逆水行舟:大江健三郎文学思想蠡测

Sailing Against the Current:A Shallow Understanding of Oe Kenzaburo's Literary Thought

从《万延元年的足球队》开始,大江先生自觉地将目光转向了神话传说。到《二百年的孩子》,大江以众多作品完成了但丁式的寻根之旅。但这一寻根之旅所蕴含的出发点和目的地均非一般意义上的发思古之幽情或原型批评家眼里的集体无意识的简单表演。大江先生的旅行充满了痛苦,这种痛苦来自于寻找大江版或日本版"第三场所"的艰难。大江先生的逆水行舟至少意味着文学与现实(或政治)的双重艰难。其一来自于反向思维,这种反向思维无疑也是把过去带入现在的最佳途径。其二在于背时逆行。正因为背时逆行,大江的文字是刚性的、挣扎的、由内而外的、自下而上的,作者及其人物为人为文的艰难每每溢于言表。但恰恰是这种背时逆行成就了大江先生的文学世界。世界文学的情况非常复杂,总体说来,目前的状况不容乐观。大江等许许多多逆时流而动的经典作家在价值取向上为后人留下了宝贵的遗产。经典作家貌似厚古薄今,本质上却与希望相同,即必定蕴含着某种乌托邦式的理想主义精神。

Beginning with Football Team of 万延元年,Mr Oe Kenzaburo conscientiously turned his attention to mythologies and legends.By the time he finished writing ＂二百年の子供＂,he had completed quite a number of literary works,bringing his journey like Dante＇s to a successful close aimed to inquire into the root of the matter.But the implicit starting point and destination of his journey are by no means unconscious simple group performances in the eyes of prototype critics.His journey is full of sufferings,which result from hardships caused by his search for ＂the third arena＂ typical of Japan.Mr Oe Kenzaburo＇s sailing against the current at least means double harships of literature and reality or politics.The first hardship comes from reverse thinking,which is undoubtedly the best approach that brings the past into the present.The second one consists in his going against the tide.It is precisely because of his rowing against the tide that his writing style,which is rigid,struggles,moves from the inside to the outside,and develops from the bottom to the top.The hardships that the writer and his characters expereience when they behave in an extraordinary way and the difficulties the writer undergoes in the process of writing are shown between the lines,or in their words and manners.But it is precisely this kind of going against the tide that has enabled Mr Oe Kenzaburo to succeed in creating his literary world.The situation of world literature is quite complicated and its present state of affairs is generally not cheerful.Many classical writers like Mr Oe Kenzaburo,who sailed against the tide,have left precious heritage in terms of value orientation for the later generations.Classical writers seem to value the past and slight the present,but actually what they do contains a sort of Utopian idealism.