{"id":3355,"date":"2015-03-05T08:51:16","date_gmt":"2015-03-05T00:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/2015\/03\/05\/huang_dan_zhi_20150305\/"},"modified":"2015-03-05T08:51:16","modified_gmt":"2015-03-05T00:51:16","slug":"huang_dan_zhi_20150305","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2015\/03\/05\/huang_dan_zhi_20150305\/","title":{"rendered":"Absurd Cre\u00adativ\u00adi\u00adty, Bril\u00adliant Per\u00adfor\u00admance: Post\u00adscript to the Trans\u00adla\u00adtion of \u201cShark vs. Train\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u8352\u8bde\u81f3\u6781\u7684\u521b\u610f\uff0c\u7cbe\u5f69\u975e\u51e1\u7684\u6f14\u7ece\u2014\u2014\u300a\u9ca8\u9c7c\u6597\u706b\u8f66\u300b\u8bd1\u540e\u8bb0\"<\/a>
\n 
\n 
\nHave you ever heard of a shark vs. a train? How is it fought? Ping-pong, pok\u00ader, high div\u00ading, slam dunk con\u00adtests, piano play\u00ading, burp\u00ading\u2026 It sounds like a com\u00adplete mess, even more chaot\u00adic than the crosstalk sto\u00adry of \u201cGuan Gong vs. Qin Qiong.\u201d But there real\u00adly is a pic\u00adture book called \u201cShark vs. Train,\u201d which made the New York Times best\u00adseller list and has been a hit across the Unit\u00aded States.<\/span>20<\/span>Such absurd yet amus\u00ading things can only hap\u00adpen in the world of chil\u00addren\u2019s books.<\/span>
\n\"\u8352\u8bde\u81f3\u6781\u7684\u521b\u610f\uff0c\u7cbe\u5f69\u975e\u51e1\u7684\u6f14\u7ece\u2014\u2014\u300a\u9ca8\u9c7c\u6597\u706b\u8f66\u300b\u8bd1\u540e\u8bb0\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Open this seem\u00ading\u00adly bois\u00adter\u00adous book, and don\u2019t rush to the title page. Instead, look at the sto\u00adry already begun in the end\u00adpa\u00adpers. Then, wan\u00adder\u00ading through the illus\u00adtra\u00adtions until you reach the final pages, you\u2019ll dis\u00adcov\u00ader: Oh, this is actu\u00adal\u00adly a sto\u00adry that makes per\u00adfect sense. Two boys in the book grab their favorite toys\u2014a shark and a train\u2014from a pile of toys. One pre\u00adtends to be a shark, the oth\u00ader a train, and they engage in a fierce, imag\u00adi\u00adnary bat\u00adtle. The com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtion esca\u00adlates, and the atmos\u00adphere heats up\u2014until\u2026 lunchtime arrives, and the shark and train return to their toy box. It turns out that the book\u2019s end\u00adless stream of seem\u00ading\u00adly intense yet absurd bat\u00adtles are noth\u00ading more than the prod\u00aduct of a child\u2019s imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion.<\/span>
\n\"\u8352\u8bde\u81f3\u6781\u7684\u521b\u610f\uff0c\u7cbe\u5f69\u975e\u51e1\u7684\u6f14\u7ece\u2014\u2014\u300a\u9ca8\u9c7c\u6597\u706b\u8f66\u300b\u8bd1\u540e\u8bb0\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\u8352\u8bde\u81f3\u6781\u7684\u521b\u610f\uff0c\u7cbe\u5f69\u975e\u51e1\u7684\u6f14\u7ece\u2014\u2014\u300a\u9ca8\u9c7c\u6597\u706b\u8f66\u300b\u8bd1\u540e\u8bb0\"<\/a><\/p>\n


\nBut this is just my adult inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtion. Read\u00ading this book with chil\u00addren, espe\u00adcial\u00adly those who love trains, cars, weapons, and men\u00adac\u00ading dolls, will sure\u00adly be a com\u00adplete\u00adly dif\u00adfer\u00adent expe\u00adri\u00adence. They might take it seri\u00adous\u00adly, immers\u00ading them\u00adselves in the sto\u00adry with great enthu\u00adsi\u00adasm. They might even build on the exist\u00ading sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion and cre\u00adate even more thrilling sce\u00adnar\u00adios, unfold\u00ading a more excit\u00ading sto\u00adry. This reminds me of the mock war games I often played as a child: chess pieces and mil\u00adi\u00adtary flags were placed on the bed, divid\u00aded into \u201cour army\u201d and \u201cthe ene\u00admy army.\u201d Pil\u00adlows and quilts were used to sim\u00adu\u00adlate the ter\u00adrain, and var\u00adi\u00adous sta\u00adtionery items were used to sim\u00adu\u00adlate for\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions and weapons. Despite the rudi\u00adments of the con\u00addi\u00adtions, after each bat\u00adtle, the pride of \u201cour army\u201d when they suc\u00adcess\u00adful\u00adly anni\u00adhi\u00adlat\u00aded the stub\u00adborn resis\u00adtance of the \u201cene\u00admy\u201d was no less than that of the gen\u00ader\u00adal who orches\u00adtrat\u00aded the bat\u00adtle.<\/span>
