Life of Characters in Akutagawa Ryunosuke's Works

In the 25th year of Meiji (1892), Ryunosuke Akutagawa was born in Tokyo, whose real name was Xinyuan, the son of a milkman. His mother gave birth to him when he was 32 years old. Ryunosuke was born in Tokyo (now the central area of Tokyo) and is the eldest son of Shinhara Minsan (Yamaguchi Prefecture, who runs the milk industry). Because he was born at the moment of year, month, day and moment, he was named Ryunosuke. Ryunosuke has two sisters. The first one (ハツ) died, and the second one (ヒサ) married Ge Juanding and gave birth to a man and a woman. After her husband died, she remarried to Feng Xichuan. After surprisingly's death, she returned to Ge Juan's home. Seven months after Akutagawa was born, his mother Fukuko (フクコ) suddenly went crazy eight months later, and then became a lifelong madman. Ryunosuke was sent to my grandmother Akutagawa's home at No.15 Quanmachi (now Motian District). The adoptive father Akutagawa Dojo was his mother's brother, and he was then the director of civil engineering in Tokyo. Akutagawa family is a big family with considerable luxury houses. They have served as tea party officials in Edo city for generations, with rigorous style but profound knowledge and strong literati atmosphere. Because the Akutagawa family is a gentry (warrior) who has lasted for more than ten generations and has a noble family style, literature, performing arts and fine arts are compulsory subjects for gentry's children. The whole family is familiar with entertainment (tea ceremony, flower arrangement, dance, music, etc. Zhang Tao is good at southern painting and likes potted plants. "No one will completely oppose literature, because they all like literature from adoptive parents to menstruation" (Family who loves literature and Family with Good Literature). Perhaps because of the environment and his cleverness, he read a wide range of books. In primary school and middle school, he liked reading Edo literature, Journey to the West, Water Margin and so on. He also likes the works of modern Japanese writers Kyouka Izumi, Koda Rohan, Natsume Soseki and Mori Yoshiro. He is also interested in European and American literature. He likes reading the works of Ibsen, France, Baudelaire and Strindberg, and is deeply influenced by the literature at the end of the century. This makes him not only an outstanding writer in the future, but also a learned man. earlier stage

Meiji twenty-six years (1893) 1 year.

My biological father, Shinohara Minsan, moved from Xinjin Town to sixteen places in Xinchi Town, Pool District (Port Area).

Meiji 30 years (1897)5 years old.

Enter the kindergarten affiliated to Jiangdong Primary School next to Emei Temple.

Meiji thirty-one years (1898) 6 years old.

In April, I entered Jiangdong Primary School in Liumachi of our college. Because I am a little nervous and timid, but my academic performance is excellent. Burning leaves at night to see the country god (burning leaves at night to see the country god) is said to be a haiku written by him in elementary school, which showed his precocious literary talent early. Meiji thirty-five years (190 1) 10 years old.

165438+1On October 28th, mother Fuzi passed away. In April, together with Noguchi prodigy and other students, he founded the circulation magazine Sunrise World, and edited and wrote the cover himself. Akutagawa loved reading very early. He has read Nature and Life by Devluhua and Ginkgo biloba by Kyouka Izumi, and he loves Edo literature, from Eight Dogs in the Book by Ma Qin to Sanma, Yijiu and Jinsong. Besides, The Journey to the West and Water Margin are all his favorite books. 165438+1On October 28th, mother Fuzi passed away. "Before she died, she suddenly recovered her anger and looked at our faces and kept crying" (Ghost Book and Ghost Book).

Meiji thirty-seven years (1904), 12 years old.

In the thirty-second year of Meiji, my mother's sister married my father Minsan and gave birth to my half-brother. According to the judicial ruling in July of that year, Ryunosuke was formally adopted as the adopted son of Akutagawa family as a condition for Dongzi to become a new native.

Meiji thirty-eight years (1905), 13 years old.

