Liu Zaifu, the authoritative scholar on the works of Gao Xingjian, believes that compared to Luxun and Moyan’s caring and passion in criticizing the actual society, Gao Xingjian’s most prominent style has to be his cool and calm “exploration of the heart” ? that extremely indifferent and rational way of “coldly observing the world in the third person, and viewing oneself with a detached soul.” Hence, Liu Zaifu put a name to this type of literary works: “Cold Literature.” In this article, I will attempt to explore and analyze the creative artistry and skills of Gao Xingjian from the angle of “Cold Literature” thusly defined.
The first characteristic of the Gao-style Cold Literature is the stream-of-consciousness tendency of characters talking to themselves. Gao thinks that stream of consciousness is an artistic language which entices the readers to experience for themselves. Showing the characters’ mental activities in a natural way through simple, undecorated language, Gao leads the readers directly into the inner world of the characters, making the readers forget themselves and experience a virtual reality. I shall demonstrate Gao’s mastery at utilizing stream of consciousness through these four books of Gao’s: A Preliminary Examination of Modern Fictional Techniques, Soul Mountain, One Man"s Bible, and The Bean.
Perhaps “a weakling’s mindset” is the most “active” characteristic in Gao’s “passive” Cold Literature. Like the man, Gao’s works are full of “a sense of fleeing” ? the natural reflex of a weakling when confronted by an overpowering figure or circumstance. However, alongside with the instinct to flee, there is a constant exploratory quest for the ideal, freedom and the inner world. After a certain amount of self-cultivation, the characters develop a passive “positive energy” which creates a benevolent cycle, formed by the interaction of “a weakling’s mindset” and “a sense of fleeing.” Taking examples from Escape, The Other Shore, and Soul Mountain, I will elaborate on the topic of “fleeing and showing inferiority,” and further describe this positive energy and its radiance.
“Cool Elegance” can be viewed as an exceptional aspect in Gao’s Cold Literature. Using a mixture of true-to-life descriptions and stream of consciousness, and a deep reflection into the human nature, Gao writes about love in delicate detail. In The Bean, he captured the fragrant youth through the first love of young man and woman. In Soul Mountain he used sex to bare the soul’shunger. In One Man’s Bible, sex was employed to symbolize one’s release from the spiritual loneliness in its raw state. They all embody a certain level of Cool Elegance, which exemplifies a high command of writing Gao-style Cold Literature.
The “Art of Zen Buddhism” may be the most significant aspect of Gao’s Cold Literature. Gao’s idea of “self-salvation” and “Without-isms” is similar in style as well as lineage to the philosophy of “seeing one’ innate nature with the mind” advocated by the Sixth and Last Patriarch of Zen Buddhism Huineng. To consider that as the inspirational source of Gao’s Cold Literature will not be too far off. When Gao weaves Zen culture into his works, he transforms it into an art form, a unique “Art of Zen Buddhism.” Through Snow in August, The Other Shore, and Soul Mountain, I will also explore this most important secondary topic.