Generation Z Artists

Chapter 271 Don't do it
Fang Sheng's first English article has had a strong impact worldwide, in many fields and aspects.

It's like pouring a pot of gunpowder into a boiler; with a bang, it explodes everywhere.

United States, Japan, South Korea, China, Europe...

The literary world, the film industry, the political world, the academic world...

Newspapers, radio, television stations, university campuses...

It's too confusing to explain.

However, broadly speaking, its influence is mainly concentrated in the following dimensions—

I. Literary circles' evaluation of the article itself.

II. Discussions within the film industry regarding various aspects of film.

III. Media coverage of the event.

IV. Fan wars.

Fifth, the social impact.

Although the situation is still quite chaotic after being sorted out, at least there is some outline... just a little bit.

……

boom!
My beloved sterling silver coffee cup slammed against the office wall, bounced off the floor, rolled to the doorway, and was then knocked out by the suddenly pushed-open door, leaving a continuous, piercing noise as it scraped across the floor.

"Fuck you!"

Turan flew into a rage, slammed his fist on the table, and roared in a fit of rage.

"Didn't I fucking tell you bunch of sons of bitches to knock before entering my office?!"

The female secretary fell silent, quickly lowered her head and stepped aside, revealing the newspaper editor-in-chief behind her.

"Hey, buddy, relax!"

The editor-in-chief waved his hand, signaling the secretary to go about her business, and went into the room to sit opposite Turan.

“I understand how you feel, my friend, we are all in this together. Please sit down and let’s have a good talk.”

Turan leaned over the table, staring intently at the editor-in-chief, his eyes blazing with barely contained rage.

After a long while, he finally let out a breath and slumped back into his office chair.

Pfft!
The chair creaked and groaned, but the atmosphere in the office grew increasingly quiet.

After a long pause, Editor-in-Chief Langdon slowly spoke.

“Kenny, I am not your enemy. I am just as angry as you. This is a provocation, an insult, and a declaration of war against our Los Angeles Times!”

I'm not here to laugh at you; I'm here to face this together with you!

So, what are your thoughts? From what angle and from what perspective do you plan to launch a counterattack?

Let's chat, my friend. I have to go to the social section soon.

"..."

Another period of indescribable silence ensued.

In the silence, Kenneth Turan lowered his head little by little.

"Do not."

His voice was hoarse and deep, hollow as if it had lost its soul.

"I don't have any ideas... Of course, I could retaliate from a different angle, but you know I can't..."

A look of understanding flashed across Langdon's eyes, then he pressed his temples in distress.

"Yes, yes, I didn't mean to force you... but, do you really have no thoughts at all?"

"I didn't..." Turan suddenly changed his words, his voice rising with emotion, "No, I did—the most important thing right now is to preserve my professional reputation!"

"Yes, this is very important, extremely important!"

Langdon immediately agreed and stared intently at Turan, as if trying to find any hint of doubt in his eyes.

"So... you're not planning to fight back yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Turan suddenly became agitated.

He suddenly stood up, slammed his fist on the table, and was extremely agitated.

“I’ve done right by everyone! I’ve done right by you, by the newspaper, by Los Angeles! I’m not that kind of person! You fucking almost ruined me!”

Those who don't know Turan will be shocked by his loss of composure and won't understand what he's saying.

It's actually quite simple—Kenneth Turan's film criticism style has always been known for its comprehensive and balanced approach. He considers the artistry, entertainment value, and social significance of a film simultaneously, and is respected for his serious and honest criticism.

Turan is also a major advocate for independent and foreign films, frequently using his platform to speak out for excellent works that are easily overlooked.

In other words, given his consistent stance, he should have stood by Fang Xinghe's side and spoken up for Fang Sheng.

However, this time he did indeed go against his own style, because Fang Xinghe was "the most unpopular person in Los Angeles".

The Lakers are a sports icon of Los Angeles, and Shaq and Kobe are the darlings of Los Angeles. Fang Xinghe, who personally shattered the Lakers' three-peat, naturally became the mortal enemy of all sports fans and even the entire population of Los Angeles.

Coincidentally, Sony, the publisher of Heroes, was also not welcomed by the other five major publishers.

With five factors outweighing one, Hollywood didn't want to see Sony rise again, and even less did it want to see "Hero" become a huge hit. As a result, not only did its competitors mobilize the media, but most of the film and television industry was also secretly working hard.

Under such circumstances, Turan's personal stance became less important; he had to follow the stance of the newspaper and even the entire circle.

As a result, he wielded the "ideology" sword to slay the dragon, only to send himself to the guillotine.

Who the hell could have imagined this?!

"Star River..."

Langdon rubbed his temples hard and put on the pain mask.