After graduating from Jiangdong Primary School, I entered the Tokyo Metropolitan No.3 Middle School in Liuyuan, our college. In my middle school, Akutagawa made excellent academic achievements, especially in Chinese. His desire for reading is getting stronger and stronger. He has read all the novels, such as Red Leaves, Lu Companion, Ye Yi, Niu, Lu Hua, Shu Shi, Ou Wai and so on. Among foreign writers, he is interested in Ibsen and Annette Fran? ois (ァナトール? フランス) and others expressed concern. At that time, history was his favorite subject, and he hoped to be a historian in the future. In middle school, he published his work "On Righteousness and Bell" in the magazine of Alumni AssociationNo. 15 (February of Meiji 43). Xiong, who was his first-grade teacher, recalled: "He was slim, and compared with his face, his head was particularly big, with a long neck and a high nose, and wisdom was hidden in his pearl-like eyes" (Introduction to the Dragon and Introduction to the Gentleman).

Meiji forty-three years (19 10), 18 years old.

In March, I graduated from No.3 Middle School. In September, I was admitted to Class B (liberal arts), the first-ranked institution of higher learning, with excellent results. Kumei Masao, Kan Kikuchi, Matsuoka Jean, Yamamoto Yusuke, Tuwei Civilization, Fujita Hiroshi and Ishida Yasuke are all his classmates. Qin and Fujimori of the German legal system, as well as Akio Toyoda and Yunhe Yamamiya, liberal arts students one level higher than him, are also his classmates. In the autumn of the same year, Akutagawa's family temporarily moved to three biological fathers, Min's family, located in the 7 1 building of Erdingmu, Shinjuku-CHO, Naito.

Meiji forty-four years (1911)19 years old.

I spent a year in my hometown's high school dormitory and spent it in the dormitory. However, because of cleanliness, he didn't adapt to life here. At that time, Ryunosuke was an honest student with academic temperament, and his desire for reading and knowledge was still very strong. He loves reading Baudelaire, Strindberg, Annette Frans, Barkusen and Oyikun, and he is detached from the classroom. In the second year of Dazheng (19 13), 2 1 year.

He entered Imperial University in Tokyo to study English literature, during which he began to write. Together with Kumei Masao and Kan Kikuchi, he reissued New Trend of Thought twice and became a fan of New Trend of Thought magazine for the third and fourth time.

Dazheng was 22 years old for three years (1914).

In February, he co-founded the third new ideological trend with Akio Toyoda, Masao Yamamiya, Masao Kumei, Kan Kikuchi, Jean Matsuoka, Seise Masaichi, Yusuke Yamamoto, and Tsukiji Civilization, and published his translated works by Ye Zhi and Annette Francisco under the pseudonym of Ryunosuke Liuchuan in the inaugural issue. In April, he published his first novel "Old Age" in a magazine. In September, the drama Youth and Death was published. 10 June, the third new trend of thought was closed. /kloc-at the end of 0/0, the family moved to No.435, Zhenduan, Takinogawa, Xiafengdao County. "When I was a student, I had the closest contact with people with the new trend of thought in March 4th. I didn't want to be a writer, but I finally became a writer, which was completely influenced by them ... At that time, I came into contact with some people besides the above-mentioned people at Waseda University, and these people really had a bad influence on me as a simple person. There is no one but them. They are the founders of the fan magazine Masks, Li Xia Geng Zhijie, Xitiao Eighty, Moriguchi torii Zhu Jun ("gentlemen" and "you" gentlemen).

Dazheng was 23 years old in the fourth year (1915).

In February, the "first love" with Yayoi Yoshida was shattered, resulting in a world-weary mood. In May, The Mask of the Fire Man was published in Imperial Literature. 1 1 In June, Rashomon was published in the same magazine, but he was still an unknown young man. In February 65438 AD, Akutagawa was introduced by Lin Yuan Kenzo, a student of Natsume, and attended the "Thursday Party" held in the Shushi Mountain House in Namcho, Waseda. Later, he said that he felt the "personality attraction that came out of nowhere" from Shu Shi, that is, that kind of charm (another draft of "Doing Your Own Business at that time" and "Divide yourself into things").

Dazheng five years (19 16) 24 years old.

