlet was written by a Dane in the 12th century, but we can feel the reality of Britain at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries; the creation situation of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Water Margin" was similar. As for the idealization of positive characters, it is common not only in "Li Zicheng", but also in other "red classics"; not only in "red classics", but also in famous works in the history of literature and some contemporary literary and artistic works: Zhuge Liang in "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Les Misérables" Don't Miriare and Jean Valjean in "Return to the Princess" and Ziwei in "Returning the Princess" all belong to this kind of image? Characters with obvious flaws may be more realistic and impressive, but creating idealized characters does not necessarily lead to artistic failure. Realism and romanticism are two major trends in the history of literature, because human beings not only need to understand the truth of reality, but also pursue something better than the existing reality. If reality is not perfect, people use art to shape this perfection in fantasy and put it into reality. It serves as a virtual compensation for a goal pursued or a shortcoming in reality. Nowadays, young people like to watch "youth idol dramas" precisely because of this demand: in reality, there are beautiful men and women, and there are also young people with beautiful hearts, kindness, and noble minds. However, outstanding handsomeness and beauty are combined with extreme kindness, intelligence, and refinement. This combination is generally only seen in the art world. In reality, there is class struggle, there is love, and there are people who practice kung fu and martial arts, but they generally do not just engage in class struggle throughout their lives, pursue love or practice kung fu and compete. Some "red classics" only highlight class struggle and revolution, which is a high degree of "purification" of reality, just like the characters in Qiong Yao's novels pursue love all their lives, and the characters in Jin Yong's novels only practice martial arts. Whether such a perfect character is artistically successful depends on whether his thoughts, language, and actions are basically reasonable and whether he can move people emotionally. If they truly reflect the author's aesthetic ideals, such characters will also have their own irreplaceable cognitive value.

Let’s look at the relationship between “red classics” and mainstream ideologies, as well as the “transcendence” of the works. The idealization of the main characters in "Red Classics" undoubtedly basically meets the requirements of mainstream ideology⑨. What needs to be analyzed here is whether the author’s “concretely felt worldview” is consistent with the “theoretical viewpoint” of the mainstream ideology. In other words, whether the author's original life experience or life opinions are consistent with this ideology, or whether they are dissociated or even opposed; if they are consistent, to what extent they are consistent. Most of the authors of the "Red Classics" participated in the military or cultural struggles of the Communist Party of China before 1949 and became members of the revolutionary ranks. Haoran is a writer trained by New China. The dominant ideology has been internalized into their own world view. Yao Xueyin was a writer who became famous during the Anti-Japanese War. Later, after ideological transformation, he gradually accepted the mainstream ideology. It can be said that regarding the history of the "democratic revolution" stage before 1949, their "concretely felt world view" is basically consistent with the "theoretical perspective" of the mainstream ideology. This consistency was achieved either because the author represented the ideals of farmers and rural intellectuals with the mainstream ideological views at that time, or because the author's original "May Fourth" individualistic spirit was far less demanding than the demands for political progress and urgency. The strong desire to conform to the mainstream of the times makes them voluntarily transform their own spiritual world. They have formed the habit of viewing people and things from the mainstream ideological point of view. Therefore, unlike old writers such as Mao Dun, Ye Shengtao, and Shen Congwen, the mainstream ideology did not pose a great obstacle to their creative thinking. On the contrary, it made them feel that they were suddenly enlightened when they grasped history, and gained what they thought was the "depth" . This is in line with what Hegel said when talking about epic poetry: “National belief and personal belief have not yet been separated, nor have will and emotion” (11)?

