修昔底德的写作过程和叙事目的

Thucydides: Writing Process and Aims of Narrative

修昔底德历经30余年的收集材料和写作过程,仍未能完成他的著作。不仅战争过程的后期几年他没有来得及记述,而且在已经写作的文本中我们也可以发现存在着多处没有完稿的迹象。本文认为这既与修昔底德的写作条件和他的写作方式有关,更与其叙事中所蕴涵的内在矛盾存在着密切联系。他希望通过对当代的具体事件的叙述来反映人性在不同条件下的表现,这使其叙事与纯粹的编年史迥然不同,而带有明确的对人的教育目的。但这一任务的复杂性也是使他迟迟无法完成著述的根本原因。

Thucydides could not complete his work though he spent more than thirty years in collecting materials and writing the war. He did not record the late years of the war; moreover, it can be found from the text that there are many signs of incompleteness. This paper argues that this incompleteness is not only related to Thucydides' conditions and manner of writing, but also has a deep connection with the inner paradox of his narrative. Thucydides hopes to reflect the human nature in different situations through the contemporary particular events, and this makes his narrative quite different from the simple annuals, especially aiming at educating the people. However, the complexity of this enterprise also turns to be the fundamental reason for the incompleteness of his work.