1 month, "The article by Matsuura" published in Yomiuri Shimbun. In February, he founded the fourth new ideological trend with Masao Kumei, Jean Matsuoka, Masaichi Sese and Kan Kikuchi, and published Nose in the inaugural issue, which was appreciated by Sosese. Later, under the recommendation of Su Shi's protege Suzuki Sanhao, he took part in the creation of new novels and took his first step towards the literary world. In July, I graduated from the English Department of Imperial University in Tokyo, and my thesis was entitled "william morris Studies" (ィィァム? モリスス), the graduation result ranks second among the 20 students in the class. In September, he published "Taro Porridge" in "New Novel", which was well received. In June, the success of publishing "Towel" in "Central Public Comment" established his position as a new writer. 1 1 In June, he published his first Christian work Tobacco (later renamed Tobacco and the Devil) in New Trends of Thought. In February 65438, Akutagawa went to the Naval Academy as a temporary instructor and lived in Kamakura with a monthly salary of 60 yen. On the 9th of the same month, Natsume Soseki passed away.

Dazheng was six years old (19 17), aged 25.

In June+10, 5438, Yun was published in the World of Articles, and the Memorandum from Tailing to Ramadan was published in New Trends of Thought. In March, the fourth new trend of thought was closed. In April, my adoptive father Akutagawa and I went to Kyoto and Nara. In May, the first collection of short stories Rashomon was published by Alanto's study. In June, the so-called "new skill school" new writers got together and held a publication commemorative meeting for Rashomon. In September, Meggie the vulture moved from Kamakura to Yokosuga. In June, the second collection of short stories, Tobacco and the Devil, was published.

Dazheng seven years (19 18)26 years old.

In June+10, 5438, after the U-shaped transformation was published in New Tide (The First Words) and Saigō Takamori in New Novel. Get to know each other and become friends. On February 2nd, she married Tsukuba. At that time, Wen Zi was 65,438+09 years old and she was studying in a girls' school. In March, he settled in Cross Street, Okumamachi, Kamakura, and became a member of Osaka Daily News Agency. In May this year, he studied under Gao Bin Xu Zi and showed enthusiasm for haiku. On one occasion, at a friend's wedding banquet, he sang "It's cool to cut the leek with a knife" (まのりやをる). In April, it was published in New Novel, Words on Earth and Pao Ze and Sheng Yuan. In June, he published a series of haiku.

In the eighth year of Dazheng (1919), I was 27 years old.

On June+10, 5438, the third collection of short stories, Puppet Teacher, was published. On March 15, my biological father Xin Yuanmin died of influenza. In the same month, Akutagawa resigned from the Naval Academy and became a member of Osaka Daily News Agency. The condition of joining the club is that he will write several novels to the club every year, and it is free. You don't need to go to work in the office on weekdays, nor do you need to write other news; You can get a monthly salary 130 yen. On April 28th, he moved from Kamakura to Tanduan again to live with his adoptive parents. In Tanduan, his study was named "My Ghost Cave". In May, he and Kan Kikuchi visited Nagasaki, looking for Christian relics, and met Shigeki Saito for the first time. However, at that time, Shi Shicheng, Masajiro of Kojima, Hidetaro of the South, Takasaku of Taki and Xiaoxue attracted the attention of Ryunosuke Akutagawa. During this year, he met a woman named "Sad Man" Xiumaozi, who was once in emotional trouble. The "madman's daughter" in A Fool's Life only refers to people.

Dazheng nine years (1920)28 years old.

On June+10, 5438, the fourth collection of short stories, Shadow Lights (Chunyangtang), was published. In March, the eldest son was born, and he named him after the pen name "Hong" with the word "Kuan" in his name. In June165438+1October, he toured Kyoto and Osaka with Masao Kumei, Kan Kikuchi and Koji Uno. In the spring of this year, Akutagawa met the waitress Zuoduodaozi in the Qinglingge Hotel in Ueno.

Dazheng Decade (1921) is 29 years old.