\n
\nPer\u00adhaps every gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion has played this kind of \u201cbor\u00ading\u201d game. When Chris Bar\u00adton was a child, he played \u201cBig Jim\u201d, which is an Amer\u00adi\u00adcan<\/span>70<\/span>back,<\/span>80<\/span>The lit\u00adtle action fig\u00adures that our chil\u00addren once loved were essen\u00adtial\u00adly the mus\u00adcu\u00adlar men from action car\u00adtoons, punch\u00ading and kick\u00ading, fight\u00ading off evil (per\u00adhaps even vil\u00adlains), look\u00ading very sexy and inde\u00adstruc\u00adtible. Boys, in par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar, loved to play\u00adful\u00adly fight with these fig\u00adures. Mr. Bar\u00adton now has two sons, each fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00aded by sharks and trains. While the objects are dif\u00adfer\u00adent, the tra\u00addi\u00adtion of pre\u00adtend fight\u00ading in their imag\u00adi\u00adnary worlds has endured, and as a result, their fights have become the sto\u00adries in their father\u2019s pic\u00adture books.<\/span>
\n
\nI believe both Chris Bar\u00adton and illus\u00adtra\u00adtor Tom Licht\u00aden\u00adhold have a deep under\u00adstand\u00ading of this tra\u00addi\u00adtion, not least because it\u2019s part of their child\u00adhood mem\u00ado\u00adries. Tom said in an inter\u00adview, \u201cI believe it\u2019s cru\u00adcial for chil\u00addren to under\u00adstand that their imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtions are not only nov\u00adel and fun, but also pos\u00adsess real val\u00adue.\u201d In fact, long ago, Lu Xun also lament\u00aded the val\u00adue of this imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion: \u201cChil\u00addren are wor\u00adthy of respect!\u201d There\u00adfore, cre\u00adat\u00ading books for chil\u00addren is no easy task; it requires under\u00adstand\u00ading and respect, while also pro\u00advid\u00ading oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties for their imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtions to flour\u00adish freely.<\/span>
\n
\nTom has a mas\u00adter\u00adful knack for cap\u00adtur\u00ading chil\u00addren\u2019s imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtions. His illus\u00adtra\u00adtions for \u201cGood\u00adnight, Work\u00adshop Trucks\u201d blend beloved trucks with heart\u00adwarm\u00ading good\u00adnight sto\u00adries. Mean\u00adwhile, \u201cTrain Dreams\u201d trans\u00adforms chil\u00addren\u2019s imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive play with train toys and var\u00adi\u00adous dolls into a bed\u00adtime sto\u00adry that\u2019s both absurd and riotous, yet also evokes a sense of dream\u00adlike won\u00adder. These hilar\u00adi\u00adous scenes recall the work of Dr. Seuss, while the won\u00addrous inter\u00adplay between the imag\u00adi\u00adnary and the real worlds evokes the won\u00adders of Mar\u00adgaret Wise Brown\u2019s \u201cTwo Lit\u00adtle Trains.\u201d In short, the absurd imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive play devel\u00adoped by Chris and his sons is per\u00adfect\u00adly matched by Tom\u2019s exag\u00adger\u00adat\u00aded yet pre\u00adcise draw\u00adings.<\/span>
\n
