Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 394 Chapter 393 "Xiao Dongmei's Wandering in the Classic of Mountains and Seas"

Fang Minghua suddenly remembered a movie that won multiple awards including the Oscar, Spanish Goya Award, and British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards: "Pan's Labyrinth"

Winners of these international awards have a common award: Best Original Screenplay!
This is a film directed by the famous Mexican director Guillermo del Toro. The film is set in Spain during World War II in 1944. It tells the story of 12-year-old Ophelia, who unexpectedly opens another world when she is bored. A story about a magical door and three tests to be completed.

There are two parallel worlds in the film, one is the real world where Ophelia lives, which is a place full of war and pain; the other is the world Ophelia imagined, in which he can Taking risks can bring you a little solace.

The two interpenetrate and join together, the adventure in the magic kingdom and the anti-fascist struggle in reality, allowing the audience to freely walk between reality and surreal evils through the innocent perspective of a little girl.

Typical magical realism.

That’s it!

Change the plot background.

The Spanish Civil War can be replaced by the domestic Agrarian Revolution, and the Magic Gate can be replaced by the domestic fairy world similar to the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

The God Pan in the movie was changed to the nine-tailed fox in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas".

The little girl's name Ophelia was also changed to the most common girl's name in China - just Dongmei.

Fang Minghua took out the manuscript paper from the drawer and began to construct the world view, characters and story outline of the novel.
Although there is a basis for the movie "Labyrinth of the Gods", there are too many changes.

To do this, you have to find a special book called "The Classic of Mountains and Seas".

When Fang Minghua returns to his parents' house from get off work in the evening, after dinner, he is not in a hurry to go back to his happy community to code. He wants to play with his baby for a while, or visit his daughter at his mother-in-law's house. He usually rides home after nine o'clock.

And with my wife.

Both of them have to go to work, especially Song Tangtang who is very busy at work. If it is not to feed the child, he will not come back at noon. Sometimes he goes directly to his parents' house to see his daughter in the evening without eating here.

The couple rarely have time to see each other and talk during the day, and they don't live together at night - but they still sleep in the same bed on weekends.

This was the case today. After dinner, Fang Minghua used the wooden stroller made by his father Fang Changhe to push his son to the Xincheng Square to play. Normally Song Tangtang would bring his daughter out from her parents' home.

Sure enough, he saw his wife pushing her daughter out in a stroller, and his son saw his mother stretching out her little hand and babbling to say hello.

Ugh.
Sure enough, I kissed my mother.

Look at your daughter Ruirui looking at her, just eating her fingers.

The two exchanged words, Fang Minghua picked up his daughter, Song Tangtang picked up his son, and started walking in the square.

They talked about their respective work matters, and Fang Minghua talked about the novel he wanted to write in the past two days. He usually told his wife the outline of the story and then listened to her opinions.

Song Tangtang has long been accustomed to her husband's wild ideas, but she was surprised when she heard Fang Minghua tell this story today.

"Minghua, is this a myth or a fairy tale? The description is so dark?"

"In the eyes of a little girl, it is just a fairy tale, but many fairy tales are inherently dark." Fang Minghua said with a smile: "Like "Cinderella", "Snow White" in "The Grimm's Fairy Tales" and "The Mermaid" in the "Andersen's Fairy Tales" ""Red Shoes" and so on, they were all very dark and tragic at first."

"Besides, this novel of mine is not for children, it is a fairy tale for adults."

"Then when our babies grow up, you have to write a book suitable for them to read!" Song Tangtang suddenly said. "Okay, okay." Fang Minghua looked at his daughter who was eating her fingers with relish.

For a foreign work like "Labyrinth of the Gods", the most important thing is localization to make it look like a story that happened in China. Once it is completed and wanted to be written, it is not a good idea for Fang Minghua, who has been writing novels for seven or eight years. What a big problem.

As for the name, "Pan's Labyrinth" was not suitable either, so Fang Minghua changed it to a more down-to-earth name.

"Xiao Dongmei's Wandering in the Classic of Mountains and Seas"

It took Fang Minghua a week to write this 10-word novella, which he will publish together with other avant-garde novels in the October issue of Yanhe magazine.

This morning, as soon as Fang Minghua went to work, he called Bai Miao to come to his office and handed the printed manuscript to Bai Miao.

"This is a novel I just wrote. Please take a look and make some comments." Fang Minghua handed the manuscript to him.

"Huh? Editor Fang, is this a fairy tale or a myth you are writing?" Bai Miao smiled when he saw the title of the novel.

"Take your time and watch."

Fang Minghua made tea for himself, and also poured a cup for Bai Miao.

Bai Miao watched, the expression on his face slowly began to change, and he became more and more surprised.

Oh my god
This is neither a myth nor a fairy tale!
The story of the novel is divided into two main lines. Dongmei, a 12-year-old girl, has a cruel stepfather who is a White Army officer. His stepfather's task is to suppress the guerrillas and use various torture instruments to torture and mutilate those who are caught. Xiao Dongmei witnesses these horrifying things every day.

Lonely and painful, she began to immerse herself in her fantasies to masturbate. In her fantasy, she met the Nine-Tailed Fox from Shan Hai Jing, who told her that she was actually a princess of a lost dynasty, and that she must pass three dangerous tests to restore her identity.

Finally, in the real world, she refused the nine-tailed fox's request for blood and was killed by her stepfather who chased her.

But in the fantasy world, she gave up her life, protected the child, became a princess in that lost dynasty, and finally became the queen, ruling for many centuries.

Two worlds, one full of magnificent fantasies, childish and beautiful. One is directly bloody and cold; the two penetrate each other, merge and splice together,
Bai Miao was stunned.

Isn't this proper magical realism?

"Bai Miao, how was your writing? Please give me your opinion," Fang Minghua said with a smile.

"This is the first time I have seen someone describe revolution, war, and human nature in this way." Bai Miao murmured, "I dare say that once your novel is published, there will be another controversy."

"That's just right, draw the fire to me and reduce the pressure on other authors." Fang Minghua laughed.

On October 10, the tenth issue of "Yanhe" met readers on time. Those readers who subscribed to the magazine found that this issue became a special event for avant-garde novels!

"Red Locust", "The Song of the Lost Hanging Peanut", "Trap", "Apple Tree Planted on the Corridor", "Blue Sky and Green Sea", "Sad Polygon", "Noon of the Howling Northwest Wind" "Xiao Dongmei's Wandering in the Classic of Mountains and Seas"

Postmodernism, magical realism, stream of consciousness, existentialism.
Almost all types of avant-garde novels are on display, and readers are dazzled by them.

Of course, the most controversial one is the article "Little Dongmei Wanders in the Classic of Mountains and Seas" written by Fang Minghua.

(End of this chapter)