Ode to the "Parent-Child Pen" of Praise-Satire Comedy: One Bow, Three Arrows, Hitting Four Targets

Ode to the "Parent-Child Pen" of Praise-Satire Comedy: One Bow, Three Arrows, Hitting Four Targets

Nantai

The creation of praise-satire comedy is more difficult than that of humorous comedy. Among the "three brothers of comedy" (satirical comedy, humorous comedy, and praise-satire comedy), it is the hardest to craft and stands at the highest level. To draw an analogy: satirical comedy is like a prince, humorous comedy like a crown prince, and praise-satire comedy like an emperor. Alternatively, we can say, "Comedy is the king of literary arts, and praise-satire comedy is the 'king of kings'."

Why does praise-satire comedy hold the most revered status? Hegel stated, "When comedy reaches its mature stage, it also arrives at the endpoint of the scientific study of aesthetics." Among the three brothers of comedy, praise-satire comedy is the only "mature comedy" and the only literary form that can reach the "endpoint of aesthetics"—a fact that secures its supreme position in literary arts.

Maturity is a step closer to perfection. A nation’s literature can be deemed truly mature only when it gives birth to praise-satire comedy. Before the 21st century, there was a long-standing gap in China’s literary history: no full-length praise-satire comedy novels existed. In the global literary world, the only well-known work of this genre (or nearly so) is The Good Soldier Švejk by the Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek.

The difficulty of praise-satire comedy lies in its complexity, as described by the line: "Praise-satire comedy is the most intricate; it wields a 'yin-yang parent-child pen' (a pen that blends contradictory tones of praise and satire, like a parent guiding a child); one arrow hits multiple targets like a rainbow arching across the sky, and its black strokes outline white spaces, dotted with red and green (symbolizing the layered, multi-hued themes it conveys)." This might sound abstract, but an example will clarify it.

Take Wang Sanfeng, the first comedic hero in China’s literary history. During a special period in China, he was dismissed from his official post, subjected to "dictatorship," and became a prisoner. Once, in the "cow shed" (a term for detention centers during that era), he and other detainees were lined up to be slapped by a guard surnamed Yong. While the others dared not utter a word, Wang Sanfeng seized an opportunity: when the chief guard came for an inspection, he stepped out of the line and reported, "Reporting to Chief Guard, I come to confess my guilt—we hit Guard Yong." The chief guard was shocked: "How dare prisoners hit a guard? Do you want to rebel?" He immediately snapped, "Tell me how you did it!" Wang Sanfeng replied, "We used our faces to hit Guard Yong’s hand." The chief guard froze for a moment, then figured out the hidden meaning and couldn’t help but laugh. Later, he reprimanded the junior guard (Guard Yong).

Here, the "thorn hidden in the flower" (a metaphor for satire wrapped in humor) and the "yin-yang pen" (the balance of praise and criticism) share similarities with satirical and humorous comedies—these are obvious to all, so we won’t elaborate on them. Instead, let’s focus on the "parent-child pen" (a unique narrative technique of praise-satire comedy, where the "parent" theme guides multiple "child" sub-themes), also known as "one bow shooting three arrows to hit four targets"—a feature absent from satirical and humorous comedies.

Wang Sanfeng stepping out to confess guilt is the "one bow." From this bow, three arrows are shot:

The first arrow uses "making a feint to the east while attacking the west"—on the surface, he confesses his own "guilt," but in reality, he exposes Guard Yong’s violation of rules (beating detainees).

The second arrow employs "inciting the dog to chase the cat"—with his words, he provokes the chief guard into reprimanding the junior guard (Guard Yong).

The third arrow adopts the strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao"—he vents the pent-up anger of his fellow detainees on their behalf.

Finally, like a boomerang, the effect loops back to highlight himself: an image of a comedic hero—brave, wise, humorous, and playful—emerges vividly before the readers.

This is the "one bow, three arrows, hitting four targets" of full-length praise-satire comedy novels. Its difficulty far surpasses the "single hook catching one fish" (simple satire) of satirical comedy and the "one stone hitting two birds" (basic humor with dual effects) of humorous comedy.