春秋时期中国文学观念的发展

The Development of Chinese Literary Concepts in the Spring and Autumn Period

春秋时期是一个天翻地覆的时代,文学观念也发生着急剧变化。卫武公的自警和尹吉甫的作诵从正反两方面说明,在西周末春秋初,文学的社会功用正悄然转变。曾在礼乐制度中发挥重要作用的《诗》、《书》等传统文学,已经不再仅仅是礼乐教化的组成部分,而逐步演变为统治者实现个人政治目的或塑造个人道德形象的手段,甚至变成了阿谀奉承、粉饰太平的工具,文学有了脱离礼乐制度而独立的倾向。春秋中叶士人登上历史舞台,在批判天命观和天道观的基础上出现的以"立德、立功、立言"为"不朽"的价值观,将"集体行为史观"改换成了"个体行为观",使人们把注意力集中到个体的现实行为上来,人们可以通过立言来实现自身的不朽,这便为文学的新发展开辟了道路。到了春秋后期,士在社会政治生活的作用日益突显,"立德、立功、立言"成为他们抗衡世卿世禄的法宝,而"礼"与"德"相配合,成为个人道德修养和社会伦理秩序的表征,以诗为代表的文学俨然成为具有全方位社会功能的价值实体,成为士人们借以安身立命的重要场域,于是,一个真正属于个人的文学创作和文学欣赏活动从此揭开了序幕。

The Spring and Autumn Period is an earth-shaking era in which literary concepts also underwent dramatic changes.WEI Wu-gong's self-caution and YIN Ji-fu's composition of verses indicate from both positive and negative aspects that in the end of the reign of West Zhou and early Spring and Autumn Period,the social function of literature was quietly changing.Traditional literature such as the Book of Songs and the Book of History,which used to play an important role in the ritual system,was not only the component part of education with rites and music,but also gradually evolved into a means used by the rulers to achieve individual political ends or to create personal moral image,even turned into a tool to adulate and to present a false picture of peace and prosperity.Literature exhibited a tendency of moving away from the ritual system and became independent.In the mid Spring and Autumn Period,scholars entered the stage of history.On the basis of criticizing the view of destiny and natural order,a value system emerged which considered moral self-cultivation,public service,and writing as immortalities.It changed the collective behavior historical view into the individual behavior view,directing people's attention to the practical behaviors of individuals.People could achieve personal immortality through writing,and this paved the way for the new development of literature.In the late Spring and Autumn Period,scholars began to play a more prominent role in social political life.Moral self-cultivation,public service,and writing became their magic weapon to counter the hereditary system of nobles.Meanwhile,the integration of rite and virtue characterized individual moral quality and social ethical order.Literature,as represented by poetry,became a value entity with all-round social functions and an important field for scholars to settle down.Therefore,a new activity of literary creation and appreciation that truly belonged to the individuals began.