In March, the fifth collection of short stories "cordate telosma" (trendy society) was published. In the same month, he was sent to China as an overseas observer by Osaka Daily News Agency. At home, he started from Shanghai, visited Hangzhou, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Nanjing and Wuhu all the way, then returned to Hankou, visited Dongting and Changsha, passed through Zhengzhou, Luoyang and Longmen to Beijing, and returned from North Korea at the end of July. The trip greatly damaged Akutagawa's health, and he fell ill immediately after returning home. In the eleventh year of Dazheng (1922), he was 30 years old.

In April, the plaque "My Ghost Cave" hanging in the study was changed to "Chengjiang Hall" written by Fumi Shimoda, and this name was first used in Akutagawa's letter to Guo Hao I on June +654381October+February 2. From April 25th to May 30th, I went to Nagasaki again and stayed in Kyoto for more than ten days. On July 9th, Mori Yoshiro passed away. 1 1 month, the second son Duo Jiazhi was born. At this time, Akutagawa's body gradually declined, suffering from neurasthenia, rash, stomach spasm, enteritis, tachycardia and other diseases.

Twelve years of Dazheng (1923)3 1 year.

On June+10, 5438, the front page of Literature Spring and Autumn Magazine, which was founded in Kan Kikuchi, serialized the words of the dwarf. Go to Tangheyuan for hot spring treatment in March and April. In May, the sixth collection of short stories, Chunfu (Chunyangtang), was published. In June, Dailang Shimada's double suicide incident occurred, and Akutagawa was deeply hit. In August, he gave a speech on topics such as literature and art at Faguang Temple Summer University in Yamanashi Prefecture. In the same month, I went to Kamakura for my summer vacation and met Okamoto Yiping and Lu Zi. "The flute came from the distant dusk, and Mr. T's younger brother walked into H's room. At this time, the horse (dragon intermediary) suddenly changed his face and stood up and said, "Ah, it's time to sow." Crane disease, crane disease. On June+10, 5438, I met Hori Chen Xiong, who was still studying in a high school. In February, 65438, he traveled to Kyoto and published Ahahahaha, which marked the change of his writing style.

In the thirteenth year of Dazheng (1924), he was 32 years old.

On June+10, 5438, a maid's diary was published in the central public opinion, and a piece of soil was published in the new trend. In April, Youth was published in Central Public Opinion, and Cold was published in Transition. In July, the seventh collection of short stories "The Wind of Yellow Birds" (Xinchao Society) was published. From July to March of the following year, The Modern Series of English Literature (seven volumes in total) was edited and published by Xingwen Society. From late July to September, I spent a summer in Karuizawa. I met a talented woman, Hiroko Yamayama, who was "equally knowledgeable" and wrote lyric poems such as Superman and Wen Xiang. However, the relationship between the two had not developed further, and Akutagawa retired. In September, the second collection of essays "Hundred Herbs" (Xinchao Society) was published. June 5438+10, my father-in-law died, and my brother-in-law Tsumoto Bazhou also vomited blood. Akutagawa himself suffers from colds, gastroptosis, hemorrhoids, neurasthenia and other diseases, and his body becomes weaker. He began to receive treatment from Shigeki Saito.

Dazheng was fourteen years old (1925), aged 33.

In February, he and Sakutarō Hagiwara became good friends. In March, he participated in editing The Complete Works of Kyouka Izumi. In April, Ryunosuke Akutagawa was published as the first volume of The Complete Works of Modern Novels (New Wave Society). April10-May 6, I received hot spring treatment at Xiushan Temple Xinjing Hotel. In July, the third son An Shi was born. In June 5438+10, all five volumes of Modern Japanese Literature Reader commissioned by Xingwen Society were edited. 1 1, China Travel Notes (Reform Society) published. Due to the deterioration of health, creation entered a low ebb.

In the fifteenth year of Taisho-the first year of Showa (1926), he was 34 years old.

From June to 10, 5438, he was treated for stomach diseases, neurasthenia, hemorrhoids and other diseases, and lived in the western and central rooms of Tangheyuan until mid-February. In April, he went to his wife's family and lived with her. At this time, his insomnia became more and more serious. In early July, he went to the swamp again. 10 month, essay "Mei? Ma Ying (trendy society) was published.

Showa was 35 years old in the second year (1927).