Turan covered his face with his hands and squeezed out a muffled sound from the bottom of his throat.

"I won't respond anymore. I can't respond. That's it. Let this nightmare end quickly..."

Langdon fully understood his thoughts, but Langdon couldn't escape them.

"Okay, okay, you don't have to respond, but you have to give us some advice. The social section won't let this topic go—so, what's the deal with 'Heroes'?"

"..."

After a long silence, Turan reluctantly nodded.

"masterpiece."

"A classic in film history?"

"YE..."

With no outsiders present and having already admitted defeat, Turan finally revealed his true thoughts.

"The action scenes in 'Hero' are groundbreaking and need no further mention."

From now on, all Hollywood action movies must learn from, draw inspiration from, and study the fighting style of "Hero".

While the aesthetic appeal of Star River's action sequences is impossible to replicate, the film's ultimate achievement of super-strong impact and realistic action is bound to become a new trend.

As for Zhang Yimou's use of color and composition, I don't need to elaborate; no one can question him.

I originally thought that the only weakness of "Hero" was the ending. I didn't really understand China's concept of unification, nor did I think the ending was particularly brilliant. But after reading Star River's article, I found that it was indeed wonderful.

Langdon, I can't explain to you how wonderful it was, because even I was confused by it myself.

Yes, SR is written in too much depth, I'm having trouble keeping up..."

Langdon immediately followed up, "Kenny, in your opinion, what are the chances of winning if we continue to argue with SR from this angle?"

"Then you'll have to consult those historians."

Turan waved his hand irritably.

"They're way beyond the scope, you understand? Whether it's Chinese consciousness or American freedom, they're far beyond the realm of entertainment!" Actually, Turan is quite a capable scholar.

However, no one, including himself, thought he could turn things around.

Stephen Hunter even declared victory in The Washington Post immediately.

"The critics, led by Turan, have completely collapsed! They were knocked out in one blow! Star River slaughtered them with ease; this is not the normal level of the film industry!"

The clowns, of course, did not give up and immediately offered rebuttals and insults, but to little avail.

Fang Xinghe's article is so profound that most people can't understand it.

A few simple and easy-to-understand sentences can evoke a huge resonance, but just when the public thinks they understand the sentence, literary critics quickly step in to tell them: no, you don't understand.

For example, the statement, "This shaped America's original cultural DNA: the self-made man, who values ​​individual struggle and starting from scratch, and is deeply wary of government power."

Ordinary Americans, from urban white-collar workers to rednecks in the Midwest, are all giving it a thumbs up and praising it immensely.

"Jesus! He has truly captured my heart!"

"YE! ​​We are all self-made men!"

"SR's understanding of the United States is simply incredible!"

"Yes, if it weren't for 9, this government wouldn't be able to be so powerful..."

People at gatherings talk about the glory and pride of starting from scratch, while also quietly complaining that the current government has too much reach and too much power.

This is happening in every corner of society.

Fang Ge really caught up with a special era. Last year, the whole of America was outraged by that incident and demanded more power from the government. But since the second half of this year, Americans, whose passion has faded, have begun to miss the past.

They thought they fully understood the sentence, but they didn't.

Renowned literary critic Stephen quoted Fang Xinghe's original text and provided his interpretation.

"The core of this sentence lies in the term 'cultural genes.' As we all know, genes are hereditary, so generations of Americans seem to be born wary of government power. But is that really the case?"

No, in conjunction with the following text, SR's expression is restrained yet subtle.

Throughout the text, he used the term "cultural gene" three times; in other related expressions, he used other words.

WHY?

Is it because he uses words casually and doesn't deliberately pursue precision?

No, it's precisely because of his extreme precision.

SR only uses the term "cultural genes" when it needs to convey meanings such as "historical inertia," "long-standing," or "inherent."

We know very well that only biological traits can be inherited, and the core element for the transmission of culture is education.

So, what is the essence of 'cultural genes'?
It is a continuous and ongoing form of related education.

Having understood this, let's ask ourselves: what kind of education has led to vigilance against government power becoming part of our genetic makeup?

And who is implementing this kind of education?
When, where, and through what means does this vigilance become commonplace and deeply ingrained?

He explicitly mentioned the efforts of capitalist groups on the liberal path, but only touched upon it briefly, leaving ample room for imagination.

At this moment, I also need to stop short of causing trouble for myself and SR...

This interpretive article didn't have much impact; it was too dry and boring.

However, there are simply too many similar interpretations, and when all the articles are combined, the resulting impact is quite considerable.

It has to be said that the literary criticism community is really bored out of their minds; they are literally interpreting every single sentence.

reason?

