Explorations on the Archetypal Characters of Wei Lianshu and Shen Fei in Lu Xun’s novel The Loner — Starting from the detail of Wenxi Zhu Bing as a present

School of Literature, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300110, China

^* Corresponding author: 2211617@mail.nankai.edu.cn

Abstract

Wenxi Zhu Bing was the present given away by Shen Fei during his last visiting to Wei Lianshu in Lu Xun’s The Loner, while Lianshu had already become a resourceful and popular counselor then. Yet, what is Wenxi Zhu Bing? What is it native to? Had Lu Xun had any contact with it before writing? Could discussions on those issues throw light on the novel’s context and the author’s ideology? There hardly exist relevant discussions in the industry. This article reconstructs Wenxi Zhu Bing’s historical image using documented evidence and examines shifting dynamics between Shen Fei and Wei Lianshu through gift-grade level variations. This study also incorporates Wenxi Zhu Bing’s origins and dissemination, referencing existing research about Lu Xun once receiving it as a present. Furthermore, the article considers the gift-giver’s life and whereabouts and the writer’s circumstances during creation, and most importantly, compares the concept of “intermediary” proposed by Lu Xun with the fictional characters Wei Lianshu and Shen Fei, as well as the real-life figures Lu Xun and Zeng Zhaojia respectively. Finally, the article traces autobiographical elements in The Loner, suggesting Wei Lianshu’s archetypal character is likely Lu Xun, which all begins with details of the present.