I never know why people fall in love with another person. I guess there may be a gap between us. It's a hollow, which is full of biting cold wind, so we urgently need a heart with the right shape to fill it. Even if you are a perfect circle like the sun, the gap in my heart may be just a zigzag, and you can't fill it.
I first heard about the moon and sixpence in a workplace observation program "Exciting Proposal". Mei frame quoted whether she should resign when she was faced with a well-paid job but didn't like her boss. Mei Jia is on the side that should bravely resign. She said that high salary should be happiness, but she is still considering whether to resign, which shows that she can't stand it to some extent. This seemingly forbearing state is actually a serious consumption of work enthusiasm by internal friction, which is not conducive to the self-growth of work. Later, she said, the essence of the argument is to ask us if we have the courage to resign in the face of money and the future. Then she said that even if everyone wants to be a swift horse, the premise is to meet Bole. I hope everyone can look up at the moon when they realize that there are sixpence everywhere.
I find this passage very interesting. Later, I searched it and found it was the name of a book. I think the name of this book is also very interesting, so I bought it and read it. When I got this book, I found that the author of The Moon and Sixpence was william somerset maugham.
Before reading, I didn't seem to read the preface, introduction or table of contents very carefully, and seemed to think that the text was the purpose. In the preface to the translation of The Moon and Sixpence, Professor Wang Jinhua briefly introduced the life of Mao Mu and the character of strickland, the hero of the novel, and gave a high evaluation: it is unique in content and form, and shines brilliantly in western literature and even world literature.
At the beginning of reading the first part, Mao Mu mentioned his first impression of Charles Strickland and didn't see anything unusual about this man. But later, four years after his death, a man named Maurice Xu Rui wrote an article to save this unknown painter from being lost, because he was a master of writing, and sincerely hoped to attract people of insight to pay attention to this talented painter with original spirit. Mao Mu said that Strickland's fame is one of the most romantic and legendary events in the history of art.
In the second section, he said that if he hadn't accidentally gone to Tahiti because of the war, he would never have written down these memories of Strickland. If those who believe in Strickland's greatness are right, then those who have had personal contact with him on the island have also witnessed the most uncertain day of this tragic painter's career. Mao Mu added that there is a bit of asceticism in his character, and every week, he puts his body to a greater test. He read the literary supplement of each issue of The Times, thinking that so many writers have written so many promising books, but they don't know what fate awaits them. He thinks this is really a kind of physical and mental cultivation. I found his speech very interesting, just like the title of his book.
In the third part, I learned that when Mao Mu first became famous and entered the London literary world, he was young, eager and shy. At that time, they were ashamed to express their feelings and worried about being teased, so most of them restrained themselves from making public. He said that he didn't think the elegant poets and writers at that time were completely honest, but he didn't remember that the literary and art circles at that time were so promiscuous as they are today. This sentence reminds me of the publication of The Moon and Sixpence mentioned by Professor Wang Jinhua in the preface to the translation, which coincided with the May 4th Movement in China. At that time, Lu Xun shouted slogans such as "ethical code eats people and saves children". The writing is familiar. Mao Mu said that at that time, conversation was still regarded as an art that should be mastered, and aphorisms were not just tools for stupid people to pretend to be interesting, they only added vitality and vivid interest to elegant people. I suddenly thought of the self-righteous classical Chinese that I often updated in Q signature, and found this person's speech more interesting.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Mao Mu used no one to treat him better than her to draw out a woman named Ross Vattel Fuld. It was also at this lady's tea party that Mao Mu met Mrs Strickland, the wife of Charles Strickland.
Mrs. Strickland likes to make friends with some literati, perhaps because they live near each other. That summer, Mao Mu and Mrs. Strickland often met and occasionally went to his house for a happy lunch or a lively tea party.
