What is the function of wedge and postscript in The Scholars?

The wedge centered on Wang Mian is a preview of the whole structure of the book, which really plays the role of covering the whole article and "hiding the whole text". The whole "unofficial history", to put it bluntly, is nothing more than four kinds of people alive, all exposed to the wedge. When the magistrate and dangerous elements include "bird officials and turtle officials" who have "fished out" villagers; Fat people, thin people and beards all reveal the characteristics of some gentry and pretentious celebrities, and do not give specific names just to show their universality; Qin Lao's loyalty and wisdom includes the righteous acts of Qi Taigong and Ganlu monks, and shows the deep affection of Niu Lao and Bulao. Wang Mian, on the other hand, has the spiritual character of a saint and is a rare person.

"This Wang Mian was born smart. Less than twenty years old, all universities in astronomy, geography and history have asked. " The first condition of rational consciousness-extensive knowledge and ability. Only when he is well-informed and knowledgeable can he absorb a variety of ideological and cultural nutrients, get rid of the poison of the "closed wisdom" education system, form his own unique outlook on life and values, and become the rational basis for adhering to his "literary origin." Even if he is alive, he will not necessarily attend the big sacrifice in Taibo Temple, but he will wear Qu Yuan's clothes all his life to resist vulgarity and "keep the truth". Because Wang Mian, after all, is proud of Shu Ren's seclusion with the lofty idea of not arguing with things, which is far from the sage's feelings of loving the people and saving the evils. To put it bluntly, he doesn't have the social enthusiasm of a saint. What he is connected with the sages is his character: a quiet and noble quality that does not yearn for fame and fortune and does not want to go along with the turbid world. Although he gave advice to the king of Wu, he finally hid. Throughout the book, the author never specifically praised seclusion, but only praised their moral realm and noble character.

Wang Mian is a model of the classical ideal of harmony between man and nature. The lotus color of the lake near Qiba Lake cultivated his young mind and played an enlightening role in the formation of his philosophy of life and the choice of life path. The scenery around him is exquisite and wonderful, full of vitality and charm of returning to nature. Lotus "water drops on the bud and water drops roll around on the lotus leaf" not only makes Wang Mian fall in love with nature, but also embodies Wang Mian's noble personality. Such an ordinary scenery, so natural and elegant, full of life and affection, full of touching emotions. The image of things is a reflection of people's interest, and this artistic conception shows Wang Mian's life realm. Moreover, the unity of heaven and man expresses not only an ideal personality, but also an ideal realm of life: to maintain the purity, independence, self-sufficiency and noble freedom of the whole person. This is also the purpose and core of the "meaning" used by the author in shaping this image.

Wang Mian is not the kind of "pure poet" who thinks that as long as he is clean, the world will not be dirty. He is as pure, sincere and kind as a virgin, but he doesn't live in a poem like a dream in the morning glow. He is a clever man. Because of his virtue and wisdom in seeing the world, he is qualified to be the spokesman of the author and the prophet who controls the whole book. "In the future, with this road of honor, scholars will despise the source of that writing." This is not a general discussion of common characters, but a statement of the key points of the book, an explanation of the key points of the spiritual variation process of characters in the ups and downs world, and a reminder of the author's basic value judgment points. The Origin of Literary Works basically sums up all the problems of intellectuals, and we have to marvel at the breadth and depth of the author and Wang Mian's extraordinary vision. Just as A Dream of Red Mansions is the theme song covering the whole book, "a generation of literati has a good life"! From the mouth of the "celebrity" who contains the full text, it also sets the tone for the emotional tone of this book; Although the book is humorous and full of sarcasm, the material embarrassment and spiritual helplessness of a large number of literati can't help but make people feel sorry and cry! Whether they are nihilistic and sinful beings or anxious and noble beings, they all have an inner complex: either vain drifters or adventurous drifters are homeless, and Waishi is a sad song of wandering life!

The image of intellectuals in the literature of an era is, to some extent, the self-reflection and self-shaping of intellectuals of an era. Wu added what he thought was the noble quality of Wang Mian, an ideal figure, and the beauty of personality he saw in his contemporaries. Attaching the idea of moral self-help to this character is also the author's own situation to a certain extent: neither of them asked for Wen Da, but both of them withdrew from the pursuit, and some details expressing spiritual personality are similar. In Jin's poem "To Mr. Wu Wenmu", he said: "Prandham went by the shed and hollowed out to avoid people. Sometimes, Qinhuai restaurant takes the cups by itself. The children in the village or what they saw said that madness was incurable. " Wang Mian quoted the story of Duan Ganmu and Liu Sheji, and avoided the invitation of the magistrate of a county. He "wears a top hat and a wide coat" and "stubbornly plays around, causing rural children to laugh with him in droves", which is also "hopeless". In the meantime, there is a message of "teaching beyond the name, let nature take its course", which transcends reality with a wild and quiet attitude.

It is in this sense that the image of Wang Mian seems to be the spirit of this book. He refused fame and fortune thousands of miles away, took pride in the mountains and supported himself with a skill. "When I am free, I can write about selling green hills, so that I don't make money on earth" (Tang Yin's sentence). I can earn my own living economically, get rid of the dependence on "landlords" and "wait for no man". Living a life of "thinking fast" in his novels, he is like the first light, and the four strange people in the market are like beautiful and sighing sunsets. They created a pure land for themselves in the mud with their upright personality. They are so simple and clean, with enough brightness, which is in high contrast with the ignorance of stupid things and the crawling of rude scholars. They shine back and forth, and also overprint a sense of depth of field and richness. The author is like this, while criticizing and liquidating the weaknesses of nationality and intellectuals, he pursues "personality thought" and constantly formulates an ideal personality model, showing lasting enthusiasm.

The integration of moral consciousness and aesthetic consciousness is a prominent phenomenon in China literature, especially in ancient literature, and it is also a major feature of the artistic masterpiece Regret for the Past. In that beautiful and profound "wedge", the author devoted his main thoughts and overall evaluation of life aesthetics. In this magnetic field where moral power and aesthetic power are intertwined, Wang Mian's image is undoubtedly the axis of radiation. The establishment of this "upright and upright" lifestyle has dealt a devastating blow to the lifestyle of people inside and outside the despicable Confucian forest. The dwarfs who squirmed in the circle of wealth and fame, against the background of Wang Mian, all showed their ugliness and were taken in by unofficial history.

This method of image series composed of "concealment" shows the author's sophisticated identification and keen observation, keen sensitivity to people of all skin colors in society and artistic generalization ability to grasp the characteristics of things.