传统文化与《儒林外史》人物考论

Traditional Chinese Culture and the Study on the Characters in The Scholars

《儒林外史》人物考论,应不仅“以雍乾间诸家文集细绎而参稽之”,从明清笔记搜索之,还要重视从儒家原典和前代小说等传统文化广大背景上的发现与发明。蘧景玉,周进、范进与王冕,马二先生与匡超人等等人物的命名取义,性格刻画,情节设计等,就都分别与《论语》、《水浒传》等典籍有这样那样的联系。这些考证对于更好地理解全书有用。“知人论世”是不仅要从作者身世、生平、著作等看问题,更要顾及他读过的和可能读过的书,接触过和可能接触过的文化,在尽可能广大的文化背景上作深度考量,然后才可能有更多的收获。

To study the characters in The Scholars should not only be explored from the various anthologies by authors during the Yongzhen - Qianlong period, and be searched from the note novels of Ming and Qing Dynasties, but also be carried on by laying stress on the discoveries by Confucian source - books and anterior novels and so on from a broader context of traditional Chinese culture. The naming and the characterization of, and the planning of plots about such characters as Qu Jingyu, Zhou Jin, Fan Jin and Wang Mian, Mr. Ma Er and Kuang Chaoren have to do with The Analects and All Men Are Brothers, etc.. respectively. These textual researches are of use for a better understanding of the novel. The phrase ＂To know the author so as to know the times he lived in better＂ indicates that the author＇s origin, life and works are to be examined for sure, but, more, the books he has read or has possibly read, and the cultural ideas he has got in touch with or has possibly got in touch with are also to be taken into consideration. That is to say, only by starting from a cultural background as broad as possible, can more be achieved in the study.