I am not a literary giant

Chapter 107 The Lack of Sublimity in Contemporary Chinese Literature: The Explosive Popularity of The Little Prince as an Example

Professor Zhong Junmin remained calm and composed, his hand holding the teacup very steady. "Then, please give a detailed account of the reasons for the literary phenomenon of The Little Prince's sudden popularity and the resulting reflections on the current state of contemporary literature. Your answer should be no less than 800 words."

"Um... Professor Zhong, are these the questions for your final exam?"

"No, this is a subjective question I gave you on the spot. Please answer it within the time limit."

To be honest, Ning Chunyan didn't know how she suddenly veered onto the topic of the Little Prince, which was the one thing she least wanted to touch upon (especially not in front of Zhong Junmin). She had only briefly mentioned the Xihe Literary Society's essay contest, and before she had even mentioned "Prince Xu," the person involved, the topic had taken a sharp turn, like a German blitzkrieg against Poland, and had swiftly shifted to this subject.

She had come here with the intention of healing and saving lives, imagining herself as a persuader, like Zhuge Liang crossing the Yangtze River. Unexpectedly, Professor Zhong casually ushered her into the examination room, where a row of professors stood before her, resembling a thesis defense. Professor Zhong and the male student behind him were all staring intently at her, making her feel uneasy.

"Professor, we're actually here to discuss something else..."

Zhong Junmin interrupted her: "I know, but let's not talk about your matter first, let's talk about mine first."

Ning Chunyan said, "But my matter is also quite important. Why don't we first confirm our intentions and then discuss your matter in detail..."

Zhong Junmin glared at her: "Isn't the Little Prince important?"

"The Little Prince is important, but..."

"Important is enough. Let's take it one step at a time, starting with my matter," Zhong Junmin said arbitrarily, his style extremely undemocratic. "Let's start with the Little Prince. By the way, Qingluo, you go first. I've already heard a bit about Xiaoning's ideas."

Ning Chunyan broke out in a cold sweat. Chen Qingluo, who had only come to keep her company and give her courage, suddenly became a key figure in the defense. She had been sitting to the side, lost in thought, her eyes unfocused, when she heard her name mentioned, she opened her mouth slightly and whispered, "Huh?"

"Do I need to repeat the question?" Chung Chun-min sat up straight. "Today we must first clarify the academic issues of literature before discussing the practical issues of literature."

Seeing Professor Zhong Junmin's serious expression, Ning Chunyan finally believed that he was serious.

Having been in the group for so long, she already knew that Professor Zhong was a staunch critic of the Little Prince. During the period when the Little Prince became incredibly popular, he and Professor Huang Xinghuo would argue about this almost every two days in the group, which the others in the group had long been used to. Moreover, their views had evolved from the initial "literature should convey moral principles" to various other arguments, and now they had entered a profound realm that she could not understand at all.

Yesterday, she secretly glanced at the chat history and immediately felt dizzy and overwhelmed. She turned off her phone right away. The terminology they used and the authors they cited were becoming increasingly "obscure, eccentric, and rigid." Just one glance was enough to feel the academic crushing effect. And this was just the argument in the group chat; she wondered if his offline debate with Professor Huang had sparked anything new.

Ning Chunyan secretly glanced at Chen Qingluo, wanting to remind her to say as many bad things about the Little Prince as possible in order to win Professor Zhong's favor. As long as Professor Zhong is happy academically, he will definitely be easier to talk to on worldly matters.

Chen Qingluo seemed to snap out of a daze and slowly said, "I feel that the Little Prince should be a bald 40-year-old man."

Upon hearing this, Ning Chunyan felt as if her head was about to explode. But to her surprise, Professor Zhong and the boy in front of her exchanged a glance, their eyes gleaming. The boy then pulled out a small notebook, sat down opposite her, and pretended to write something.

Professor Chung said, "That's a very interesting new perspective! Could you elaborate on it?"

Chen Qingluo said, "Excuse me, let me sort this out first. I am a writer. As we all know, most writers are not good at speaking because the language area of ​​their brain is occupied for a long time, so they are not good at expressing themselves with language."

Professor Chung said, "It's alright, take your time, I'll listen carefully. If necessary, I can provide you with handwritten input capabilities."

Ning Chunyan bit her lip and reached out her small hand to tug at Chen Qingluo's clothes, two light tugs and two heavy tugs, implying that she should consider both the merits and demerits equally and not say anything that Professor Zhong would not want to hear. But she didn't know if Chen Qingluo understood.

Chen Qingluo reached out her fair hand to smooth her hair at her temples, her dark, bright eyes blinked twice, and she spoke with utmost sincerity:

"I approach the Little Prince from two perspectives. One is from the perspective of the third cultural transformation—a non-unique case within the broader context of the complete bankruptcy of multiculturalism and its transformation into a 'fractured' culture after the widespread adoption of the internet. The other is from the perspective of feminism, women's writing, and women's texts, examining the Little Prince as a male text through the lens of the opposition between the sexes..."

"...The former originated from the prevailing consumerist view. The Little Prince's literature is first and foremost a form of consumer literature, born from a certain commercial operation. In other words, it is manipulated by an invisible hand, and the Little Prince is a prime example. He dances gracefully under this invisible hand and challenges it. In this grand consumer celebration of the sexes, he frankly and accurately points out the existence of desire, like a sociologist, and attacks the sensitive knots, using his profound knowledge to lead a public carnival..."

"...On the other hand, from my own perspective, as a woman, stripping away gender identity and examining these texts from a detached viewpoint can also be quite enjoyable. The Little Prince's text is undeniably a male-centric work, but his choice of words when guiding his inner impulses is poetic, pure, and devout. It's not so much a devotion to the object (i.e., women), but rather a devotion to literature itself. This, to some extent, resists the erosion of the spirit by lust and money..."