65438+ October, the swamp returned. At the beginning of the new year, my sister's house caught fire and all the houses were burned down. Because of the huge insurance money at home, brother-in-law Nishikawa Feng was suspected of self-immolation and committed suicide by lying on the tracks in distress. After the death of his brother-in-law, Akutagawa ran around for the usury owed by his sister's family, and his neurasthenia became more serious. From April, the article "Literature, Too Literary" was serialized in "Metamorphosis" (until July), and at the same time, Junichiro Tanizaki and I debated the conception of the novel. On April 7th, I made an appointment with Pingsongzi and attempted suicide at the Imperial Hotel. In June, the eighth short story collection "Hunan Fan" (Literature Spring and Autumn Society) was published. On July 23rd, Continued Westerners was completed. Before dawn on the 24th, Akutagawa committed suicide by taking a lethal dose of barbital in Tano's bedroom. There is a Bible on the pillow. He left a suicide note to his wife yuriko koike, Kan Kikuchi, Ge Juanyimin, Menstruation and relatives Mr. Takeuchi. Besides, he left a letter to an old friend. "Suicides may not know why they want to commit suicide. Our actions all contain complicated motives, but I feel vaguely uneasy. Why am I only vaguely uneasy about the future? " A letter to an old friend. On the 27th, a funeral was held for Akutagawa in the crematorium in the valley, and then the ashes were stored in the Zongciyan Temple in Fahua, which dyed the well. Akutagawa Ryunosuke's works are mainly short stories, and others include poems, hymns, haiku, essays, essays, travel notes and papers.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke's novels begin with historical themes, such as Rashomon, Nose and Stealing. Then it turned to the civilized themes of Meiji civilization, such as balls, Afu's chastity, puppets and so on. Later, write realistic themes, such as oranges, a piece of land and autumn. In his creation, he pays attention to skills, exquisite and gorgeous style, perfect form and structure, and cares about social problems and life problems. 1925 published autobiographical novel "Oshima Shinsuke Temple Half-life Fate". 1927 published the short story "The Boy by the River", which sharply mocked the capitalist society and its system.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke is also a representative writer of the new trend of thought, and his works are characterized by romanticism and realism.

His early works were mainly historical novels, borrowing the past from the present and criticizing the current disadvantages. They can be divided into five categories:

(1) Based on people and events in feudal dynasties, such as Rashomon and Nose, it was adapted from ancient stories to expose the prevailing egoism at that time; Map of Hell (19 18) depicts a painter who served feudal princes, sacrificed his daughter and his life in pursuit of artistic achievements, and criticized the tyrant for turning the world into hell.

② According to the Catholic missionary activities introduced to Japan in modern times, such as Tobacco and the Devil (19 17), Death of a Believer (19 18) and Smile of the Gods (1922).

(3) Describe the social phenomena in the Edo period, such as playing Samadhi and throwing stones at Kuranosuke (both 19 17). The play Samadhi describes the inner activities of the protagonist Takizawa Maqin, and expounds the author's philosophy of life beyond vulgar and ugly reality.

(4) Novels describing Japanese society during the rising period of capitalism after Meiji Restoration, such as Handkerchief (19 16) and Ball (1920). Pappa satirized the Bushido spirit advocated by Japanese Meiji thinker Nitobe Inazo.

⑤ Works adapted from ancient legends in China, such as Nu Wa, Huang Liangmeng, Hero (both 19 17), Du Zichun, Akiyama Map (both 1920), etc.

