经典的世代更替与中国文化的历史进程——兼论中国文学史书写的长时段视角

The Generation of Classics and Cultural Process of China——And on a Long-term Examination about the History of Chinese Literature

从世代更替的角度来看,中国文化经典以"五经"、"四书"和"四大名著"最为重要,而"四大奇书"又是"四大名著"的雏形。就大传统而言,汉代确立了以"五经"为核心的经典体系,至宋则确立了以"四书"为核心的新的经典格局。明中叶以后,小传统文化力量参与社会文化建构的活力空前旺盛,"四大奇书"作为俗文化经典的地位在明末清初得到确认。1919年"新文化运动"以来,胡适、鲁迅等学者致力于确立"四大章回小说"在主流文化中的经典地位,将其从边缘推到中心。1949年以后,人民文学出版社隆重推出"四大名著",当代教育导向与传媒力量、文化消费结合,成功地确立了"四大名著"作为文化经典的地位。大体说来,"五经"的经典地位与中国文化史上的中古时代相终始,"四书"的经典地位与中国文化史上的近古时代相终始,"四大名著"经典地位的建立则是传统文化向现代转型的标志。

The Five Classics, The Four Books and The Four Famous Novels whose antecedents are The Four Masterpieces, are of great significance in the generation change of Chinese cultural classics. The Five Classics had been taken the center stage in elegant classics in Han Dynasty until the Four Books replaced them in Song Dynasty. The popular cultural force had become powerful since the mid-Ming Dynasty and The Four Masterpieces had been recognized as popular classics by marginal scholars and non- official cultural force. Then since the the New Culture Movement, modern scholars like Hu Shi and Lu Xun have made great efforts to solidify the position of the four popular novels as classics in the mainstream culture. After 1949 The Four Great Classical Novels published by People＇ s Literature Publishing House have become modern cultural classics as the result of the efforts of educational media and cultural consumption. On the whole, The Five Classics dominated the culture of mid-ancient times and The Four Books played the leading role in the culture during ancient times nearest to the present, and the establishment of the status of The Four Great Classical Novels indicated symbol of the transformation from traditional culture to modern one.