However, it is impossible for a good writer to not have his own unique life experience and varying degrees of independent opinions. These unique features make certain "red classics" often overflow the mainstream ideology. For example, "Red Flag Pu" describes the relationship between the Zhu Yan family, the relationship between the Feng family and his son, "Red Sun" and "Li Zicheng" describe the "villain", and "Lin Hai Xue Yuan" describes the image of Shao Jianbo and his relationship with him. The description of Bai Ru's relationship, the description of Lin Daojing's love psychology in "Song of Youth", etc. Whether the “red classics” “lack the transcendent grasp of the history they represent” depends on how “transcendence” is understood. Different frames of reference lead to different understandings. For example, compared to ordinary farmers' consciousness and compared to previous works on agricultural themes, we can say that the ideological concepts of "History of Entrepreneurship" are obviously transcendent; but according to the ideology after the new era, it has no transcendence, and even Clearly "outdated". So do epic works need to keep a greater distance from the concepts of the historical period they express, or even conduct negative reflection and criticism on them? not necessarily! Hegel's opinion is exactly the opposite:

If there is no intimate connection between the working beliefs, life and customary concepts imposed on the poet by the current reality and the deeds described by the poet in an epic way , his works are necessarily fragmented. Because on the one hand, it is the content that the poet wants to describe, that is, the world of the epic, and on the other hand, it is the world of the poet's own consciousness and concepts of the times that was originally independent from this content. Although both aspects are spiritual, they are based on different eras. principles and have different characteristics. If the poet's own spirit is fundamentally different from the spirit from which the national life and deeds he describes arise, a split will occur that makes people feel out of place and even impatient. (12)?

The "beliefs, life and customary concepts" of the author of the "Red Classics" are exactly the same as the "spirit from which the national life and deeds described" are connected. Of course, Hegel was targeting classical epics: Homer praised the heroic wisdom of the Greek heroes without reflecting on the cruelty of war. We quote Hegel's discussion, not to use it as a golden rule to measure the epic character of all works. Modern epic works can have different aesthetic choices. Sholokhov's "Quiet Don" is an outstanding modern epic with a sense of historical reflection. The author does not think that "History of Entrepreneurship" is the most typical classical epic, because it writes about daily life in peaceful times, without particularly sharp and intense conflicts or scenes of war or violence. But the above quotation at least shows that negative reflection is not a necessary condition for epic works.

The author believes that "Li Zicheng" has the most epic character among contemporary Chinese novels because it has almost all the characteristics of classical epic works. It selects the most significant social, political and military struggle events that had a profound impact on history during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is almost unrivaled in terms of reflecting the vastness of life, the multitude of characters, the complexity and sharpness of conflicts, and the grandeur of the page. The distinctive characters, the personalized language of the characters, the twists and turns of the plot, the rigorous structure, the relaxation and change of rhythm are all experienced by ordinary readers and experts; the whole book is not only filled with the main theme of heroism, but also It is smeared with a strong tragic color; it not only describes the battlefield fighting between the warriors and the iron horses, but also contains interesting scenes of daily customs. The author carefully reflects on the successes and failures of history, and not only sees certain inevitable trends, but does not rule out the impact of accidental events on the historical process; the author focuses on the social attributes of human beings, without exaggerating the physiological instinct factors too much, but It is not that there are no relevant descriptions. For example, the description of Hong Chengchou's physiological feelings when he shaved his head before he was exiled from the Qing Dynasty is wonderful. "Li Zicheng" has been neglected since the new era. There are many reasons. For example, "grand narrative" has been replaced by "private narrative" and has become the mainstream of social aesthetic psychology. The reflection of the previous orthodox historical views in the literary and historical circles has made it appear Something out of place. It cannot be ruled out that it is related to the author's own arrogance and arrogance, which is offensive, and the fact that some authoritative critics use it as a target for disparagement in order to launch their own new aesthetic propositions. Most readers born after 1980 have not carefully read "red classics" including "Li Zicheng". Their reading choices are mainly influenced by the media. Even students in the Chinese department mostly accept the conclusions of textbooks and classroom teaching first. influence; and most of the older readers who have read the first and second volumes of "Li Zicheng" have not read the remaining three volumes due to various reasons. Today, when publications are overwhelming and readers are chasing novelties, This is also normal. However, we cannot deny the literary value and status of "Li Zicheng" in literary history, just as we cannot deny or obliterate Mao Dun after "discovering" Zhang Ailing. The historical view of historical novels in the new era has made new developments, but if we look at it from a distance of time, their overall ideological and artistic achievements may not surpass "Li Zicheng".

