Original title: I like to see the big in the small, but I also want to have a lingering sound outside the string
Zhang Xingzhu
In recent years, the creation of children’s literature has flourished. Among them, the creation of short stories in children’s literature has been valued by many publishing houses and journals, and many essay awards on short story creation have been held, which has promoted the prosperity and development of short story creation. Mr. Feng Zikai summed up his comic art with the phrase “I like to see the big in the small, but I also want to have a lingering sound outside the string”. Similarly, this sentence is also applicable to the artistic characteristics of short story creation. Within a limited space, the value of short stories should be reflected with meticulous structure, complete narrative, multi-layered themes and rich emotions. This is the most basic skill that creators of children’s literature should learn.
Since 2017, “Oriental Youth” has held several annual key works support activities. Judging from the award-winning short stories over the years, children’s literature short stories have made achievements in terms of theme expansion, image shaping and artistic techniques. In short, here are three impressions:
1. Expansion of themes, highlighting the novelty of the theme
In recent years, children’s literature writers have captured the spiritual life of young children from multiple angles and aspects, innovated and deepened themes, and strived to tell stories about young children in the new era.
The novel “Wheat is Yellow, Apricot is Sour” written by Li Qingwen uses the apricots that are about to ripen at the end of May and the wheat that is about to be harvested to outline the background of the whole story, praising the hardworking and kind character of the left-behind girl Yanzi. It is also the theme of left-behind children. The author breaks away from the most common theme of suffering, and combines the content with the reality of the changing times, allowing us to see a different kind of hope and highlighting new ideas. “The Hunt” written by Jia Yuezhen is a novel about animals. The little protagonist Darhan has undergone a subtle psychological change from his desire to use a shotgun to catch animals to hanging the gun on the beam of the house. This inner transformation sublimates the theme of the article: Only by treating animals well and protecting the ecology can nature maintain balance and sustainable development. “Classmate No. 1” created by Hu Rong is a science fiction novel. Among the entries, science fiction works accounted for a small proportion. This work stands out because the article not only shows advanced technological ideas, but also sets the robots Park Xin and Liu Wuzhi in the campus, allowing them to experience the life of human children. Life and troubles are more interesting. Through their encounters in school, the profound issue of education methods was finally drawn out, which is thought-provoking. Novel themes and profound themes are the biggest advantages of this science fiction novel. Domineering Girl written by Wang Xiaomin is a typical school-themed novel. What should I do if I am bullied at school? Is it a compromise, or a brave struggle? This is a problem for disadvantaged students. The girls in the article are not really domineering, but bravely protecting themselves. Such a realistic theme is close to the lives of children and provides them with the correct method orientation, which has certain practical significance.
The award-winning short stories involved various themes such as red themes, teachers and students themes, adventure themes, historical themes, and the lives of minority children. This is an innovation for children’s literature writers to broaden their horizons and explore more realistic themes. Such innovations provide a more nutritious spiritual food for a better childhood.
2. Character image creation is close to the new era
The novel reveals some essence of social life by portraying characters and shaping typical characters, so as to express the theme of the work. The success of character image creation is an important criterion for determining the quality of a novel. In the novels awarded in the “Oriental Youth” annual key work support project, the writer created many classic characters.
In “Which Is Taller, Which Is Shorter” created by Li Wei, “Li Maizi” is a typical left-behind child character. Since his parents are working outside the home, Li Maizi has to take care of his younger sister, take care of his sick grandfather, and take care of himself at home. study. In order to solve Li Maizi’s problem, both the school and the society have given a lot of help. The life status of the character “Li Maizi” is the normal state of left-behind children. Although there are difficulties, his heart is full of hope. These children need extensive attention from parents and the society, and find ways to solve their difficulties. In “Welcome to the Spring and Change the World” created by Yu Ling, “Liu Bin”, a young man with jealousy and vanity, is portrayed. In the face of competition, Liu Bin looked at his opponents with a narrow mind, which caused him to be depressed and narrow-minded. However, under the impact of Teacher Li’s teachings and real life, Liu Bin walked out of his own small world and saw a broader stage. The novel “Chi Jade” written by Zeng Zhihong took place during the epidemic and is extremely close to our current life. In the article, the image of a girl with ordinary looks, ordinary studies, who is in adolescence, has her own thoughts, and longs for her parents to listen to her and recognize her is vivid on the paper. During the isolation period, under the adjustment of a psychological counselor, the girl and her mother opened up their hearts. In real life, there are countless children like “Liu Bin” and “Girl”. How to face competition, face opponents, how to overcome the throbbing brought about by puberty, and communicate with parents are all compulsory courses for children to grow up. Therefore, the shaping of these two images is very successful, close to life, higher than life, and give readers real inspiration.
Children’s literature writers create vivid and three-dimensional characters, which can be deeply imprinted in the hearts of young readers, and always inspire and move them. Children’s literature is essentially literature for children. Therefore, the shaping of the image of children’s literature novels should fully consider children’s comprehension ability and aesthetic requirements, as close as possible to children’s life and psychology, and reflect their most real world.
3. Unique artistic expression techniques
In terms of artistic expression techniques, children’s literature writers continue to innovate writing methods and narrative styles, telling stories and shaping characters with rich and colorful expressive techniques.
Among the award-winning works this year, there are two novels with relatively unique artistic expression techniques. One is “Letter from Grandma Fanglan” written by Zhang Yishi, which is a touching novel praising friendship. The author puts the plot of “writing a letter” at a time when he usually does not write a letter, which makes readers doubt: why do they have to write a letter? In writing and reading letters again and again, through the mouth of the young protagonist Qiao Yi, the author gradually let readers understand why grandma communicated with Grandma Fanglan, and also told us about the “love-hate entanglements between grandma and Grandma Fanglan when they were young.” “s story. Ask questions first, then go deeper and tell wonderful stories. Such artistic expression attracts readers’ attention. The other is “Fifteen-year-old Flower Field” written by Li Li. This novel tells the story of the young protagonist Li Qianqian growing physically and mentally in order to help his handicapped brother. In the article, the author cleverly set up the future Li Qianqian to meet the current Li Qianqian through advanced science and technology to solve her confusion. This kind of structural design is ingenious, and the rhythm is properly grasped, which is remarkable.
Rich artistic expression techniques increase the readability of the novel, and can also bring great impact to readers. The progress of artistic expression techniques also reflects the further improvement of the literary foundation and level of children’s literature writers.
Taking a glimpse of the leopard, through the award-winning works of the “Oriental Youth” annual key work support activity in recent years, we can see that the development of children’s literature short stories is on the rise. The expansion of themes, the success of image shaping, and the various expressions of artistic techniques allow us to appreciate more about the life attitudes of young children today. I believe that the creation of children’s short stories will be more prosperous in the future.