1. Controversy over Bing Xin's works (core case)
1. Lu Xun's criticism
- Lu Xun believed that Bing Xin's works lacked criticism of social reality, calling it "no literary depth"[1][3].
- Difference in origin: Lu Xun advocated using literature to expose the darkness of society (such as "Diary of a Madman"), while Bing Xin's works mostly focused on tender themes such as maternal love and innocence. Their writing styles formed a sharp contrast.
2. Zhang Ailing's irony
- He bluntly called Bing Xin's writing style "artificial" and even publicly stated that he "doesn't want to be ranked with Bing Xin."
- Essential differences: Eileen Chang is good at depicting human tragedies (such as "The Story of the Golden Lock"), while Bing Xin's works are full of idealism, reflecting their completely different growth backgrounds (Eiling Chang experienced family decline vs. Bing Xin's favorable upbringing environment).
3. Lin Huiyin's Confrontation
- Bing Xin published an allusive novel "Our Wife's Living Room" (which alluded to Lin Huiyin's social circle), causing Lin Huiyin to give Shanxi mature vinegar a gift in response.
- Deep contradiction: It not only includes the competition for Xu Zhimo's affection, but also implies the confrontation between different positions of the intellectual class on "salon culture".
2. Literary contempt from the perspective of social class
Jia Pingwa's "Happiness" reveals the identity discrimination caused by the differences between urban and rural areas through group portraits of waste pickers:
- The survival dilemma that the protagonist Liu Gaoxing encounters after selling his kidney and moving to the city reflects the "invisible discrimination" of the lower class groups in the city [9].
- The creation process of the five drafts of the novel reflects the author's deep humanistic care for the "despised".
3. Typical Forms of Literary Criticism
1. Contempt chain of writing style
- Realist writers often criticize romanticism for being divorced from reality (such as Lu Xun on Bing Xin).
- Advocates of tragic aesthetics despise idealistic narratives (such as Zhang Ailing versus Bing Xin).
2. Conflict in creative concepts
- Bing Xin advocated the "new doctrine of good wives and good mothers" and was rejected by female writers and was ridiculed as a "godmother"[3].
- In modern literature, avant-gardes often question traditional narrative techniques, resulting in intergenerational aesthetic conflicts.
4. Enlightenment across the ages
1. Diversity of literary evaluation: Writer Ding Ling once commented that "Bing Xin belongs to the past, but it also belongs to the future", suggesting the historical fluidity of aesthetic standards.
2. The value of marginalized works: For example, Bing Xin's "Stars" and "Spring Water" were groundbreaking in the field of children's literature, transcending the limitations of contemporary criticism.
Intention: to be humble