What I see in Mao Mu's eyes is Mrs Strickland's pleasing kindness and simplicity. He said that Mrs. strickland not only hosted a banquet for these writers and artists, but also visited their isolated residences. She thinks their life creed is understandable, but she doesn't want to adjust her life in their way for a moment. Even though these people's theories and paradoxes are interesting, Mrs. strickland's happy knowledge has no influence on her beliefs and principles.
It suddenly occurred to me whether Strickland knew his wife very well during 17, so he chose to leave in such a cold way to pursue his artistic life.
When he first met the Stricklanders, Mao Mu thought he had written them so cruelly that they had no personality. He defended himself by saying that they had left such an impression on him. While thinking about why people spend such a short time on boring entertainment, he met Strickland and said hello at first sight.
When I heard the name again, it came from the mouth of the woman who was very kind to him-Ross Vattel Fuld. The way he described her gloating reminded me of the gossipy women in my life.
Strickland left Mrs Strickland a letter of less than ten lines. After hearing Mrs Strickland's brother-in-law say that if Strickland beat him again, he would not get up, Mao Mu wrote: If the angry morality is not strong enough to directly punish sinners, it is really frustrating to think about it. Accurate language description does not recognize the judgment of position. Just as he may not want to be involved in Strickland's family affairs, he accepted Mrs Strickland's request to let him meet Strickland and help persuade him to come back.
After leaving Mrs. Strickland's crying and pain, Mao Mu, who was calm in thinking, planned a suitable time to see her, although he couldn't decide whether Mrs. Strickland was out of true love or just worried that the scandal would spread and her vanity would be hurt and asked him to bring back her lost husband. He said: At that time, he didn't know how complicated and contradictory human nature was. He doesn't know how much sincerity is artificial, how much nobility is despicable, and how much goodness is evil.
Following in Mao Mu's footsteps, we came to Paris to look for Strickland's Belgian hotel, and it was rumored that Strickland had eloped with his mistress. When the luxury hotel originally described by Mrs. Strickland's colonel's brother-in-law appeared in Mao Mu's sight in an extremely shabby and dirty way, we might have guessed that Strickland was determined not to let a woman follow him when he left.
When Mao Mu thought he had been tricked into asking, he was surprised to learn that Strickland really lived here. Then, in a cold conversation with Strickland like a game bicker, Mao Mu was moved by the sincere and eager feelings of the 40-year-old man who was about to start learning painting. He said that only women can say the same thing three times with enthusiasm. It seems that Mao Mu slowly confirmed the fact that Strickland abandoned his wife and children only for painting.
Under Mao Mu's further brushwork, we saw Strickland, which is not quite the same as that provided by Strickland family. It is not good at expression, but it is straightforward by enthusiasts. Indifferent to other people's opinions, interacting with wild and unruly believers. Of course, in my opinion, this is not a very flattering word. Mao Mu said: tradition has completely lost its effect on him; He is like a wrestler covered in oil, you can't catch him at all; This gives him a freedom that you can't bind, and it will make you fly into a rage.
When Mao Mu returned to Mrs Strickland's house in London, she regretted not persuading her. After a short period of chaos, it returned to good order. According to the real situation in Mao Mu, no woman lives in a very dirty and shabby little room, and there is almost no money, which suddenly makes Mrs. Strickland's sister and brother-in-law shout and take it for granted, but obviously, Mrs. Strickland believes it. When Mao Mu said: If you leave for a woman, you can at least overcome it, but if you leave for an ideal, there is nothing you can do. Mrs. Strickland gave him an unfriendly look, indicating her angry acquiescence.
In the later days, Mrs. Strickland put aside her pain and told Mao Mu that if anyone mentioned that Strickland had eloped with a woman, don't refute it. From then on, as you can guess, Mrs. Strickland began to make a living by using rumors and people's sympathy. Mao Mu said that he later realized that meanness and greatness, malice and kindness, hatred and love can coexist in the same heart. From a woman's point of view, I don't think what Mrs. Strickland did was wrong. After all, she has to raise two underage children herself.
