Lu Shi's trip to the United States was decided.

He went to Buckingham Palace first, bargained with Edward VII, and sold as many gold coins as possible from His Majesty the King.

Later, he went to the Langham Hotel, ready to discuss with Verne and the others, to see if they could set off by boat together, and then go their separate ways when they arrived at the port of Calais.

The carriage came to a slow stop in front of the hotel's main door.

In the lobby, the crowd is bustling and lively.

The air is filled with a faint smell of perfume and coffee, which stimulates the sense of smell.

Among those people, there seem to be quite a few fans of Verne,

They all held Verne's work in their hands, hoping to get an autograph after meeting the real person.

Lu Shi asked the hotel front desk to take the room to Verne.

The door was open with a narrow slit, as if to dispel the smell, for a faint smell of cigarette smoke wafted from inside.

Lu Shi widened the crack in the door and looked in.

Inside the house, several French people were shaking their wine glasses and talking.

Unexpectedly, George Bernard Shaw and Professor James of Cambridge were also there,

The smell of smoke comes from George Bernard Shaw's pipes.

They're tasting the article,

"The more foreshadowing, the more real it seems. If you want me to say, it's good to write like that. ”

"However, I always felt that this style was going to be phased out."

"I also feel like I'm going to be eliminated. Not to mention Professor Lu's popularity, on the American side, O. Henry and Mark Twain will not let the beginning be so lengthy. ”

……

Because their attention was completely focused, they didn't even notice Lu Shi.

Lu Shi knocked on the door and cleared his throat,

"Ahem......"

Several people turned back.

"Lu?"

George Bernard Shaw put out the pipe with fireproof cotton, went to the door and ushered Lu Shi into the house, and said, "Why are you here?" ”

Lu Shi told him about his travel plan.

Poincaré said: "Let's go? Of course! ”

Then, with some emotion, he sighed,

"Alas......"

He patted Lu Shi on the shoulder and said, "I'm sorry for you." In order to burst gold coins from His Majesty the King...... To get the sponsorship of the Edouard Lushi-Goncourt Prize for Literature, you'll have to run around. Actually, this matter has nothing to do with you. ”

Lu Shi smiled and didn't pick up.

Poincaré was right,

In fact, to promote the index of impact factor to major journals in the United States, there is no need to go to the United States to lobby at the time of landing.

George Bernard Shaw said: "It's a pity that the current literary journals are a bit difficult to explain. ”

The rest of the words are not said, but everyone understands.

In the 21st century, the world's three top academic journals,

Nature,

Science,

"Cell",

It is not difficult to see that they are all science and engineering.

It is difficult for literary journals to be "the master of the world" because aesthetics are subjective.

Verne said: "Instead of a literary journal, it is better to make the literary prize more authoritative, and promise to publish the works of writers who have entered the final round, and also to get a magazine for literary evaluation." ”

It's really a way to go.

That's how the vast majority of literary awards end up.

Everyone nodded approvingly.

Lu Shi diverted the topic,

"By the way, what were you guys talking about?"

James handed over a manuscript,

"This."

It was a handwritten manuscript.

From this, it can be inferred that the author is more old-fashioned and not accustomed to relying on devices such as typewriters.

Title: "Empty Frame",

It seems to be a long horror story.

Lu Shi asked: "Is it Professor James's work?" ”

James nodded,

"What do you think of the beginning?"

Lu Shi began to read.

The beginning of the fictional farm and the extensive explanation of it are a bit tedious to read.

But after all, Lu Shi is a translator who has "experienced a hundred battles", and he read it patiently.

After that, he said, "It's good. ”

James was a little embarrassed,

"Actually, you can't finish reading the beginning. Count the number of sheets in the manuscript, and the part you just read is at most the first three points...... Forehead...... Half. ”

When the land is full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

I really didn't expect it.

In fact, stacking a large number of background descriptions is a relatively popular technique in the 19~20th century, which can make readers believe that they are not reading fantasy works, but documentary literature, and even reports of real events.

In a way, pulling the reader into one's own narrative is also narrative trickery.

The application of this technique is particularly prominent in horror stories.

For example, the Cthulhu masterpiece -

The Haze of Innsmouth.

The introduction to the local landscape at the beginning is not without length, and people can't help but doze off when they read.

