British writer

Chapter 313 Professor Lu, you know me

Dirty dirty——

With the whistle blowing, the cruise ship sailed away from the Port of London.

Summer is hot,

The sun burned the windows, and the heat wave swept over, as if it could melt people,

The air in the club was hot and humid, with the smell of sweat and the greasy smell of engine oil, making people feel suffocating.

All this makes sailing on the sea a bit of a torment.

Lu Shi put down the cards in his hand,

"No, it's too hot. I'd better go back to the house."

Poincaré smiled and said: "Look at you, why don't you like drinking? Come with a glass of iced Redberg. The cold air will rush down the esophagus and into the stomach, and it will definitely not be hot anymore."

Redberg is a German beer brand.

Lu Shi shook his head,

"No, I'd better try to keep my head clear."

He waved his copy of yesterday's Mirror,

"I want to write a book~"

Yesterday, the serialization of "Harry Potter" was three chapters, and the plot unfolded very quickly.

Various wonderful concepts emerge,

Various magical creatures appear,

Three-headed dog Lu Wei,

troll,

Quidditch,

…

The novel has entered its first climax.

Of course, more people blocked the door of the newspaper office to press for updates.

Fortunately, Lu Shi fled to the United States, so he didn't have to worry about having his windows smashed.

But you still have to work hard,

Otherwise, if you really break the update, you will definitely receive a blade.

Roland said: "I have also read the three new chapters. They are really exciting, even better than "The Little Prince"..."

Before he finished speaking, the other French people became anxious.

"Cough cough cough cough..."

Coughing like crazy.

Roland smiled awkwardly and said, "Professor Lu, you have such a rich imagination that you actually created a ball game in the novel."

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"Come on, just when I got on the ship, I received a telegram from Germany."

With that said, he shared the telegram with everyone.

The telegram was written by Georg Cantor, a mathematician who

He complained about the many unreasonable rules of Quidditch.

For example,

The Bludger turned out to be made of iron and ten inches in diameter.

Moreover, it can also fly in the sky chasing players, and the speed must be high.

Calculating this, the Bludger is more powerful than the M1857 field gun that showed its prowess in the Napoleonic Wars. It can beat the knight's steel armor into a crispy shark.

The original words of the telegram were:

"By placing heavy bombs on the court and blasting them randomly, do you want to change the players for one game!?"

After reading the telegram, everyone laughed.

Poincaré said: "Those of us who are engaged in mathematics must be more professional. However, if it is too professional, it will not look good. Children's literature still has to... um... wait..."

He looked at the telegram again with a subtle expression,

"I have some impressions of this Cantor. Isn't he recuperating in a sanatorium in Germany?"

Lu Shi was stunned and realized who Cantor was.

Poincaré's so-called "sanatorium" is actually an implicit way of saying it.

the fact is:

Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Halle-Wittenberg.

Georg Cantor, founder of set theory,

Because the research content is too advanced and not recognized by the mathematical community,

He was under too much pressure and suffered from schizophrenia.

Although many mathematicians later rectified his name (including Hurwitz, Adama, Hilbert and other big names), his mental state has always been poor and he was tortured by mental illness.

Poincaré whispered: "I understand his theory, which has greatly promoted the study of functions."

Lu Shi was helpless,

"But the rules of Quidditch can no longer be changed."

Moreover, there is no need to change it.

Although Quidditch occupies a certain amount of space in "Harry Potter", it can only be regarded as a small spice in the entire series.

The focus is still on the adventure story of the protagonist group.

Poincaré said: "When we arrive at the Port of Calais, I will send a telegram to Mr. Cantor."

Lu Shi nodded,

"Okay. Send me your sincere greetings and thanks."

After saying that, he picked up the newspaper and prepared to return to the cabin to continue studying "Harry Potter".

did not expect,

Wow——

All the French present stood up.

They looked at Lu Shi excitedly,

"Professor Lu, I want to see the state of your creation!"

"sorry to bother you!"

"Please give Sir Lu some advice!"

…

They all became little fans.

The other passengers looked over without knowing what was going on, and soon someone recognized Lu Shi.

For a moment, the air in the club became anxious,

People were eager to get Lu Shi's autograph.

Lu Shi didn't want to be covered in burly clothes;

He persuaded in a low voice: "'Harry Potter' is a long novel. I am still in the conception stage of the second part and will not start writing it for at least three days. What do you think of my creative status?"

Roland said: "It's okay, it's good to see your ideas."

Verne on the side suggested,

"Or, you write a short horror novel?"

"Tsk..."

Lu Shi was speechless.

My heart said,

These people really think they are Doraemon.

He pondered for a moment, and his eyes suddenly stopped on Cantor's telegram.

This big shot suffered from schizophrenia because his research on set theory was too advanced. It seems that he is very suitable to be the protagonist of the Gram series...

But the Cthulhu Mythos is not easy to write.

As said before,

The pace of its writing is too slow. In 1926, when "Call of Cthulhu" was first published, it was considered slow.

