Next, the article goes directly to the topic, writing about the "airborne" feeling of the cabin. The first step is to compare the mountain road to a "airborne corridor". Since the corridor is "in the air", you can imagine it. , introducing the main image - the cabin in the sky. This cabin "is clear" during the day, "it is hazy at night", and the light at night gives the cabin an ethereal "aerial" feeling, and the lights on the mountain lighten the darkness." . There are many lights at the bottom of the mountain, but they are too bright, which makes it unattractive. On the mountain, there are few lights and they are sparse. They light up the darkness, as light as smoke, as light as fog, making it confusing and hazy. The mountains also look empty and the trees feel ethereal. Thus, the pavilion is shrouded in smoke and fog at night, which fully enhances the "aerial" atmosphere of the cabin. You see: "The cabin is lost in the fog and the tower is lost." The topic is so clever, it really comes naturally. We can't help but marvel at the author's superb artistic skills and proficient language expression ability, which can transform this ordinary mountain and ordinary hut into a wonderful and refreshing state.
This prose has many unique features in its description of scenery, lyricism, and conception. The scenery written in the article seems very ordinary to ordinary people, but the author has lofty ideas and gives it new meaning. He turns the small house into a looming "castle in the sky" and places his happiness, happiness and dreams in it. The idea is very wonderful. The first half of the article focuses on the true description of natural scenery. Although there are rich associations and imaginations, what is written is the actual situation and posture of mountains, trees, and houses. The second half focuses on people's feelings about natural scenery. It is obviously a very small "pocket" garden with limited walls, but "I" am intoxicated by the unlimited "airspace" for "touring and wandering"; it is obviously a small house "in the embrace of the mountain", just because In the changing light of morning, dusk and dusk, "I" thought that it was "like being in the stamens of a flower", and that the "stamens" would "bloom" and "close"; it was obviously a "high hillside" and a rugged "mountain road" , "I" call it "the ladder of happiness" and "the corridor in the sky"; as night falls, the hut is still a hut, but "I" feel that it seems to be "a castle in the air in the smoke, under the stars, and on the side of the moon shadow" ". In this way, the article goes from reality to fiction, blending the realistic landscape into a hazy and poetic artistic conception, which is fascinating and thought-provoking.
Through the above analysis, we can find that the title of this prose is "My Castle in the Sky", which has a wonderful pun: it refers to the "hut" of "my" home built on the mountain. In the hazy smoke, it looks like a towering tower into the sky, which also refers to the "castle in the sky" in the illusion, the ideal "independent" and "quiet" living environment. From the full text, this cabin should be fictional. The author deliberately placed the hut on a "high hillside", emphasizing that "mountain roads and hillsides are inconvenient for driving", implying that it is far away from the "human environment" and "does not hear the noise of cars and horses", which reflects the author's concern for the noisy, muddy and drunken life. The rejection of social reality shows the author's yearning for a transcendent, "independent, quiet" life. Since the article mainly expresses the author's aesthetic feelings towards the object, the "self" in the article is elevated to the position of dominating all things, and the external reality of similar shapes is placed in a subordinate position, and even makes the object image different from the original one. The change of form is the "deformation" of art.
The object and I are connected and the object and I are one. The focus of art is not on the natural form of the object, but on the subjectivity and emotion of the object. The aesthetic value of such a scene-writing prose far exceeds that of a description that lacks aesthetic passion. A mediocre work of mountains and water, the latter is like the sparrow jumping on the eaves and the cloud eagle flying high in the sky compared to the former.
(Selected from "Appreciation of Modern Prose in Hong Kong and Taiwan", published by Tomorrow Publishing House in 1989)
Language Features of "My Castle in the Sky" (Yang Daying)
Writer With unique feelings and poetic language, he transforms an ordinary hut on the mountain into a poetic work of art.
This article will appreciate the artistic charm of this prose from two aspects: the language of the poem and the poetic imagery.
The language of poetry is first of all expressed in its smoothness and rhythm, with coordinated sentence arrangement and great emphasis on the musical beauty of language, so it can withstand reading and tasting. For example:
The mountains are like eyebrows, and the huts are like moles on the eyebrows.
Very fresh and natural, my cabin stands exquisitely at a gentle angle on the ridge.
The two independent sentences at the beginning of the article set a cheerful and lively theme for the article with a relaxed and soothing rhythm. "The mountains are like eyebrows, and the huts are like moles on the eyebrows." This unique metaphor connects the mountains and the huts together. "Very fresh, very natural", the two adverbials are placed in front and the rhythm is lively, showing "I" cherish and appreciate the cabin.
The last three sentences of the article are even more extraordinary:
This castle in the air occupies a favorable location and can save a lot of interior design and other decorations.
Although I don’t raise birds, there are birds singing every morning.
There is no need to hang a painting. There is a huge painting outside the door called Nature.
The sentences are long and short, scattered and well-proportioned. Although they are not full of witty words, they are elegant and natural. Each word is full of emotion and every sentence is full of charm.