After the October Revolution, Japanese proletarian literature began to sprout. Under the influence of the times, Ryunosuke Akutagawa also paid attention to creating works that reflected reality. Among them, Orange (1920), a simple and kind rural girl who eulogizes the anguish of petty-bourgeois intellectuals, Autumn (19 19), and Handcart (192), which depicts the psychology of teenagers. Nogi Maresuke's generals (1920), monkeys (19 16) and Sambo (1927) criticized militarism and sympathized with lower-level soldiers.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke's later works reflect his disillusionment with the social reality of the disparity between the rich and the poor. 1927, published by Xuanhe Fang Shan. Through the death of an old painter, it exposes the entanglements within the family, reflects the bleak and desperate mood of life, and implies the decline of the old things and the arrival of a new era. At the time of writing this work, Ryunosuke Akutagawa had suicidal thoughts, which made later works such as A Mirage full of gloomy atmosphere. The River Boy (1927) attacked the capitalist cannibalism system through the fictional country of the River Boy. His posthumous works Gear and A Fool's Life (1927) describe the author's state of mind before his death. Comments on Dwarf Ci (1923 ~ 1927) expounded his views on art and life. Akutagawa Ryunosuke is a skeptical writer, and his works are permeated with his skeptical spirit. /kloc-at the end of 0/9 century, decadence and aestheticism prevailed. With people's doubt and reinterpretation of all existing knowledge theory systems, skepticism in this period more reflects people's imitation and contradiction under the conditions of industrial society. This split and contradictory attitude is best reflected in Akutagawa Ryunosuke's novels. The Akutagawa era is an era of rapid transformation from tradition to modernity in Japan. He began to get in touch with western literary theory from middle school, and the modern western literary trend of thought had a certain influence on him. Famous western poets and philosophers such as Baudelaire, Nietzsche and Strindberg often appear in Akutagawa's works, which are "deeply influenced by skepticism, world-weariness and literature at the end of the century". Akutagawa's contradictory and split attitude towards religion, death and human nature in his novels reflects his skepticism.

Akutagawa Ryunosuke is good at short stories, but due to the limitation of space, he can't describe the broad social life and the ups and downs of the times. But Akutagawa is unique in that he draws inspiration from the details, or from the historical legends and stories of Japan and China, and does not stick to the times, depicting bizarre stories such as warriors, nobles, monks, craftsmen, thieves and civilians. Looking at all his short stories, it is also a display of human beings. Akutagawa's description of people's psychological state stems from his own personal experience and observation of social feelings. He is good at psychological description and deep excavation of human nature. Few of his heroes can be regarded as lovely people. In addition to those vicious people, the most ordinary people are also full of secret thoughts. From the early Rashomon and Nose to the later River Boy, the analysis of people's hearts and the anxiety and distress about survival are the themes throughout, and this pessimism and distress also led to his early death. Even so, Akutagawa often shows his yearning for beauty in his works. The description of Christians in his early works and the tenderness reflected in his manuscripts, the hero in Du Yuchun is also one of the few heroes without moral defects in his works. However, he still showed a pessimistic attitude when describing the goodness of human nature and the power of morality. He believes that morality and reason can no longer restrain people's behavior today, and people's egoism always urges people to do terrible things. This suspicion of morality and humanity led to his pessimism and made him fall into deeper anxiety. Death is closely related to Akutagawa Ryunosuke's life and creation. It was death that inspired him to understand the tragic situation of human beings, and slowly presented these death consciousness to readers in his own artistic world. O 'Neill said: "People often confuse tragedy with pessimism. For me, only tragedy has real beauty, and this beauty is truth. Tragedy makes life and hope meaningful. " Death is tragic. Akutagawa Ryunosuke, with his unique cognitive way, pays attention to the human soul in the sad world and pursues an elusive ideal paradise.

The death of his mother, sister, teacher and good friend made Ryunosuke Akutagawa have both fear and understanding of death. Death threatens life, death is irreversible, death is everywhere, death stops at 100 million, death solidifies, and death makes short-lived things eternal. In Akutagawa Ryunosuke's consciousness of death, death is both contradictory and constantly changing. These consciousnesses are integrated into his works. In his works, we can see not only the submissive who faces death, but also the rebel who dies. But more people are ordinary people who gave their lives for art and faith. What can best pin Akutagawa's ideal is the strong man who pursues the "golden dream" without sacrificing his life. Whether it is the strong vitality brought by rebellious gods in Shinto, the process of life growth, maturity and aging, or the criticism and regret of trampling on life in Bushido, Akutagawa's attitude of "living" towards death is reflected. As the last straw of Akutagawa's self-salvation in his later years, "Christianity" liberated Akutagawa's yearning and soul for a poetic world.