Moreover, Lu Shi was very convinced that even at the beginning of the 20th century, that kind of writing was destined to be a niche.

But if you want to change it, it is very difficult.

Lu Shi was very hesitant about this.

At this moment, Verne spoke again: "Lu, I don't mean to force others to do something difficult. But I think you can really give it a try. The worst I can do is not publish it~"

Lu Shi was slightly surprised,

"how?"

Verne said: "When you wrote "The Village Teacher", science fiction was in decline. But now? Isn't the Verne Science Fiction Literature Award still booming? As long as the writing is good and attracts more authors, no matter how marginalized it is, The subject matter can also become mainstream.”

Cthulhu is not a fringe subject in modern times.

Even Internet article authors are getting together to write.

Of course, this also has disadvantages,

Because of the large number of people reading this, the homogeneity of works has become serious. A large number of so-called "Cthulhu-style" novels have turned into a war between humans, gods and Zerg.

For those who didn’t know, I thought I was watching a StarCraft fanfic.

Lu Shi thought for a while,

"I'd better go back to the cabin first."

As a result, the French gang followed behind and blocked the stairs.

Lu Shi was helpless,

"Everyone, I don't necessarily write it."

Roland waved his hands repeatedly,

"It doesn't matter if you don't write. We just want to see how you are creating and learn from it."

Lu Shi: "..."

There is really no way to deal with this group of people, we can only let them do it.

So, when we returned to the cabin, the entire room was immediately filled, making it stuffier than the air in the club.

Lu Shi complained: "Aren't you hot?"

Poincaré wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied: "Can it not be hot?"

He turned around,

"Dear colleagues! Let's come in groups to observe and learn."

Lu Shi had a ridiculous feeling of being treated like a giant panda.

Just as he was about to retort, Poincaré said in a low voice: "Professor Lu, you are now a corresponding academician of our Collège de France. Everyone should learn from you. I hope you will give me some advice."

"Ah this..."

What else could Lu Shi say?

In fact, as the first foreign academician in the history of the Académie Française, with many honors and a high salary, he does not dislike this kind of communication.

But the French are so "enthusiastic" that he always feels like he is surrounded by Southern Copper.

He was deep in thought,

After a while, he said: "There are no more than five people in the cabin at the same time. Otherwise, the air will not circulate and it will affect my thinking."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Frenchman promised:

"good!"

They exited the cabin together, and then discussed in low voices who should come in first.

Lu Shi didn't bother to worry about whether these things existed or not, and started to think about it.

The Cthulhu Mythos begins with "Call of Cthulhu".

It established H.P. Lovecraft's vision of a vast and evil world.

Among them, Cthulhu, the Great Old One, appeared for the first time and the writing style of the novel had a profound impact on the Cthulhu mythology and derivative works.

Because it is a short story, there is not much content.

After the death of his great-uncle, the protagonist of the novel sorts out the materials left behind for him.

In the process, he discovered that his great-uncle, a professor of Semitic languages, had a collection of strange statues and many disorganized notes, notes and briefings.

The protagonist begins to pursue the secrets and learns that his uncle is studying Cthulhu.

This pagan belief has existed on earth from the beginning of time, visitors from the stars,

That is, the Old One——

Cthulhu.

The protagonist gradually deepens his research,

He then pieced together the horrifying truth, and learned that the horrors contained in the universe would follow the dead.

Changing Cantor to be the protagonist is simply inappropriate.

Just change the final death to be enlightened by the knowledge of the universe, then study set theory, and finally suffer from mental illness.

Lu Shi pondered, feeling that it was still inappropriate to use a typewriter.

He took a pen and paper and wrote:

——

I dedicate this document to,

Professor Georg Cantor,

He is an excellent reader and an excellent mathematician.

——

This is the "beginning".

Lu Shi began to write the following text.

The novel is less than 30,000 words,

Lu Shi made appropriate cuts, and the plot soon reached the point where the protagonist discovered the statue while sorting out the relics.

"It has a head like an octopus, a face with a bunch of tentacles, and a torso covered with scales that looks like rubber..."

This paragraph vividly demonstrates the language characteristics of the master of love craftsmanship.

When Lu Shi finished writing, he felt as if he had just finished a marathon.

"Huh~"

Take a deep breath and stretch.

As a result, my arm touched the person behind me,

He turned back subconsciously.

Unexpectedly, the cabin was already crowded with people, and their heads were stretched out to read the writing.

Lu Shi:? ? ?

"Didn't we agree that there would only be five people?"

He looked at Poincaré.

Poincaré quickly explained: "Professor Lu, you know me. I am an academician of the French Academy and your colleague. I should be fine staying here, right?"

Lu Shi said "Uh..." and said, "No problem."

He looked at Verne again.

Verne said: "Professor Lu, you know me. I am a science fiction writer, and I am also a niche subject~ It makes sense to observe and learn here!"

Lu Shi: "..."

"Yes, yes. That makes sense."

He then turned to the relatively young Proust.

