严监生式悲剧与民族文化心理——论为严监生招魂

THE TRAGEDY OF YAN JIANSHENG AND NATIONAL CULTURE PSYCHOLOGY: Discussion on Calling Back Yan Jiansheng's spirit

严监生是善人,也是愚人,是恪守虚伪礼节的悲剧;严监生看不破金钱,过份刻薄自己,落下"吝啬鬼"的千古骂名,这是善人被误解的悲剧。严监生代表作者对金钱的深刻认识,他是我们民族文化心理的一个符号。严监生形象告戒世人:面对金钱,既要善待他人,也要善待自己;《儒林外史》告诉世人:面对金钱,要"养其廉耻","须是骨头里挣出来的钱才做得肉"。今日不乏严贡生,而少严监生,应该为严监生招魂。

Yan Jiansheng is not only a well-doer but also a fool, so his life is tragedy scrupulously abiding by hypocritical courtesy. Yan Jiansheng treats money and himself too harshly. As a result, he wins a bad name of ＂miser＂. At fact, the tragedy stems from misunderstanding. He is a sign of our national culture psychology, as a representative cognition of author. The image exhorts us： Face money correctly and treat ourselves and others well. Meanwhile, ＂to foster sense of shame ＂, ＂money that is earned in bone makes flesh ＂. Today, as a fact of few Yan Jiansheng and many Yan Gongshengs, we ought to call back his spirit.