Those works that are historical reversal articles can give people a refreshing feeling, but from a historical perspective, the so-called "new" is also a relative term - who can guarantee that when they no longer appear to be "new", they will still attract readers' attention and not be ignored. What about forgetting? You must know that the author of "Li Zicheng" also challenged the conclusions of previous research on Ming history and dealt with the images of historical figures with what was considered a "new" historical and aesthetic outlook at the time! For example, the shaping of the image of Chongzhen and the description of Li Zicheng's imperial thoughts required a lot of courage at the time! Before you know it, "Red Sun" was falsely accused of "recruiting the souls of the Chiang Kai-shek gang" (13) because the enemy division commander Zhang Lingfu was not fully caricatured. "Li Zicheng" may be regarded as a special case among the "red classics" in this regard, because its writing was supported by the top leaders. (14) Regardless of the literary value of "Li Zicheng", as a work that once provided new factors for literary history, there should be no doubt about its status in literary history. (15)? History is developing and moving forward. Of course, future generations must have the awareness to reflect on and surpass previous generations. However, don’t forget that we will also become the “predecessors” in the eyes of future generations and accept the test of history together with our own “predecessors”. History often develops in the form of negation of negation. What is declared "obsolete" today may not be "resurrected" in the future. The key lies in the value of the work itself.

3. Other factors that constitute the literary value of "Red Classics"

As mentioned above, epic works are only a type of novels, and they are not a measure of whether novels are excellent. The only measure. The literary value of those non-epic novels is reflected in other aspects.

The theme of "Red Classics" is clear and simple. Although some scholars have read out other meanings under the surface theme of individual works in recent years, in any case, its literary value is not reflected in the profound, rich and profound connotations. Complex and open to endless interpretations. I would like to point out here that not all literary masterpieces are profound, rich, and complex in connotation. There are also a large number of classics in literary history that are not complex in connotation, or even relatively simple. There are many such classics in poetry, such as "The Book of Songs", He Zhizhang's "Returning to Hometown", Li Bai's "Quiet Night Thoughts", not to mention Bai Juyi's "New Yuefu". These poems can allow you to expand your imagination, and you may be inspired by them every time you read them, but they do not require experts to continuously write monographs for endless explanations. There are also classics in novels that have relatively simple connotations. Doesn't "Eugénie Grandet" reveal the corruption of money on human nature and the destruction of human relations? "Anna Karenina" has two plot threads, which seem more complicated, but it is unlikely to form an "An Xue" like "Red Xue". Isaac Singer pointed out: "In my opinion, good literature educates and entertains people at the same time. You don't have to sit and sigh reading works that don't suit your liking. A real writer will fascinate people. , making you feel like reading his books, his works are like delicious delicacies that you can never get tired of. A good writer does not need to spend a lot of time to exaggerate and explain, so there are only a few scholars who study Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Maupassant. "(16)? Of course, the author does not think that works that require "a lot of writing and explanation" are not "good literature", but I feel that it is necessary to emphasize that works that are not complex and difficult also have their own literary value and literary value. historical value. Among modern Chinese novels, you can say that the works of Fei Ming, Shen Congwen, Sun Li, and Wang Zengqi are unique, but how complex are their connotations? Is it “endless to talk about” and endless to explore and explain? Can you summarize the seven or eight themes of "The Story of the Bamboo Forest" or "Lotus Lake"? Just because it is not a work that cannot be finished or explained does not mean that it is not worth reading again and again. Sometimes reading again and again is just for taste, to taste the charm, interest, sentiment, or to feel the emotion and atmosphere. Marx's admiration for ancient Greek art has long been known to everyone, but Greek mythology is not difficult and complicated. On the contrary, it embodies a kind of childishness.