If the book is divided into several parts, I think the above is the first part of the book, and then in the second part, with the entry of Mao Mu's friend in Paris, a character named Dirk Stroeve, I began to understand Strickland's paintings. Like strickland, this man named Stroeve is also a painter, but his requirements for his studio are the same as his paintings. He can earn a lot of money but can't get respect from others, but he is still a generous person with insight into painting. In my opinion, he is the early Bole of strickland's painting. Because of Mao Mu's attitude of not making fun of others, he learned some news about Strickland from Stroeve. He once invited Strickland to his house to admire his paintings, but Strickland borrowed some francs and left without saying a word, which made his wife hate this rude man at first.
Later, whether Mao Mu knew Strickland playing chess or deepened his impression of Strickland's character from Stroeve and his wife, people felt that he seemed to be a man born for art. He completely ignored the eyes and attitudes of people around him and made no secret of it, even though he treated Stroeve, who had always helped and tolerated him, until he was seriously ill.
A serious illness brought him to the brink of death. Without the careful care of the Stroeve couple, I'm afraid this great painter would have died long ago. However, he repaid Stroeve's loftiness by capturing his wife's heart. At this time, Stroeve, like a clown, took the patient home to take care of him. Obviously, at first, his wife strongly disagreed. Later, when the patient recovered, he occupied his studio. Not to mention that. When he tried to get rid of the man who had never looked at himself, the wife who had said that she would leave if Strickland moved in even said that she would go with Strickland.
Mao Mu recalled what she had seen of Mrs. Stroeve's subtle act of staring at Strickland. What is hidden behind her fear is that she is worried about her empathy? Perhaps Stroeve, as a fool, should not talk about the fact that his wife married himself with an abandoned child in order to persuade his wife to go home for illness. Considering that this is really a stupid and great move to kill two birds with one stone.
But Strickland is still Strickland. Even though Mrs. Stroeve liked him and took care of Strickland for a while after Stroeve voluntarily gave up his residence, it didn't change anything about Strickland. However, for Stroeve, there was no revenge or anger for his wife who loved her so much after being betrayed by her. He just imagined that with his knowledge of Strickland's life, he couldn't bear to live in such an environment, so he decided to wait for her forever. When talking with Mao Mu about it, he probably guessed what Mao Mu was thinking, so he said he didn't expect her to love himself as much as he loved her. He knows that he is a despised man, and he is not the kind of man that women will like. He knows this very well. If his wife falls in love with Strickland, he won't blame her.
Mao Mu went on to say something that made me feel sad and humorous: You obviously lack self-esteem than any man I know.
Stroeve said: I love her more than myself. In my opinion, if you still consider self-esteem in love, it can only show that you love yourself the most. The follow-up also cited an example of a married man cheating.
When I watched it again, when these two friends talked so frankly about betrayal and affection, I somehow felt a little funny.
Later, Mrs. Stroeve died. After Strickland left, she took poison and refused to see Stroeve again until she died. Faced with Mrs. Stroeve's departure, Stroeve was heartbroken and returned to the studio in their room. He saw Blanche's picture? Stroeve's nude paintings. The angry fire made him want to smash the painting at once, but it survived because Stroeve said it was a real work of art and a wonderful great painting. I'm surprised that Stroeve, a somewhat sad figure in Mao Mu's works, might have died in that stinking little room if he hadn't highly recognized Strickland's talent. Now his wife has died of this man, but he can still control the great painting without destroying it. I think this is probably the shadow of kindness in human hearts. Soon after, Stroeve returned to his hometown in Holland.
In the book, Mao Mu explains Blanche? Stroeve's behavior said: In the past, he thought Blanche loved Stroeve, but in fact it was just a natural reaction of men's love and easy life to women, and most women regarded this reaction as love. This is a passive emotion, which can be aroused by anyone (or things), just like vines cling to trees, because this emotion can make a girl marry any man who wants her. I believe that love will naturally come into being after a long time, so the secular view recognizes its power. In the final analysis, this kind of emotion is just the satisfaction of food and clothing, the pride of property, the satisfaction of being loved, and the gratitude of having a home to take care of. He also said that women are kind and vain, so they think this kind of feeling has its spiritual value. Although I don't entirely agree with Mao Mu's statement, it can be applied to Blanche, that is, Mrs. Stroeve, and I think it really makes sense.
