判文与小说

'Panwen'and Fiction

判文由来已久,先秦断狱之词为其始,于唐大盛,成为兼文学性与实用性、融"立功""立言"于一体的特殊文体。从形式结构、主题及其题材的选用等方面影响后世小说的创作,另外判文的真实性、时事性、肯定性以及教谕性对小说也产生了较大影响。综观唐以后小说对判文的继承与发展,它呈现出由单纯形式结构的因袭到主题、题材的继承和发展、由形似到神似、由实用性到娱乐性渐变的趋势。

'Panwen'(award of judgment at the trial) can be traced back to the judgments at the trial in the early Qin Dynasty. In Tang Dynasty, it evolved into a particular form of literature with practical use, which aimed both at'winning honor'and at'achieving glory by writing'. It exerted great influence on fiction creation of later ages in terms of structure, theme and subject matter. Its authenticity, timeliness, affirmation and enlightenment also produced tremendous effects on fiction. Observing the whole process of how fiction inherited and developed'Panwen'since the Tang Dynasty, we can see that there was a gradual change in terms of theme and subject matter: from following suit to innovation, from likeness in appearance to likeness in spirit, and from practicality to entertainment.