Due to subjective and objective reasons, the "Red Classics" have obvious limitations in the depth of human nature. But that doesn't mean it lacks human beauty. "Human nature" and "human feelings" are two different concepts, which refer to various human emotions and life feelings. Literary and artistic works during the "Cultural Revolution" period were criticized by critics of the new era as being generally conceptual and lacking in "human touch." Indeed, the positive protagonists in works of this period are highly ideological. As far as novels are concerned, in addition to class emotions, the characters in "Golden Avenue" have very weak human emotions: Xiao Changchun in "Sunny Day" also has clues about his love with Jiao Shuhong, there is the relationship between Han Baizhong and Jiao Erju, and Gao Gao There is not much natural love factor between Daquan and his wife, and Gao Erlin is mainly his "class brother". However, this does not mean that the works of that period cannot move people with emotion. The Peking Opera "Red Lantern" often makes people cry because it is one of the few "model operas" that expresses touching human emotions. Although Li Yuhe's family is not related by blood, what the audience feels from a perceptual level is not a simple class relationship. The three generations of their family embody a kind of "righteousness" that is similar to but higher than blood relationship - they will be with A child who is not related by blood goes through all kinds of hardships to raise an adult. This is more touching than the ordinary father's love and mother's love! The "Red Classics" produced in the "Seventeen Years" are full of humanistic descriptions. The fragment showing the relationship between Liang Shengbao and his adoptive father Liang San in "History of Entrepreneurship" is also a relatively touching chapter.

The author of "Red Flag Pu" expresses Zhu Laozhong's love between husband and wife, father and son, and friendship with great colors; while Yuntao and Chunlan, Jiang Tao and Yan Ping, as well as Lin Daojing and Yu Yongze, Lu Jiachuan, Jiang Hua in "Song of Youth" , Shao Jianbo and Bai Ru in "Lin Hai Xue Yuan", Zhou Bing and several young women in "Three Family Lanes", Liang Bo and Hua Jing in "Red Sun", the description of the love relationship between Liang Shengbao and Gai Xia in "The History of Entrepreneurship" , became the desert spring in the reading world of that period.

Paying attention to the storytelling and plot design of the works is another reason why "Red Classics" attracts readers. "Lin Hai Xue Yuan", "Red Rock", and "Li Zicheng" are all outstanding in this respect. At that specific period, they not only played the role of political enlightenment or spread the concepts of mainstream ideology, but also played the role that excellent popular novels can give to ordinary people. The role of aesthetic entertainment for readers. The conflicts in "Sunny Day" are intense and interlocking. Even if the reader is not particularly disgusted with the ideological concepts in it,(17) once he reads it and enters the specific situation of the novel, he may be deeply attracted and unable to put it down. . Due to the subject matter, "Song of Youth" is less legendary than "Lin Hai Xue Yuan", "Red Rock" and "Li Zicheng". Due to the difference in creative concepts, "The History of Entrepreneurship" is not as intense as "The History of Entrepreneurship" in terms of the intensity of conflicts. "Sunny Day", but there is still a story that can attract readers, make readers care about the fate of the characters, and have a certain degree of sympathy with the characters. "Red Flag Pu" is somewhere between plot novels and life-oriented novels, having the best of both worlds. I agree with Wang Meng's point of view: "It is generally believed that stories play two roles: the carrier role and the structural (main line) role. These views are not bad. Indeed, stories have such a role. But just saying this actually ignores or even obliterates The literary value of the story itself." He believes that "the thing itself is the object of aesthetics. A good story is worth reading and has literary value." Good stories can attract readers and make them aesthetically pleasing. The author's feelings and understanding of life and society are expressed in a literary aesthetic way.

The descriptions of daily customs and living environment in "Hongqipu", "Sanjiaxiang" and "Li Zicheng", and "Linhai Snowy Field" combine the unique natural scenery of Northeast China with myths and legends, and have also been praised by many readers and comments People talk about it. This is another important aspect of its literary value.

Now, although the era when "red classics" were popular has passed, it has not been truly historicized as literature because it has a stake in the life of that era reflected in the "red classics" and the authors of the "red classics" The person involved is still alive. Whether the "red classics" can become true literary classics, which of the "red classics" can be handed down from generation to generation, and which ones will eventually be eliminated by literary history and forgotten by readers still need to be tested over a longer period of history. Maybe it will take 50 years, maybe longer.