James Poy Wong 黃培正

評 「王先生」

「王先生」 是一篇写实的短篇。 虽然结构很简单， 但也具有一个高潮。 从形式上说这不能真是一篇失败的作品。

该小说的写作中心是在暴露青年对恋爱的疯狂和沈沦现象， 作者很明确地把这点显露出来，而不失写实小说的特点。

该小说充满着地方色彩，故此很容易引起读者的注意力和兴趣。 换句话说，就是作者以我们的环境为背景而完成其环境作品的特质，更加上作者的讥讽笔法， 使其人物更显现化， 不过过于侧重写实， 再受文字的约束， 故此失却了美的感觉。 也就是说美的质素很薄弱。

王先生的个别性格是暂时的。 他所闹的恋爱事是永久的。 王先生的性格是刻在他所做的事上， 读者看完了该小说后也许遗忘了王先生， 而只记得他所做的事。

作者把一个追求中的男子和一个已婚的男子为恋爱争论的焦点，从而推出 “人生恋爱的目的不外是结婚吧了。 我真不信闹得满城风雨的恋爱会比平平静静的结合快乐” 的立论来。 作者以该小说来劝导青年人不该追求异性而忽视了自己所踏着的沈沦道路。 在事的描写上， 可算是成功。但是作者却忽视了青年追求异性的苦闷起因和响应。

王先生的性格不是典型的。 他所干的事却具有丰富的典型性。 除了文法和字句尚需大为洗刷外， 该小说的优点是在能够明显地表露。 其缺点则在美观感的薄弱。

附

我写这篇批评 「王先生」 的意思， 不是想棒吹那个作者。 或是去谩骂那个作者。 而是纯碎为我们的文坛而着想的。 我也不是受过薪金来写批评文学的。 我是自动地投稿的。 我希望这批评文学的建树会使华侨幼稚的文学得到相当有效的发展。

文学是批评人生的。 批评是批评文学的。 所以一个是直接的批评人生， 一个是间接的批评人生。 批评者把作品中的个性表现出来， 也和文学创作者把小说或戏剧中人物的个性表现出来一样。

评 「王先生」 是一篇归纳法的批评文章。 这种归纳批评的目的是说明文学作品的内容。 把作品的特点尽量显示出来。 我希望此后每篇小说登载之后都能够写篇批评的文章。 但是我的时间有限， 我希望其他的读者也像我一样来自动投稿。 更希望作者们能够对自己的作品作严厉的批评， 和虚心接受批评。

批评本是居于创作之先的。 是指导创作的。 希望新起和初尝试的作者从此能够得到公正的批评。 以求改进和伟大著作的完成。

我一再声明以上的言论是我个人的意见。 我是一个纯碎的独立投稿者。

A Critique of Mr. Wang

"Mr. Wang" is a realistic short story. Although the structure is simple, it does have a climax. In terms of its form, this piece of work cannot really be regarded as a failure.

Central to this narrative is exposing the phenomenon of young people's madness and indulgence in love. The author clearly reveals this aspect without losing the characteristics of a realistic story.

This story is full of local characteristics, so it can easily attract readers’ attention and interest. In other words, the unique characteristics of this work is completed through the use of our environments as story background, coupled with the author's sarcastic writing style that makes his characters more vivid. However, it focuses too much on realism and is constrained by language, so it loses a sense of aesthetic. This is also to say that the quality and attribute of aesthetics is very weak.

Mr. Wang's individual personality is transient. The love affair that he encounters is permanent. Mr. Wang's character is marked by the things he did. After reading the novel, readers may forget Mr. Wang and will only remember what he did.

Through juxtaposing a courting man and a married man as the focus of the love dispute, the author thereby concludes that "the purpose of love in life is nothing more than marriage. I really don't believe that a love that is full of turmoil can be happier than a peaceful union." The author uses this story to advise young people not to pursue the opposite sex and ignore their paths of degradation. In terms of description of events, it can be regarded as a success. However, the author ignores the causes of and responses to the depression of young people while pursuing the opposite sex. Mr. Wang's character is not typical, but what did was very typical. Apart from the fact that the grammar and sentences still need to be greatly improved, the strength of this narrative is that it can be clearly expressed and represented, and its shortcoming is its inadequate sense of aesthetics.

Addendum

My intention in writing this critique of "Mr. Wang" is not to praise or insult the author, but purely with concern for the sake of our literary world. Nor am I paid to write literary criticism. I voluntarily submit my writings, and hope that the achievement of literary criticism will enable the immature literature of overseas Chinese to acquire effective development.

Literature is a critique of life. Criticism is critiques of literature. So one is a direct criticism of life, and the other is an indirect criticism of life. Critics express the personality in their works, just as literary creators express the personalities of characters in novels or plays.

A critique of “Mr. Wang” is an article based on an inductive method. The purpose of this type of inductive criticism is to illustrate the content of a literary work and to fully show the characteristics of the work. I hope to be able to write a critique article after each story is published. But my time is limited, and I hope other readers will voluntarily submit their contributions as I did. I also hope that authors can make rigorous criticisms of their own works and humbly accept criticisms.

Criticism essentially comes before creation. It is to guide the creation. Hopefully hereafter, new and first-time authors will receive fair criticism for improvement and the completion of great works.

I have repeatedly stated that the above remarks are my personal opinions. I am a purely independent contributor.