Literary Criticism Chen Chongzheng s Levitation rises and falls between fantasy and reality

Mondo Culture Updated on 2024-01-29

Author: Wu Yanping

Editor in charge: Xie Wanfei

WeChat editor: Wang Xinyuan.

The first time I saw "Levitation" was on a rainy day in April. On that day, the rain was pouring down the ground, the night was dim and misty, the eaves were covered with rain and mist, and the smoke from the pond was also rising in the night light. In an instant, in a trance, in this flickering light and shadow change, I don't know whether I am in the illusory technology or the real world, and the word "levitation" rises in my heart.

really entered "Levitation" in this year's summer vacation. The long vacation gave me plenty of time to savor and interpret slowly. The scorching sun outside the window, the interior is as quiet as ever, and the levitation technique is met again, just like the old people, cordial, devoted, and even immersed in it. I think that a good work is like this, like an old tea tree, rough and simple at first glance, but when you think about it slowly, it tastes mellow and high-quality like a sweet spring, which makes people have an endless aftertaste. I have always believed that to read a good work is to give yourself completely to time, so that time can be spent peacefully in concentration and acquisition.

The story started with a ** ringtone, following the footsteps of Qu Ling and Dai Youbin, I began to walk into an illusory world, a fantasy world that seems to be very different from the world, but is actually inextricably linked. Next, I seem to be the particle suspended in the illusion and reality, in this world ups and downs, ups and downs, and experience a different kind of wonderful life.

Although the world is levitating, the structure of "Levitation" is unusually clear and distinct, which can be described as clear and clear. It's like different rays that surround different characters and scatter them apart. They move and jump, slowly developing in their own orbit according to their own logic.

The plot of the story starts from receiving a strange **, and then shows the reader a strange world, which is very in line with the overall temperament of this ** - ups and downs in reality and fantasy. ** It is divided into nine chapters, each of which is named after a bird, namely "White Crane", "Crow", "Yellow Finch", "Parrot", "Magpie", "Night Owl", "Peacock", "Pigeon", and "Phoenix".

The names of each chapter have their own meanings. For example, the first chapter is named after "White Crane", which has its unique meaning, the white crane indicates a white and pure world, and the appearance of the protagonist Dai Youbin is like a trace of warmth and comfort floating from outside the depressed world for Qu Ling, who is in a state of confusion, which can somewhat hide the frustration of life. This eccentric child, for Qu Ling, who is lonely and boring at the moment, just like the arrival of the white crane, will bring a different life experience and experience.

Under the author's careful arrangement, the name of each chapter is extremely meaningful. For example, in the chapter "The Crow", you will see that this dark world is like a crow that cannot bear to read. The little boy Dai Youbin, with his bizarre life experience and tragic encounter, can't help but make people feel confused about "the long road ahead" and "where is the hope". In the chapter "Parrot", you can naturally associate with parroting that the content of the chapter is not about yourself, but about other people's stories, and perhaps it is also a way to use other people's voices to cover up your inner fragility and hesitation, and finally take care of your lonely self in the world of others. The short title and rich content are one of the highlights and features of the work.

The structure is so clear, yet the content is so rich. ** The nine chapters are clearly visible, but the main narrative in each chapter is varied, ranging from a limited perspective in the first person to a third-person perspective of God or omniscientEven if you are in the same first person, the characters will change depending on the chapter.

The first chapter, "White Crane", is written in the tone and perspective of the writer Qu Ling, which invisibly shortens the distance with the readerThe first person of the second chapter "The Crow" is Dai Youbin's titular mother, that is, Dai David's admirer, through her obsession and love for Dai Dawei, she learned some of Dai Dawei's situation, and through the first person from another perspective, let the story continue to suspend in the changes;In the third chapter, it is simply changed to the third person again, overlooking the earth from the perspective of God, so that the reader can clearly understand the relationship between the characters and the direction of the plot. The adjustment and change of the main body of the narrative also makes the structure of the story constantly switch between fantasy and reality, so that the reader's mind naturally follows these changes in plot and structure and starts to jump.

If the nine chapters are like nine lines scattered out, then the "Peach Blossom Forest" is like a grand container, loaded with the characters and plots of the story, and also invisibly loaded with the human levitation. "The Peach Blossom Forest is a threat to the living, and a comfort to the dying. "The forest is very large, and there are countless people coming and going;The forest is also very small, too small to accommodate the joys and sorrows of one person. In any case, the machine age cannot leave the flesh and blood, the machine is not cold, and the soul is still there. Perhaps this is the author's cleverness, with the help of a certain carrier, in a silent expression, his intentions, of course, this intention may be uncertain, it is this uncertainty that allows readers to feel the multiple possibilities of the world in the changes of reality and illusion.