And James's "Empty Frame" is as good as "The Haze of Innsmouth",

Lu Shi asked: "Lao Zhan, why did you come to a friend in France to help you evaluate?" Did you encounter any problems? ”

James shook his head,

"I can't say what the problem is, after all, everyone writes long-form horror stories in a similar way. But ever since I read your Harry Potter, I've found those lengthy openings a little weird. ”

Lu Shi understands in seconds,

The beginning of Harry Potter:

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, who live at 4 Privet Road, always proudly say that they are unorthodox people......

When I came up, I told the story and didn't say a word about the background,

After that, the narrative is fragmented, gradually releasing the background to the reader.

This contrast between fast and slow pace is like traditional literature and the Internet,

The former is still paving and brewing;

The latter has already completed a round of pretending to be X in the face.

And the beginning of the 20th century is precisely the time when readers change.

They buy books gradually becoming more targeted, and before reading, they will first understand the nature,

So, once they know that "Empty Frame" is horror, they will make clear the goal of reading in their hearts -

Looking for excitement.

And there are too many background introductions, which can easily make it seem like news.

No one is going to find excitement in the news.

Lu Shi said: "There are still some benefits to setting up suspense at the beginning and creating a tense and exciting thriller link. ”

Proust next to him disagreed,

"When I read horror, I like to follow the guidance of the author's writing, walk the streets and alleys with confidence, listen to local weird stories, and only see the thriller plot in the last few hundred words."

This old brother wrote the stream of consciousness "Reminiscences of the Past",

In the book, a character who has insomnia and can write 3,000 words over and over in bed, is indeed suitable for a slow pace.

Compared with him, many online writers are not water.

George Bernard Shaw chuckled,

"I don't write like that when I write dramas now."

Proust asked, "Why?" ”

George Bernard Shaw said: "Because it's hard to be accepted in the market. In this world, after all, there are many aimless and confused people...... Most of the time, I was one of them, and I needed the solace of literature and art. ”

Everyone at the scene couldn't help but chuckle.

Poincaré took over the conversation,

"Therefore, the core of horror works has to be to make people feel scared."

He turned to James,

"Lao Zhan, what do you think is the most frightening?"

James pondered for a moment and replied, "Terror comes from the unknown. The abyss is terrifying, the jungle is terrifying, the depths of the universe are terrifying, and these horrors all stem from your ignorance of them. ”

This answer is quite philosophical.

Crowd discussion,

"It's too big to melt."

"yes, maybe someone else wants to complain, 'I don't know, what else are you writing?' ”

"Hahaha! It will indeed be regarded as a trick. ”

……

Lu Shi listened to their discussion and couldn't help but think of the Cthulhu Mythos.

In modern times, many Cthulhu creations on the market have been transformed into various stacked elements:

Flesh, tentacles, bugs......

As the most superficial thing of the Cthulhu Mythos, blindly emphasizing these will only be related to the love of craftsmanship (H· P. Lovecraft) is the opposite of the original.

But the key points are:

They spread easily!

What made Cthulhu truly pop culture (or a niche) was Auguste William Dress,

He is known as the "Scourge of Eternity" because he perfected and systematized Cthulhu, making the indescribable easy to understand and the unknown knowable.

James was curious,

"Professor Lu, what do you think?"

Lu Shi replied: "Fear is subjective, horror is as difficult to write as comedy, and a story that can make one person break down or scream in fear may be boring or unfelt for another." For people of different cultures, the things to be afraid of are certainly different. ”

There is a very famous saying:

"There are no ghosts in Africa."

It means that Africans are completely indifferent to Chinese-style terror,

Because there is no ghost culture, they subconsciously feel that it is not scary at all.

The Egyptian Museum has also held an exhibition of paper ties, which not only does not feel unlucky, but also thinks it is "Chinese-style romance".

But if you perform a voodoo ritual on them, they might jump up and hit someone.

Another example is the master of love,

He is particularly fond of using repetition rhetoric - using two preposition adverbial and postposition adverbial clauses with the same meaning to modify an object.

It is difficult to translate this kind of writing in ordinary translations.

Therefore, many non-English readers will not feel the horror.

This is also an influence of cultural context.

James nodded,

"I think I get it. Because of the different cultural backgrounds, everyone has a certain preconceived notion, and if you want to make people feel scared, you have to break this perception. For example......

His gaze swept over the people in the room,

Finally, he said to Roland, "Mr. Roland, you're white, aren't you?" ”

Rowland:???