Although Mao Mu foresaw that the ending of Blanche and Strickland would not be so good, he was also surprised at the ending of someone's death, so his interest in Strickland increased a little, and this disgusting Strickland could easily show his enthusiasm for those who ignored him. I thought it was just playing hard to get. I remember Mao Mu used this trick on Strickland when he first met the taciturn Strickland.
Later, when Mao Mu mentioned Silan again, he had been dead for 9 years, and they had been separated for 15 years. Do you remember Mao Mu accidentally coming to Tahiti? He rekindled his interest in Strickland. Therefore, in Mao Mu's negotiations with Captain Cowles, a Jewish businessman named Cohen, Mrs. Johnson, the owner of Tahiti Flower Hotel, Captain Bruen and Dr. Kutlas, we saw something about Strickland's life in the last few years.
Tahiti is an island that seems to be forgotten for no reason. People there have only sympathy for people like Strickland, but they don't find it strange. On the contrary, they don't look at him strangely. Perhaps Strickland said when he first met Mao Mu in Paris that his dream island was this island. It was also on this island that strickland created some paintings that will go down in history.
Introduced by Mrs. Johnson, the owner of Tahiti Flower Hotel, Strickland met Aita, who was only seventeen years old. After Mrs. Johnson told her that Atta had several hundred francs in savings, Strickland stroked her red beard and asked Atta if she would be her husband. Mao Mu said that poor Strickland was married.
Strickland has been leading a miserable life since he left London. Although he doesn't care whether he has enough to eat and wear warm clothes, he can't deny the fact that he needs food to survive. However, there are two unpainted wooden bungalows with balconies in Aita property, which is eight kilometers away from Huandao Road. Strickland lived in such a beautiful place with banana trees, mango trees and buttonwood trees, and lived a comfortable life on that productive land.
As for Dr. Kutlas, he was the last person to know about Strickland's illness and medical history. Even Strickland's grave was dug by him and Aita, because Strickland had severe leprosy, and no one dared to go near that beautiful and quiet house.
When the doctor was asked to save Strickland's life for the last time, he missed the news brought by Etato's driver because he was not at home. When the doctor arrived at Strickland's hut the next day, the smelly hut spread a beautiful picture from floor to ceiling, but Strickland was dead. A year before his death, he went blind.
With a promise to Strickland, Atta set fire to this masterpiece after his death.
Mao Mu said: He didn't change until his death.
In retrospect, the Jewish businessman named Cohen lent him 200 francs and bought some surviving strickland paintings from Mao Mu's works. He gave him a picture depicting his plantation. A year later, Captain Bruen paid a visit to Strickland's house out of sympathy. The doctor named Kutlas visited Strickland for the first time. Strickland insisted that he take the painting.
He never seems to think about what he can get from painting. Mao Mu said: He has achieved what he sought. Can be said to be dead without regret. He created a world and saw how beautiful the world he created was. Finally, between pride and extinction, he destroyed it again.
At the end of the story, Mao Mu returned to London and met Mrs Strickland. Her home was replaced by plain printed cotton cloth and Morris wallpaper. All the colors she decorated in pursuit of fashion are actually because a painter on the South China Sea Island has such a dream. Mao Mu made no mention of Aita and his children, but told Mrs. Strickland about her tragic and painful death.
After a silence, Robert Strickland, the son of Strickland who grew up in London, said meaningfully: God's millstone turns slowly, but it grinds very finely. At this time, Mao Mu thought of Strickland and Atta's son, the lively and happy young man, for no reason. In his imagination, he suddenly seemed to see him working naked on a sloop. At night, the stars shine, surrounded by the vast Pacific Ocean. Strickland's son and another young man are dancing happily with a hoarse accordion.