“因果报应”观念与中国话本小说

The Concept of “Causality Retribution” and Ancient Chinese Fictions Written in the Vernacular

中国话本小说普遍存在因果报应思想，这种观念不仅来自佛教，也是我国古代社会上自达官显贵下到贩夫走卒普遍具有的社会存在。反映在话本小说中一方面是从作品结构上以果报思想作为整体结构的基础，另一方面又利用话本小说的独特形式，以说话人身份穿插议论评述，经文人染指后更与三纲五常、忠孝节义等封建伦理道德说教结合在一起。话本小说果报观念宣扬了鬼神迷信思想，让受压迫群众安于现状不思反抗；在艺术上使作品容易流于人物塑造类型化，结构公式化的弊端。但它却在一定程度上体现了正义必胜、邪恶必败的思想，表达了人民群众惩恶扬善的理想愿望。

The causality retribution idea generally existed in the ancient Chinese fictions written in the vernacular. The idea came from Buddhism as we1l as from upper and lower classes in the ancient Chinese society.On the one one hand,thistkindkof idea usually was the structural base of the fictions,and and on thethe other er hanit was expressed by state ments of the characters in the fictions that were mixed with the preaching of the feudal ethics. The idea spread the superstitious concepts such as ghosts ect. to keep the masses bearing their conditions and not to make rebellions, but to some degree, the idea expressed the principle that justice would finally overcome evil as well as the masses wishes to punish evil and praise good.