从放马滩到《牡丹亭》——论“死而复生”志怪中的巫术与文学

From Fangmatan to The Peony Pavilion:On “Resurrection” Fables in Witchcraft and Literature

汤显祖《牡丹亭》因杜丽娘情之所至可以"死而复生"的主题而闻名。这一主题具有超常的持久性,从先秦简牍、中古志怪、史书、宗教文献到明清文学,都对它进行了不同立场的阐释。通过梳理此类故事的巫术成分及其演化,能够对巫术与文学的关系有具体化的认识:1.同一类巫术故事在不同的宗教影响下,现出不同的面貌;2.不同的宗教成分,有着不同的知识背景和阐释框架,故事的主旨和逻辑有别;3.宗教成分不同,故事的情感内核也不相同。魏晋志怪的"天人感应"背后是政治神学的伦理秩序,强调天的权威和神圣。汤显祖则将"精诚贯于天地,而获感应"的"复生"故事,改造成了杜丽娘自我之"至情所感",死而复生。这是他对普通人情感欲望的肯定与赞美。志怪中那些极端的非理性故事,为后世作者超越教化的羁绊提供了可能。

The Peony Pavilion by Tang Xianzu was well known for the theme that Du Liniang could resurrect for her dedicated love.This tale had unusually endured and had been interpreted from different perspectives in ancient bamboo slips of the pre-Qin Dynasty,fables,annals and religious works of the middle ancient times,as well as the literature of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.After analysis on the witchcraft elements in such kind of tales and their evolution,the following specific understandings about the relationship between witchcraft and literature can be discerned:1)under the influence of different religions,the same category of witchcraft stories were narrated differently;2)different religious elements were told with a dissimilar background and interpreted differently,and their theme and logic also varied;3)differentiated religious compositions led to divergent emotional innards of those tales.Behind the interactions between the heaven and mankind in the fables of the Wei and Jin Dynasties lay the ethnic order of political theology,emphasizing the authority and sacredness of heaven.Tang Xianzu rewrote the emotional resurrection story into one that Du Liniang resurrected for her dedicated love.This was his affirmation and praise for the emotions of common people.These extremely irrational stories in such fables helped subsequent writers to surpass established conventions.