Chapter 50

Xiao Fei felt secretly delighted, hoping the discussion would become even more intense!

At least, in the literary circles of H Province, many people would pay attention to the articles on literary topics published in the provincial newspapers, and then they would become interested in him.

This was enough.

What Xiao Fei found regrettable was that he couldn't see the Beijing Evening News, Qilu Evening News, and Xinmin Evening News, and he didn't know if they had excerpted and published his articles.

Moreover, the Youth Digest magazine, which was still a monthly publication in 1996 and wouldn't become a biweekly until 2000, made it impossible to know if his articles had been reprinted.

Magazines like Youth Digest had a circulation of over a million copies, distributed nationwide, and were available at almost all newspaper stands in the country.

If his anti-soup articles were really reprinted by Youth Digest, they could quickly create a nationwide impact, even sparking a significant wave of enthusiasm domestically.

Xiao Fei had great expectations for the future.

After finishing reading the newspaper, Xiao Fei spread out his manuscript paper. However, he didn't immediately start writing as he usually did, but instead began a brief contemplation: What kind of shock would be created by dropping this bomb now?

He was about to write a literary critique.

The title of the critique was already decided: "Literature Is Dead, Please Burn Paper for Any Matters."

The view that "literature is dead" was proposed by the famous avant-garde writer Ma Yuan at a literary salon in 2002.

Once this view was proposed, it shocked the nation and sparked a major discussion domestically.

The literary giant Mr. Meng immediately criticized: "Is it your literature that is dead? As long as people still speak human language, literature will not die!"

This nationwide discussion almost attracted the attention and participation of all literary figures.

The debate lasted for over a decade without any definitive conclusion.

However, during this debate, the decline of literature, especially so-called orthodox pure literature, was evident to all: literary magazines kept dying, and even those that survived had very few subscribers, with some literary journals having only single-digit annual subscriptions.

Not only were the journals in decline, but the publication of literary works was also sluggish.

More and more long novels were being published, but the number of readers willing to buy them could be counted on one hand.

Writers' creativity was also in a barren period, wavering between catering to the market and fulfilling literary ideals. The once sacred literary world was now in a state of disrepair.

So, why did literature decline?

And why did it decline so drastically?

Looking back at the 1980s, that was the golden age of Chinese literature. Almost all literary journals were very popular, and famous works and authors emerged one after another.

Readers in the 1980s were extremely passionate about literature. A novel, once published, would often sell out immediately, with multiple editions being printed and sold briskly.

Everyone read literary journals, everyone read literary classics, and literary topics dominated gatherings.

Literature was the biggest fashion of that era.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long.

In the 1990s, with the rapid development of the domestic economy, the increasing commercial atmosphere, and the accelerated pace of life, literature seemed to become outdated overnight and was abandoned by the masses.

By the end of the 1990s, this phenomenon had become even more severe.

The once extremely popular literary journals saw a significant drop in subscriptions, and even national-level large literary journals like People's Literature suffered a major setback, with subscriptions falling to just a few thousand copies per month.

Why did literature fail?

Commentators from later generations had already given fair opinions.

Firstly, pure literature is "if you don't die, you won't die." Many writers and works have distanced themselves from the reading needs of the people, focusing solely on novelty and complexity in text structure, narration, and language, creating convoluted and pretentious word games, all under the guise of literary innovation experiments.

In reality, what is it? Writers have distanced themselves from life and the essential meaning of literature, neglecting the fundamentals and indulging in their own worlds, unable to break free.

This has led to pure literature being incomprehensible not only to readers but also to many writers.

It's no wonder these incomprehensible things are not popular!

If readers don't abandon them, they would be going against themselves!

If you want to play, go play by yourself, but don't expect us to pay for your games.

Writers and readers are in opposition.

Can they expect a good outcome?

Secondly, many pure literature journals have become the private domains of insiders, turning into arenas for fame and profit. Those inside the circle can freely indulge in their whims and nonsense, spouting meaningless and valueless literary garbage.

However, for those outside the circle, it is extremely difficult to break in.

To get published in those literary journals, one relies on connections and personal influence. For newcomers without connections, getting published is harder than climbing to the heavens.

It's no wonder these literary journals are dying!

Thirdly, too many pure literature writers have an overly high opinion of themselves, unable to put aside their pride, often elevating themselves to the position of God in their fantasies, while treating readers as objects to be educated.

They believe that what they write is pure literature, the highest form of spiritual nourishment, containing the profound truths of life and philosophy, and it's normal for it to be difficult to understand.

Readers are expected to revere their works, carefully studying each word and sentence, spending a lot of time to fully understand and appreciate the magic.

However, they don't consider that readers read books mostly for entertainment and to enjoy themselves. Who has the time for in-depth interpretation?

If a writer's story doesn't attract the reader, if the characters in the story don't touch the reader, in short, if there is no reading anticipation or sense of immersion, the reader's first reaction is to close the book and put it back on the shelf.

Since literary works are published and enter the market,

they must be subject to the scrutiny of readers.

Readers are the true gods!

Writers have misjudged their position, and it's no wonder they have suffered a complete defeat!

This is the main reason why literature has died and why it has been abandoned by readers!

Of course, if Xiao Fei's article only reached this level, it would still be relatively superficial. He also needed to propose a cure for the ills of literature in his article.

The cure is simple: speak human language, do human things, and be loyal to your duties!

When creating works, start from the needs of the masses, write works that closely reflect real life. No matter how innovative or playful your writing is, as long as you write with genuine emotion, create vivid characters, and tell stories that are sufficiently engaging, that is enough.