《时序》与《才略》:刘勰对文章时代性之论述

"Shi Xu" and "Tsai Luei":Liu Xie's View of Times Characteristics of Literary Works

刘勰《文心雕龙》所勾勒之文学史,非仅止于文学经验的集合,更是一必然规律的实践,文学史与"文律"是一体发生的。刘勰的态度表现在《通变》篇对文体、文数之常、变原则的讨论中。然而,在文律之外,现实中确实可见众多外于文学的偶然出现,却又作为文学创作背景之因素,特别是因君王好尚与世道盛衰所造成的时代整体境况,更是刘勰回顾文学发展过程时不能不正视的另一类变因。在文章历史中,"时代性"作为变因,其影响并不明确,不具绝对、全面的主导效力;若真有时代对文章必然之影响,唯出现在世况有道的前提下,但一旦有道,亦已因道所具有之恒常性而取消了时代的个别之特性。文律故始终是决定文章历史的最大关键。

The history of literature outlined in Liu Xie＇s Literary Mind and Carving Dragon is not just a collection of various separated literary phenomena, but the outcome of natural law, for literary history is never separated from literary law. Liu＇s attitude is expressed in his discussion of style, literary rules and variations in ＂Tong Bian＂. It is true that reaf life teems with incidents outside literary rules. As the background factors of literary creation, particularly the mundane aspirations of the ruling class as well as the worldly effect resulted from the ups and downs of a period, these incidents are another type of factors that Liu can not afford neglec- tion when he reviews the development of literary history. In literay history, times characteristics as a factor are non-decisive; they are decisive only when they coincide with the righteous Way, whose eternal character is al- ready a negation of the characteristics of times. The law of literary development thus is the only motor of the history of literature.