Ning Chunyan was completely bewildered.

Chen Qingluo, as expected of a literature PhD, had maxed out her ability to speak fluently. Ning Chunyan knew perfectly well that her best friend hadn't read much of "The Little Prince's Love Letters." Only after Ning Chunyan's persistent persuasion had she managed to read a few chapters, and her final conclusion was merely, "This guy is definitely not married and doesn't even deserve a girlfriend." Yet, facing Professor Zhong Junmin, she was able to speak so eloquently about such a long and detailed topic.

She begins by elaborating on the grand historical context, showcasing the excellent and expansive vision of contemporary classically trained writers. She then transitions from this broader historical context to the literary context, further exploring the specific context of the text itself. Finally, through this smaller context, she subtly delves into the author's inner world, analyzing the person and their mind, and ultimately drawing the following conclusion:

"This man was a bald, greasy-haired, slightly overweight middle-aged man in his forties."

After listening, Ning Chunyan looked at Professor Zhong Junmin's expression; it seemed like he was about to applaud.

"Very good," Professor Zhong said, then turned his gaze to Ning Chunyan, "Xiao Ning, you can also have a chat."

"I……"

Ning Chunyan, short of breath, leaned back and stood up, saying, "Professor, could you please introduce this young man?"

Professor Zhong turned and glanced at the young man who was writing furiously with a pen, and said, "He's not important."

"But I felt uneasy under his gaze. I couldn't calm down."

"Oh, he's my graduate student, Zhao Peilin. The title of his prepared thesis is 'The Lack of Sublimity in Contemporary Chinese Literature—Taking the Popularity of The Little Prince as an Example.'"

Ning Chunyan paused for a moment, then suddenly composed herself, placed her hands on the table, and spoke in the tone of an orator:

"Professor Chung, regardless of whether The Little Prince symbolizes the lack of sublimity in contemporary literature, it has already gained market recognition and made a fortune. What deserves our attention now is the precarious state of serious literature! Serious literature needs our rescue!"

Professor Zhong finally looked up: "What do you mean?"

Ning Chunyan was thinking of a starting point when Chen Qingluo suddenly pulled a stack of manuscripts out of her bag, slammed them on the table, and pushed them in front of Professor Zhong.

"This is……"

"Please take a look," Chen Qingluo said decisively, "you'll know once you see it."

She handed over Wang Zixu's manuscript for the essay contest.

……

"Hey, Director Gou, hello, is Wang Zixu, who's participating in this essay contest, from your unit?"

Gou Yingbiao switched hands to answer the phone to show he valued it: "Is this Minister Zhang from the Publicity Department? Hello, hello. Wang Zixu is from our unit. What can I do for you?"

Zhang Qian blurted out, "As you know, the Xihe Literary Society's essay contests are never an easy task, let alone the preliminary selection. It's extremely difficult to offend people. Every year, we have to screen out hundreds of manuscripts. And that's not just hundreds of manuscripts, it's hundreds of authors! Rejecting their manuscripts is equivalent to offending hundreds of people. And we're involved in this work every year. Can you imagine how much pressure I'm under?"

Director Gou smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Only a capable and impartial person like you could manage this table well and ensure the orderly progress of the first round of preliminary selection. I understand your difficulties and admire your decisiveness. The leadership must trust you all to entrust this task to you. So, may I ask what this has to do with Wang Zixu?"

"Wang Zixu from your unit is quite capable. Other candidates who didn't make the cut either stayed home and complained, or came to our unit to cause trouble. But Wang Zixu found a big shot to come and pressure me, insisting that I change the preliminary results. I told him that once the preliminary results are finalized, they cannot be changed, but he wouldn't listen..."

As Gou Yingbiao listened to Zhang Qian's voice through the receiver, his expression changed from worry to relief, and then from relief to ecstasy. He hugged the phone to his lap and listened as if he were having a long conversation.

The feeling of being wronged is unlike other emotions that gradually dissipate over time, especially for some people. It's like wine; the longer it ages, the more its aroma permeates the air, spreading until even the neighbors smell it and hold their noses as they pass by.

Zhang Qian's grievances were like this: after talking to her best friend, her anger didn't subside; instead, it grew stronger. So she called everyone connected to Wang Zixu and Ning Chunyan to denounce them, and within a few days, the matter became a hot topic.

After finishing his call with her, Gou Yingbiao called in Xu Shichao, the office director, with a serious expression and shared three points of view with him.

Firstly, this Xihe Cultural Festival is a project that the leadership attaches great importance to. On the day of the festival, all employees of the unit are required to participate in the activities, watch the commendation ceremony, and participate in as many activities as possible to create a lively atmosphere.

Secondly, for those whose essays were not selected, we must do a good job of dealing with them. It is strictly forbidden for them to be dissatisfied and go to the organizing committee to cause trouble or petition. This would be a disgrace to the unit. If such behavior is discovered, it will be dealt with seriously.

Thirdly, Comrade Wang Zixu, who has already caused trouble, should be used as a typical case and circulated throughout the unit for criticism and study.

After listening to what the leader said, Xu Shichao walked out of the office, drenched in sweat, and greeted Zhang Cangnian who was coming towards him.

Following the leader's idea would not only make him feel that he would offend people, but also make it difficult to strike a balance between carrying out the leader's intentions and taking care of his colleagues. Furthermore, it would raise questions about whether Comrade Wang Zixu could return to work as usual.

Besides, things are getting increasingly difficult. Especially for Prince Xu. During his absence, his legend has spread throughout the martial arts world, and it's a very bad one at that.

Public opinion is a powerful force; hopefully, he can lay low for now and return to work after the literary conference. It's embarrassing, but better than being openly mocked and ridiculed.

(End of this chapter)