古代史传“虚构”说辨正

Refutation of "Fiction" Theory of Ancient Historical biographies

有学者提出,中国古代史传在坚持实录原则的同时,允许虚构、想象,这种"虚构"包括对具体历史细节的虚构、想象和对一些神怪梦境、传说、传闻的记载。这一见解具有相当危害性。秉笔直书、实录不隐,始终是中国古代史传遵循的原则。史家不允许对历史细节,进行所谓的合情合理、设身处地的想象和虚构。史传中记录的一些神怪梦境、历史传闻等,是当时社会上已经流传、史家信以为真而加以记录的史事资料,它们并不属于史家本身之"想象"或"虚构"。主张史传可以虚构,甚至将史传的"文学性"等同于虚构和想象,都将取消史传的本质特性,为篡改和捏造历史打开方便之门。

Some modern scholars claim that Chinese ancient historical biographies uphold the principle of factual record while allowing fiction and imagination.The ＂fiction＂ includes fabricating and imagining on the historical details and accounting of gods and spirits,dreams,legend and hearsay,etc.This view is harmful.Writing without hiding is always the principle of Chinese ancient historical biographies.Historians do not allow imagination and fabrication of historical details.Those gods and spirits,dreams,legend and hearsay recorded by historical biographies are historical materials which has spread extensively and accepted as true.They do not belong to historian＇s fiction or imagination.If we advocate fictional historical biographies,even equate the literary features of historical biographies to fiction and imagination,it would eliminate the natural characteristic of historical biographies and open the door to distorting and concocting history.