Almost all ** are inseparable from the shaping of character images, and "Levitation" is no exception. **There are not many characters, but each character is telling their own story, bizarre twists and turns, plain or boring, they all run on their own trajectories, just like robots - in fact, robots are not also presented in the world according to the appearance of people, sometimes, in the face of fantasy and reality, it is difficult to tell who imitated whom, and who became whom. For a moment, she felt like a water-starved plant in the desert, life was passing and withering, and there was nothing she could do about it. This is Qu Ling's self-description, the separation in real life is so clear, and the child on the other end is so close, the so-called reality and illusion are actually between a thought.

It's not enough to search for the truth virtually, we also have to expand ourselves in the real world. "Because if you're not careful, you might end up reading about yourself in a book. Whether it is Dai Youbin, or Qu Ling, or Dai Dawei, Chen Xinghe, Zhong Qiuting, ......They are burdened with unspeakable predicaments, much like us in real life, whose hearts are not full of vicissitudes, but it cannot be denied that there is always a moment when the stars shine. Even in the age of machines, there are still troubles, so the three-dimensional and multifaceted nature of the characters can be seen.

There will naturally be 1,000 Hamlets in the minds of 1,000 readers, and in this book "Levitation", the multi-dimensional perspective and multiple rushes make the theme of the work completely different from each other, which is also the greatness of this work. Countless images and bizarre stories create the theme of the work, which is also unpredictable and has various possibilities.

In the age of machines, the topic of death still exists. People are often looking for the infinite future of machines in limited flesh and blood. The protagonist Dai Youbin once broke the theme in one sentence, "This ** makes me feel like I am standing in the world of reality and fiction." The subject of * seems to have a strong dialectical nature, which provokes human thought.

From the other side, there seems to be no difference between all the subtleties of human beings: between plants and trees, between mountains and rivers, and even between bodies and bodies, there is no difference that can make people excited. However, from the perspective of the distant universe or human beings, the world is still changing after all, and change is the eternal truth of this world. From humans to robots, from robots to humans, there are infinite possibilities for fiction and harvesting, day after day. (10th Edition).

Continued from 3rd edition) is just as the author Chen Chongzheng himself said: writing has no meaning, expression is where the meaning lies.

This reminds me of Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. When I first read it, I was confused by its difficulty and ambiguity, and I knew that my path was too shallow, so I gave up decisively. Later, with the continuous immersion of various commentaries, I found that not all good words are as simple and clear as one plus one. Some people say that as a literary work, the author no longer exists when the author has finished shaping the work. Because the next time is reserved for the reader, and only with the reader's interpretation can the work be expressed in the true sense. Therefore, a good work is not afraid of interpretation, not afraid of interpretation by different people, and only multi-directional and multi-faceted can bring rich effects to the work.

In fact, when I first walked into "Levitation", I felt that my mind was in a state of suspension, a little confused, dizzy, and completely unaware of what kind of situation I had fallen into, as if I was grabbed by a pair of invisible hands, and I could only follow the author's rhythm and step into the world of nothingness in an instant. But the more I read it, the more I realized that the suspended world was already peachy and willow green, and there was a special taste in my heart. Perhaps this is the author's cleverness, giving you infinite possibilities in silence.

Every chapter, every character, and their dialogue all contain profound philosophical thoughts, like a compressed biscuit, chewing on infinite energy, and the more you read it, the more you feel inflated. For example, "separation is the normal state between this shore and the other shore, and it is the normal state between people", it seems to be unintentional, but in fact it expresses the essence of separation, simple language, and profound thoughts. "The so-called thickness of the soul is an imagination, and the soul stored in the quantum computer has no thickness and length to speak of, but if you want the virtual soul to have no moaning sound, you need to use my stories and scenes to make every soul seem to have experienced reincarnation, and feel the pleasure of harvesting memories in the process of being constantly reset and refreshed. Like a high-level summary of the main idea, these sentences spoken inadvertently have their own brilliance, so they shine like gold in the hearts of every reader.

Shi Zhanjun, editor-in-chief of People's Literature, once commented: "Chen Chongzheng uses science fiction elements to explore the future of mankind with amazing imagination, and behind the light suspension flight is a deep philosophy. Editor-in-chief Shi's words are incisive and unique, and every word is exquisite. Reading this work carefully, you will find that behind the science fiction elements, there is infinite affection and deep philosophical thinking, which is worth reading again and again, and savoring it.

A kind of suspension, something else wonderful;Born to float, dead to be gorgeous.

Since no one can define their own life, let's rise and fall in reality, seek truth in the unreal, "pass through the narrow door of science and technology with reflection", go to the infinite future, and re-encounter all kinds of beauty in life.

Review: Yang Yue.

Reviewer: Zhou Wei.

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