Discusstion On The Popularizational Characteristics Of Zhu Sujin's Historical Novel Zheng He

From end of 80's last century, military author Zhu Sujin published a series of military novel, created a group of new soldiery which are living in the peace days and discussed sacrifice and value of peace time military profoundly. By the frostily, deep and meaningful language style and thought-provoking power, his works were champion around the military literature. From end of 1990's Mr. Zhu left the military theme in abeyance and turned to historical plays, four major works Kangxi Dynasty, Swaying Ming Dynasty, Zheng He and Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang were published in both TV play and written in a popular style. Among them, Zheng He was a successful temptation of the"Eunuch Theme"based on this background. The popular theme picking, character figure, intension and plot structure ensured its success.Zheng He spreaded its story with two major events in Ming Denasty, one is Zhu Di's Usurpation and the other is Zheng He's Western Navigation. The theme chosen was in line with normal popular royal court secret history novel, which focus on usurpation, power exchange and extraordinary love to fit the public reading taste. Especially the"eunuch + Femme de chamber"love story, it realized the same stunt function without fall into philistinism of"city love". While the feat of western navigation excited the reader's national amour-propre and pride. Though it was no more military literature, the author's special view and most appealing theme and witted words always seize the reader's hearts of seeking novelty.Zheng He was a historical novel rich of romance air, especially for the bold invention of the figure, it shaped many magic legendary historical figures. Meanwhile, those characters unavoidable fell into stylization which is normal in popular novel. For example, clear moral criteria, similar personal character trend and fixed character. The author's character chosen were always bonded on few normal styles, and tried to reduce character changing to avoid reader's confusion. But its shortcoming was also obvious, that is the personalities were extra stylized lead to the art brilliance lost.Zheng He is assembly of popular novel means including love story, knight story and legal case. Borrowed from his previous experience, the author used military matter to construct this novel, the conflict of interests among different groups were descript wonderfully. Not only the cruelty of contend and the inclemency of soul manifested but also increased reading interests and infectivity. Interweaving the foreshadowing, suspense and kinds of conflicts, the author drew a magnificent historical roll of Western Navigation.The text popularization revealed the exterior character of the novel while the interior earthliness could be reviewed from the public symbol connotation of the major characters. As a eunuch, Zheng He is endowed a normal spirit by both career and emotion drove, and ideality sublimed. The spirit had been further anneal by frustrations and turned to be essence of the traditional culture. Till now, the author realized the purpose of appealing reader by eunuch theme; summoning reader by ethos. To be precise,"tortoise"symbolized endurance and tough personality;"sea"symbolized toleration and compatibility social character;"flute"symbolized the solitude introspection and loyalty life quarry. Deposited for a few thousand years, the Chinese traditional culture spirit has been turned to collectivity unconsciousness. Especially the puzzle and confusion of people who are living under the social transformation drove the author to approach the history theme, dig out the spirit connotation of the ancient culture, so that lead the readers to achieve mentally free and content by the reading.As a royal court life theme historical novel, Zheng He is much more profound in human nature revealing, but it is still bonded in popular field in both text character and spirit connotation. Especially in the aspects of formulization matter; figure stylization, vivid plot structure and public symbol connotation, all these are still in line with normal popular historical novel. Though understandable and close to the public, it misses art brilliance, hope to see some new works from him which are more direct facing the life, touching the bottom of heart and full of art tension, like"Cannon Group"and"Drunk Peace".