\nWhile trans\u00adlat\u00ading this book, I was con\u00adstant\u00adly search\u00ading for the tone the author was try\u00ading to con\u00advey. I believe that \u201cseri\u00adous\u00adness\u201d is key to under\u00adstand\u00ading its under\u00adly\u00ading tone. The pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnists, Shark and Train, are seri\u00adous. They aren\u2019t sim\u00adply there to enter\u00adtain the audi\u00adence and then leave the stage. They\u2019re gen\u00aduine\u00adly com\u00adpet\u00ading with each oth\u00ader, intent on destroy\u00ading each oth\u00ader. There\u00adfore, the \u201charsh words\u201d they utter from time to time are always vicious, con\u00advey\u00ading the feel\u00ading of want\u00adi\u00adng to kill each oth\u00ader. Some adults may con\u00adsid\u00ader such lan\u00adguage bor\u00adder\u00ading on vul\u00adgar\u00adi\u00adty and try to get chil\u00addren to avoid it, but this is com\u00adplete\u00adly unnec\u00ades\u00adsary. Chil\u00addren under\u00adstand when to use them appro\u00adpri\u00adate\u00adly, and when tru\u00adly impul\u00adsive, their harsh words may be even more extreme and heat\u00aded, but every\u00adone knows that they should\u00adn\u2019t be tak\u00aden seri\u00adous\u00adly at that point. On the con\u00adtrary, allow\u00ading chil\u00addren to fre\u00adquent\u00adly utter harsh words, while know\u00ading that they are play\u00ading a humor\u00adous and play\u00adful game, can be a good way to relieve stress.<\/span>
\n
\nFur\u00adther\u00admore, I\u2019ve been putting quo\u00adta\u00adtion marks around the author\u2019s use of the word \u201cseri\u00adous\u00adly\u201d because I believe this demon\u00adstrates the author\u2019s accu\u00adrate grasp of chil\u00addren\u2019s psy\u00adchol\u00ado\u00adgy. The dia\u00adlogue between the shark and the train in the book actu\u00adal\u00adly comes from the mouths of two lit\u00adtle boys. Appar\u00adent\u00adly, in this kind of imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive play, the more \u201cseri\u00adous\u00adly\u201d you take it, the more fun it is. But even chil\u00addren tire of play\u00ading. After play\u00ading this game for who knows how long, even the chil\u00addren them\u00adselves grow tired. When the log\u00adic of the game becomes so absurd that even they them\u00adselves find it unbear\u00adable, it\u2019s a sign of fatigue. Final\u00adly, the two boys, speak\u00ading their own voic\u00ades (not the shark\u2019s and the train\u2019s), say, \u201cThis is get\u00adting ridicu\u00adlous,\u201d \u201cI think it\u2019s time for a break,\u201d mark\u00ading the end of the game. A deli\u00adcious meal at this point is nat\u00adu\u00adral\u00adly the most sat\u00adis\u00adfy\u00ading way to enjoy it! This demon\u00adstrates the author\u2019s pre\u00adcise grasp of chil\u00addren\u2019s psy\u00adchol\u00ado\u00adgy and the rhythm of the sto\u00adry.<\/span>
\n
\nThere\u2019s anoth\u00ader detail that I find par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly note\u00adwor\u00adthy. Ear\u00adly in the book, two boys rush to their toy box, search\u00ading fer\u00advent\u00adly until they final\u00adly find the shark and the train. The oth\u00ader toys are scat\u00adtered across the floor, and the two boys\u2019 ini\u00adtial fight seems rather fer\u00adal. But near the end of the sto\u00adry, when some\u00adone calls out, \u201cLunch time!\u201d the boys\u2019 expres\u00adsions calm down con\u00adsid\u00ader\u00adably. And, sur\u00adpris\u00ading\u00adly, the oth\u00ader toys, pre\u00advi\u00adous\u00adly scat\u00adtered across the floor, are now neat\u00adly arranged. It turns out they also form the back\u00addrop and props for the sto\u00adry.<\/span>
\n\"\u8352\u8bde\u81f3\u6781\u7684\u521b\u610f\uff0c\u7cbe\u5f69\u975e\u51e1\u7684\u6f14\u7ece\u2014\u2014\u300a\u9ca8\u9c7c\u6597\u706b\u8f66\u300b\u8bd1\u540e\u8bb0\"<\/a><\/p>\n


\nI think the author and the artist are try\u00ading to con\u00advey this under\u00adstand\u00ading: chil\u00addren\u2019s imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtive play is not only fun and intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly stim\u00adu\u00adlat\u00ading, but also helps reg\u00adu\u00adlate emo\u00adtions and uncon\u00adscious\u00adly estab\u00adlish a nec\u00ades\u00adsary sense of order. Of course, at least that\u2019s how I see it.<\/span>
\n <\/span><\/p>\n


\nAjia \u2026<\/span>
\nWrit\u00adten on<\/span>2014<\/span>Year<\/span>9<\/span>moon<\/span>14<\/span>Bei\u00adjing<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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