"84 Charing Cross Street" was first read by Chen Jianming's translation published by Mainland Yilin, and it was only after waiting for a long time from the long queue of reservations in the library. Before he started reading, a classmate borrowed it because he was bored and had no books to read, and returned it in less than ten minutes. "What's so good about this kind of letter?"
I'm afraid that when I've finished reading this book, I'm going to rot, and I won't be able to explain the reason for his rhetorical question. The book is full of trivial information about buying and mailing books, or Helene Humph's whining and jokes and Frank's thanks and apologies. Maybe my classmates are right. There is nothing wonderful, exciting or eye-catching in this kind of bland work, which makes it shine like a star in many books. Even when recommending this book to others, I have absolutely no idea how to present its content. After being wordy for a long time, other people actually laughed out loud: "Hey, it's platonic love, right?"
The movie of the same name adapted from "84 Charing Cross Street" also reveals the same thing as the book. temperament. The whole film has hardly made any major changes to the original work, and even the monologues of the actors are reproduced from the original letter, without changing every word and sentence, faithfully reproduce the bits and pieces of the twenty-year correspondence described in the book. This kind of film that has almost no ups and downs in most of the time, I have to appreciate it alone, for fear that a large group of people will sit together, but the group has hurriedly dispersed before half of the screening, and I also left a sentence " What's so good about this kind of movie?"
I'm afraid this movie is only a work that a few people will like. In the eyes of some people, they are garbage that wastes time: they spend time without realizing the reason, and in the end, there is only an inexplicable ending that ends abruptly. In the eyes of others, they are a kind of power that touches the heart, and people love them very much, but it is difficult to fully express where this love comes from.
Perhaps it can be explained this way: the film is full of emotion. Whether it is Hailian Hanff's love and care for books, or the faint love between Hailian and Frank, or Hailian's sympathy and love for the bookstore employees, or the bookstore staff and Frank's family for Hailian. Lian's feelings of gratitude and admiration, these feelings are intertwined and integrated in the works, it is difficult to separate any kind of feeling to appreciate and feel alone. It's the complexity and blending of this feeling that makes this movie indescribably attractive, but it also makes people wonder where its real appeal lies.
This kind of complicated feelings, I am afraid that it will be completely deteriorated by now. I am afraid that there are fewer and fewer small bookstores that are exquisite and quiet, and I am afraid that it is even more difficult to find those specializing in used books. It is replaced by the flagship five- and seven-storey bookstore, which is like visiting a large supermarket during peak hours; or an online bookstore, which offers enough discounts but can’t smell or touch the original taste of books before buying them. . Even the second-hand bookstore at 84 Charing Cross Street in the story has now changed hands into a record store, leaving the infinite reverie and sigh of countless tourists every year when they take photos at the door.
The bookstore is gone, and the letters are probably about to disappear. If you don't count postcards for travel, or greeting cards for birthdays, Christmas, and holidays, I personally haven't written a real letter for a long time, and the reason is simple and obvious: in this age of phone calls, emails, and instant messaging, The letters seemed so out of place. Even those postcards and greeting cards have recently been replaced by text messages. Long-term isolation from letters has made writing, sending and receiving letters a very strange job. At least if I received a letter from a classmate or a close friend, I would be very baffled and overwhelmed. Having said that, now that time and efficiency are everywhere, who would be willing to enjoy the precious time between delivery and arrival in luxury? Therefore, when we always associate waiting with anxiety, the joy of a hope seems to disappear.
The love for the essence of books seems so weak now in the rush. Recently, it has become more and more obvious that people are more and more practical when reading books. When you walk into the bookstore, you will find that the bookshelves of inspirational management and examination books are crowded, and there are a lot of practical books packaged and marketed by booksellers on the bestseller list, and some really nutritious and valuable classic books. , although it is full of a whole wall, but still no one cares. The same is true for the extension from reading to learning. Take a look at our universities. The number of applicants for business administration and economics is increasing every year, while basic disciplines such as literature, history and philosophy have been neglected for a long time and put into the cold palace. Perhaps society forces people to pay more attention to practical and utilitarian things, and people's excessively impetuous pursuits may have a strong reaction to society in the future. I don't know who will read "Britain of English Literature" then? Whether such a vicious circle will form, I am afraid that the benevolent sees the benevolent and the wise sees the wisdom, but we should at least have some concerns in this regard.
What should make people think more is the relationship between people. People who have never met before in the movie have become close friends through the matchmaking of the book, but now, perhaps people who meet every day in life cannot form such a simple but strong relationship. I am not raising any doubts or opinions about the moral standards of everyone in today's society, but I feel that the exchanges and communication between people are becoming more and more superficial and formal, and it is very difficult to find close friends who can truly touch each other's hearts. This seems to be a paradox. They have never met each other but become confidantes, and when they meet every day, only a superficial nod and bow are left. But in fact, what I miss is talking about everything, and what I miss is dreaming together.
Even though the times are always progressing, sometimes we really should look back at the way we came.
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