It wasn't purely to ride the wave of popularity; Fang Xinghe had indeed already established a certain status in the North American literary scene.

The most direct evidence is not the nearly ten million copies sold by "Better Days," but the direct attention from Philip Roth, a king of American literature.

At 69, Roth is in an astonishing creative burst, having published "The Human Stain" two years ago, the final chapter of his "American Trilogy," which caused a huge sensation.

Luo Yonghao's status in the United States can be compared to that of Ba Jin in China today.

Coincidentally, Lao Luo's writing style is characterized by its profound analysis of American identity, Jewish identity, sex, death, and politics, combining the power of anger with superb technique.

When "Younger Me" was released last time, many media outlets praised Fang Xinghe as "a younger version of Rose".

This time, Rose stepped forward personally.

"In terms of writing, what is least noteworthy about SR is his skill, which has already reached a certain level of sophistication. There are more than a dozen writers in the Americas alone who possess master-level skills."

It wasn't his unique anger and coldness either—everyone gets angry when they're young, and some people are still angry now; it's not worth paying special attention to.

What truly sets him apart from everyone else is his incredible insight; his wisdom is unparalleled at his age.

I don't understand how he managed to balance satire and restraint so skillfully. His satire was profound, and his expression was restrained, but he just did it.

Therefore, the article "Chinese Consciousness" is very interesting and worth careful reading, and it has an irreplaceable value on both literary and philosophical levels.

This value stems from the ideas themselves. I particularly admire his critical deconstruction of American freedom, and I am absolutely captivated by the part about Chinese consciousness. This is a Chinese voice that has never been heard before. It is so fresh, so classic, so fascinating, and so eye-opening.

Based on this one article, I believe he is qualified to sweep all short story-related awards in every competition, including the Pulitzer Prize, National Magazine, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

I believe I am one of the judges for several of these awards, and I hereby solemnly announce that I will cast my vote.

The publication of Ross's interview caused a sensation in the American literary world.

This guy's temper isn't exactly good, but his status is incredibly high. Usually, everyone just holds their noses and listens to him yell at them. Who would have thought he'd have such a moment of praising a newcomer?
Therefore, although this matter didn't even go beyond the mainstream literary circles, it still caused a huge stir within them and brought Fang Xinghe immense benefits.

Following his success in the Japanese and Korean literary circles, writer Fang has once again conquered the arrogant American literary world!

Okay, let's tone it down. It's a bit much to talk about conquering something in a short essay.

However, he has indeed been fully recognized by the American literary world, who regard him as a super genius and outsiders as a mainstream writer.

Those celebrities who frequently write best-selling books from other fields? Don't try to piggyback on their success!
Susan Sontag, one of America's most influential and leading public intellectuals, critics, and novelists, immediately followed suit, strongly supporting Fang Xinghe.

"The practical, academic, and communicative significance of 'Chinese Consciousness' far surpasses all the articles published this year. Considering the factors of the times and the arrogance of Americans, I believe that there will be no more novel perspective than this for at least 10 years."

Without a doubt, Fang Xinghe is the biggest surprise in the world literary scene this century. If he continues to write like this, I would even believe that the entire 21st century belongs to him!

If you doubt me, then go and find out for yourself—what exactly is the literary weakness that's limiting his further progress?!

Those critics who love to nitpick really did go looking for it.

Then one by one they were dumbfounded.

What the hell!

You wouldn't believe it until you looked—this little brat is round!

Even a hexagonal warrior still has edges, but Fang Xinghe is a round, plump blob, with no shortcomings from any perspective.

The literary world certainly didn't accept this; there's no absolute first place in literature, and that applies in every country.

But the literary criticism community is quite quiet; for the time being, no truly influential figure has stepped forward to criticize Fang Ge.

Toni Morrison, a leading figure and spiritual leader of African American literature, even bluntly stated: "At SR's age, the article 'Chinese Consciousness' is already a default perfect score."

It won't go any higher, and it's impossible for it to go any higher—unless he writes another new article himself.

Guys, stop trying to nitpick this article, at least not on a literary level.

Surprisingly, "Don't do it" suddenly became a popular catchphrase during this incident.

Newspapers, the internet, and radio are all filled with reminders: Don't do it.

Its meaning has gradually evolved from its initial simple meaning to "Don't mess with Fang Xinghe".

This led to a major consensus in literary critics: don't overestimate yourselves and try to cause trouble for Fang Xinghe; you can't do it.

At this point, within the literary world, which has the least influence but the highest artistic standards, only one voice remained.

Praise me! Praise me like crazy!

The situation is similar in North America, Japan, and South Korea, and in Britain, France, Germany, and Italy as well, with everyone feeling uneasy.

(End of this chapter)