I don't understand why the other party suddenly said nonsense,

But a sense of foreboding gradually rose in his heart.

He coughed lightly all his life,

"Professor James, I advise you, when you don't know what to say, it's best not to speak."

James said, "I've thought it through. Now, Mr. Roland, could you please answer my question, are you white? ”

"Goo......

Roland swallowed,

"yes."

James continued: "What if, all of a sudden, you find out that you actually have black ancestry......"

Before the words fell, he was interrupted by Roland:

"Say no more!"

He even snorted.

It can't be helped, the story James tells has an indescribable horror.

The scene is eerily quiet,

“……”

“……”

“……”

The rest of the people tried to keep their faces from laughing.

Roland said: "If you want to break the stereotype, you can't tell such a terrible story, right? ”

Lu Shi spreads his hands,

"But I think Lao Zhan has spoken about the essence of horror works. Of course, the question he just asked is also the essence of satirical literature. ”

After all, everyone couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

Lu Shi continued: "All in all, you have to understand what people are generally afraid of or unwilling to face, so ......"

He paused,

At some point, the rest of the people took out their notebooks and pens and recorded them "rustling".

Although Lu Shi was used to similar situations for a long time, he was still a little speechless.

After all, the gang in front of me are all great writers.

It still feels a little weird to let them listen to their own nonsense.

James looked up,

"Professor Lu, why didn't you talk about it?"

Lu Shi said: "What else are you talking about? It's not a university speech, you have to have a theme. ”

Proust next to him said: "Let's talk about horror~ I think that as long as it is reflected in the story, the writer's words will definitely be able to firmly attract the reader." ”

Lu Shi spreads his hands,

"Look~ Look~ Aren't you all done?"

"Ah......h

Proust honestly shut up.

Verne said, "Lu, you can continue to share." For example, if you were to write horror, how would you arrange the scene? ”

Lu Shi groaned,

"Maybe it's more ordinary."

The people present were all writers, and they immediately understood,

Ordinary scenes can create contrast,

The more ordinary it is, the easier it is to shape the new horror.

Verne asked again: "Is there anything else?" ”

Lu Shi replied: "And? It should be similar to reasoning, using a relatively closed space. Because both horror and mystery have to make the storyline tense enough and suspenseful. Just like "No One Survives", if everyone can take a boat to leave the island, the direction of the story may become a happy trip. ”

James agreed: "It's true that restricting the character's actions makes them have to face their fears and then try to solve them. It's the usual routine. ”

As he spoke, he looked up at Lu Shi,

"Professor Lu, can you give a few examples?"

Lu Shi said: "That's a lot. For example, the basement and the coffin are featured in Poe's The Collapse of Usher House; Another example is the island, "Lord of the Flies" and "No One Survives"; And the abandoned hospital ......"

The examples are not finished,

suddenly

Smack-

James closed the notebook and looked at Lu Shi with sincere eyes,

His eyes Bling~Bling~

It's like a starry eye.

Lu Shi coughed lightly,

"Lao Zhan, what I said is just casually, and you can't believe it. You are much more experienced than me and must have your own judgment. ”

James nodded,

"Of course I have my own judgment. My judgment is that you are right! ”

Lu Shi: "......"

Speechless.

James continued: "Lu, do you want to try to create horror literature? After all, the types you write are enough and miscellaneous enough, and it seems that there is no problem in expanding the scope of hundreds of millions of points. ”

At the beginning of the 20th century, the classification of literature was not refined,

Fantasy like the science fiction of "The Country Teacher" and "The Lord of the Rings" are in the category of "fantasy",

The same is certainly true of horror literature.

But Lu Shigang complained that James's works are too slow-paced, and he turned his head to work on the equally slow-paced Cthulhu Mythos or Stephen King's works, and the boomerang came too fast.

He bowed his head and pondered,

"I haven't had time lately. "Harry Potter" has only been serialized for a few chapters, and there is more to come~"

James said: "Then you write a short story~ Anyway, you are a fast gunner, a short story, it is estimated that it can be done in a few days." It's good to write it on board and publish it in the United States. ”

Lu Shi was puzzled: "The United States? Why the United States? ”

James shrugged his shoulders and replied very honestly: "Because my 'Empty Frame' is going to be published in London." When the time comes, if you also publish the same horror theme, I am afraid that I will become Dr. Doyle and collapse. ”

Then, the crowd burst into laughter.

(End of chapter)