When describing the hut, prose often uses two corresponding and paired sentences to make the scenery more charming. For example:
The tree is always swaying gently. The movement of the trees shows the tranquility of the hut; the tallness of the trees shows the compactness of the hut; and the uniqueness of the hut is because the mountains are full of trees, which provides a wonderful green background for the hut.
The movement of the tree is used to contrast the quietness of the hut, and the large size of the tree is used to contrast the smallness of the hut. The combination of movement and stillness creates a unique composition. The sentences are in pairs, intertwined, varied, and have a strong sense of rhythm. Another example:
In the sentence, I first use a couplet to express the joy and happiness that the cabin has given me, and then use a rhetorical question to emphasize this feeling, followed by two parallel sentences to express my deep feelings and With cheerful feelings, I finally named the hillside and the path interestingly, using an active sentence and a passive sentence. The author is well versed in the art of language arrangement and combination, and the rhythm constantly rises and falls with the agitation of literary thoughts. In addition, the finals of "wai" and "lai" in the first sentence, the finals of "point" and "jian" in the second sentence, and the finals of "fei" and "retreat" in the third sentence are all the same. Mouth, enhances the sense of music. Rhythmic, paired, and harmoniously syllable poetic sentences like this are everywhere in the text. Many paragraphs can be chanted in verse, and the body and mind move up and down with the rhythm, creating a very pleasant feeling. The prose is poetic, with ups and downs, creating a painting-like atmosphere for expressing emotions.
The artistic charm of prose is also reflected in the author's use of colored pens, colored words, peculiar imagination, and exquisite metaphors to capture the heroic appearance of the cabins from various angles. Let's show you a picture.
First, huts dot the lonely mountains. The author uses four metaphors:
The peculiar imagination spreads out the vast and empty background, showing the small and exquisite embellishments. The four metaphors are from different angles, with sails floating on the sea and geese flying across the blue sky. Movement is used to represent stillness, and largeness is used to contrast smallness. The latter two metaphors focus on color and emotion, exaggerating the clever grace and charming momentum of the house. Adding such smart embellishments to the silent mountain greatly adds to the beauty of the mountain scenery.
Second, trees decorate the cabin.
The author focuses on the hut, and a close-up picture appears: a pure green flowerless tree on the mountain, with a vigorous or tall posture, slender or graceful. The trees swayed gently, showing the quietness of the hut; the tallness of the trees showed the compactness of the hut. The mountains are full of trees, providing a wonderful green background for the hut. Surrounded by green trees, the hut is particularly eye-catching and unique. The author felt that the green background alone was not enough to embellish the hut, so he added another stroke:
Behind the hut, there was a big tree higher than the roof, with thin and dense branches and leaves stretching above the hut. It was beautiful. And the thick shade of the trees shrouds the cabin... making the cabin look subtle and graceful.
In this way, a mysterious color is added to the picture of trees dotting the cabin, making this landscape painting more charming and elegant.
Thirdly, the hut is looming. The author distanced himself, changed the angle, stood at the foot of the mountain, looked up at the hut, and looked at the hut through the gaps between the green trees. All he saw was a certain "part":
If you get further away, you may be able to see the hut. The whole picture, it is located on the top of the mountain, "rising in the sky with a graceful posture", "like a bird or a butterfly, resting on the branches, light and free".
The looming cabin adds the finishing touch, making it charming and full of vitality. The author frequently changes the angle and creates a multi-layered composition to obtain a three-dimensional sense of space.
The author is not finished, and he is also creative and paints a charming night view of the cabin:
Every night when darkness falls, brilliant lights from thousands of houses light up at the foot of the mountain, and lights flash out from the mountains. Sparse lights. The lamps at the bottom of the mountain illuminated the darkness, and the lamps on the mountain dimmed the darkness. It was as light as smoke, as light as fog, and the mountains were empty and the trees were misty.
Comparing the faint image of the hut with the bright lights of thousands of houses under the mountain creates a hazy and ethereal background like smoke and fog for the hut. The faint light, the misty moonlight and the dots of starlight make it look like Penglai Wonderland, a veritable castle in the air. Not only are the pictures poetic, but the sentences are also very beautiful. Sometimes they are neatly contrasted, the tone is sonorous, sometimes they pause for three words, and they stop for four words, and the rhythm is bright. After reading this sentimental sentence, a smoky and ethereal castle in the sky appeared in front of my eyes. It was like appreciating a piece of music with a light melody, and like entering a fairyland and roaming in the sea of ??clouds. It was really a beautiful enjoyment.
This essay uses pictures to express the author's feelings for the hut. The pictures include panoramic views, night views, distant views, close-up views, and close-up views of the hut. They color the hut from different angles and at different times. Such as appreciating a series of scrolls and feeling the aesthetic power of art.
(Selected from "Middle School Chinese Teaching" Issue 9, 1992. Abridged)
Appreciation of the Metaphor of "My Castle in the Sky" (Huang Zusi)
Shan Ru Eyebrow, the hut is just like a mole on the eyebrow.