Proust spread his hands,

"Professor Lu, you know me. I was the winner of the first Verne Prize for Science Fiction Literature, and you were the judge at the time. In other words, you are my teacher, and I am your student. The student will turn to the teacher. Study, you can’t kick me out, can you?”

Lu Shi: "..."

I couldn't say a word for a long time.

Finally, it became apparent that all the people present had their "reasons" to stay in the cabin.

He sat back and put down his pick.

"There are too many people for me to write."

Just finished,

Wow——

The gang rushed out again.

Poincaré looked in at the door,

"Professor Lu..."

His eyes were full of pleading.

Lu Shi said: "Still the old rules, no more than five people can be accommodated in the room at the same time."

Poincaré was overjoyed and rushed in.

Only then did the people behind realize and start fighting for the door.

"I was obviously the one who came first!"

"No, I stepped through the door with my right foot first!"

"The earliest goal line my body hair has ever crossed."

…

There was a lot of noise.

Poincaré entered the room and whispered: "Professor Lu, I have to admire the variety of your style. To be honest, the description techniques in your article are very strange and complicated, but they are not from "Lolita" That kind of complexity.”

Lu Shi nodded,

"It's a trope of repetition that Shakespeare used a lot in Macbeth."

Poincaré was also a prose writer and immediately thought of,

Repetitive rhetoric refers to using two pre-adverbial clauses and post-adverbial clauses with the same meaning to modify an object.

Its essence is redundancy.

Lu Shidao: "Do you still remember the issue of language accuracy that you and British scholars argued about?"

Poincaré nodded,

"That must be remembered. The final conclusion is that there is no most precise language, but there can be the most precise expression."

Lu Shishun explained: "Redundancy is the simplest and crudest way to increase accuracy. At the same time, redundancy can also increase the sense of substitution and create a scary atmosphere. Just like this statue, if the real thing is placed in front of you, you may not necessarily find it mysterious. , unknowable, but it’s different when written in words.”

Poincaré lamented,

“That’s the beauty of words.”

It stands to reason that the more redundant it is, the more accurate it is.

And precision kills imagination.

It's like a fantasy novel,

On paper, people can have unlimited imagination,

But once it becomes a stage play, the imagination will be firmly restricted and framed in a fixed cage.

This is also the reason why many Jin Yong fans complain about TV series.

Lu Shi's redundancy had the opposite effect.

Poincaré was curious;

"How on earth is this done?"

Lu Shi asked: "What?"

Poincaré pointed to the text describing the statue and read:

'They, like the material of the statues and the themes they express, belong to something extremely rare and completely different from the human beings we know; frighteningly reminiscent of some ancient and unclean life cycle-and in In that cycle, our world and our concepts have no place at all...'

As I thought about it, I actually shuddered a little.

It's obviously just a statue!

Lu Shi smiled,

"This is actually a deceptive writing technique that deliberately leads readers to think wildly."

As he spoke, he looked around the room,

"I can use the most commonplace things as an example."

Poincaré nodded,

"We'll see."

Lu Shi's eyes swept around and suddenly noticed a box of Redberg's beer placed in the corner of the room.

Poincaré was embarrassed,

"They brought it. I thought I'd drink it and read your article at the same time."

grass!

Ten thousand grass and mud horses galloped past Lu Shi's heart.

There is no one left in this group.

He said: "Okay, then I will describe this box of cold beer in a tricky way."

After saying that, he started writing furiously.

Poincaré came over to read,

——

The rectangular box was very strange, with several rough surfaces, and only the upward side was open, exuding a corpse-like coldness.

When the room becomes quiet, you can hear the "gurgling" swallowing sound inside the box.

But that clearly didn’t come from a living creature!

Heavy, depressing, boring...

The whispering was suffocating.

If you accidentally look in from the cold side, please close your eyes immediately!

Because, inside are twelve intertwined metal rods, which contain viscous tissue fluid of unknown origin.

These rods are arranged like a sacrilegious altar, performing silent rituals...

——

Poincaré was stunned;

"Is this special beer?"

He looked back at the beer box and then at Lu Shi's words.

"Why is it so cold like a corpse?"

Lu Shi spread his hands,

“It’s chilled~”

Poincaré continued: "What is that swallowing sound?"

Lu Shi replied: "Cold beer will bubble in a warm environment if it is not properly sealed."

Poincaré: "..."

He looked at the line of text again,

If I hadn’t known in advance that it was a beer box, I would have definitely assumed that the description was a witchcraft prop.

Lu Shi introduced: "That's why I said that redundancy can sometimes increase accuracy; sometimes it can create 'beautiful misunderstandings', making readers' imaginations more distorted, and then completely substituted into the novel."

Poincaré pondered for a long time,

I'm still better suited to math. Like you said,

‘Your eyes deceive you;

Your feelings can deceive you;

Your experience will deceive you;

But math doesn’t,

No, it just won’t!

’

Lu Shi laughed loudly,

"Yeah!"

Seeing them chatting happily, the people outside the house couldn't bear it anymore and rushed in.

Lu Shi curled his lips,