不问鬼神问科学:谢颂羔的小说《雷峰塔的传说》——白蛇传的现实化改写研究之一

Analysis on Xie Songgao's Legend of Leifeng Pagoda——Study on Actualization of Rewriting the Tale of White Snake

谢颂羔编著的中篇小说《雷峰塔的传说》(又名《白娘娘》),去除了原有故事的传奇性,白娘娘不是蛇妖,而是普通女性,因为被色鬼和尚与许宣的姐夫李某陷害,被误认为是蛇妖。作品从提倡科学、反对迷信的角度诠释白蛇传,将神话故事放到"五四"时代的启蒙语境中进行现实化改写,认为蛇变人或人变蛇是无稽之谈,直露地批判迷信风气,宣扬"德先生"和"赛先生"思想,具有鲜明的"五四"烙印。实化改写固然契合了"五四"的启蒙语境,然而给作品造成某些弊端,使作品显得平淡乏味。作品对某些传奇情节予以现实化解释,造成细节的失真,难以令人信服。

Xie Songgao writes the novel Legend of Leifeng Pagoda （ also named as White Snake Lady） from the point of advocating science and opposing superstition. The new novel is different from the traditional, because it narrates an actual story of the life and gets rid of legend. The novel propagates democracy and science, and it accords with the environment of the May Fourth era. However, the adaptation to the reality of the work causes some drawbacks because it misses legendary plot.