There is an ancient saying that "eyebrows are like green mountains and eyes are like autumn water". There is nothing novel in comparing the mountain to a woman's painted eyebrows, but the author comes up with a clever trick and compares the "hut" in the mountain to a "mole on the tip of the eyebrow." The metaphor of "eyebrow" pave the way for the metaphor of "mole", and the metaphor of "mole" strengthens the metaphor of "eyebrow". This unique and novel metaphor not only highlights the exquisiteness, freshness and naturalness of "the cabin stands on the ridge" It is soft, and it also reminds people of the charming and beautiful face of a young woman, thus creating a concrete and intimate feeling for the painted scenery.
The main access road is a mountain road similar to the Suhua Highway. One side is close to the mountain, and the other side faces the undulating green sea and the high hillside.
The author compares the green rice fields to the vast "green sea", which gives people a sense of wholeness, which is extremely appropriate; and the author compares the mood of the wind blowing in the rice seedlings to the undulating " "Wave" deepens people's impression of "sea". This kind of precise use of the form of "continuation metaphor" in which one metaphor is built on the basis of another metaphor, and the two metaphors are intrinsically related, truly expresses the magnificent scenery of the rice fields like the sea.
Mr. Lao She said in "Language and Style": "Nothing can give a more profound impression than a sophisticated metaphor, and nothing is more cumbersome than a dispensable metaphor." He He also advocated that if metaphors are to be used, "it must be surprising, otherwise it should not be used at all" ("Metaphors").
It is based on this point of view that Li Lewei always strives to be novel, unique, beautiful and expressive when using "comparisons" and "metaphors". For example:
The hut is in the embrace of the mountains, just like in the stamens of a flower. Slowly the stamens bloom a little, as if the mountains have retreated a little.
The ontology "mountain" and the metaphor "stamen" were originally very unrelated things, but the author used rich associations and imagination to "connect" them together in a novel way, expressing the " The shape of the "stamen" of the mountain. The "stamens" "slowly" "blooming" open more vividly depict the dynamic feeling of the mountains, a static thing, due to the changes in light at "dawn", creating a sense of movement. Created an "amazing" artistic effect. This method, which Mr. Zhu Ziqing calls "taking examples from afar", has many examples in the article. For example:
In essence, it is a house; in form, it is like a bird or a butterfly, resting on the branches, light and free!
The mountain hut The metaphors of "bird" and "butterfly" are indeed unsaid by predecessors. The use of two novel and unique metaphors describes the hut between trees from different angles and different feelings. A graceful, free and dancing posture.
Lessing believes: "If poetry wants to compete with art in describing the beauty of objects, there is another way to use it, which is to turn beauty into charm, and charm is beauty in motion." ("Latin America") Aokong") Li Lewei is well versed in the art of "turning beauty into charm". When making metaphors, she pays great attention to the use of dynamic images as metaphors to describe the ontology, making static things dynamic, thus forming a vivid and vivid image. artistic image. For example:
Comparing "mountain" to "the endless water surface" and "the vast sky" only enhance the image of the things painted, but fail to arouse the sense of movement and "stirring". "It evokes the thoughts of human mobility. The "hut" is compared to "a sail" that "floats" and "a flying goose" that "passes" not only expresses its morphological characteristics from the "point" and "surface", but also the particularly subtle However, it also makes this static scene appear beautiful and moving, which makes readers extend their endless reveries. This is exactly what Bacon said: "In terms of beauty, the beauty of appearance is higher than the beauty of color, and the beauty of elegant and suitable movements is higher than the beauty of appearance." ("Western Aestheticians on Beauty and Beauty")
The superb metaphorical skills of this prose lie not only in the author’s ability to capture the most vivid and appropriate metaphors to form metaphors, but also in the fact that when using metaphors, the author does not simply copy natural forms, but pays attention to the His strong subjective emotions were poured into it. It can be seen from the article that when describing the scenery he loves, his metaphors all show extremely beautiful things. "Mei Dai", "Sail", "Flying Goose", "Bird", "Butterfly", "Peony", "Peony", "Pistil", "Green Sea", "Castle in the Sky", etc. are all beautiful in shape. The colorful use of metaphors fully expresses the author's infinite love for "castles in the air", which makes people excited when reading and arouses an eager yearning for the things the author draws. The artistic effect produced by such a comparison is far beyond what can be compared with those purely objective descriptions.
It is worth pointing out that when using metaphors, the author not only pays attention to the novelty and vividness of the metaphor itself, but also pays great attention to the variety of metaphor forms. The article not only uses the three basic forms of simile, metaphor, and metonymy, but also uses special forms such as metaphor, continuation metaphor, and inverted metaphor. They are combined and intertwined, each showing its own style, which greatly enhances the content of the article. artistic appeal.
(Selected from the 1992 issue 9 of "Chinese Teaching in Middle Schools", the original title is "Clever metaphors, beautiful shapes and spiritual leaps". Abridged)