横看成岭侧成峰——对用典之争的梳理兼论用典原则

Overview of the Debate on Whether to Apply Classical Allusions to Literary Creations and Comment on the Principles of Their Application

长期以来,人们对诗文中是否用典及用典优劣各执一词,见仁见智,这是因为论者皆从各自立场和目的出发,对其进行较为率性的评论所致。实际上绝不应该硬说其好坏,而只能说,典故用得恰当适宜,就能丰富诗文表现力,增添烟水迷离之致,用得过滥过僻,则易流为陈词套话或晦涩难明。

Over a long period of time, there has been a perpetual debate over whether classical allusions or literary references should be applied to one＇ s own literary creations, on which scholars do not usually see eye to eye. The discrepancies among scholars toward the issue reflect the fact that scholars tend to make their own judgments from their own standpoints or for their respective purposes, and thus the conclusions that they have drawn are in discord. However, this paper adopts an eclectic approach to the application of classical allusions to literary creations by ar- guing that literary references should be used with caution and propriety so as to add splendor to and enrich the expressiveness of one＇ s own literary creations. Besides, overuse of classical allusions may well contribute to platitude and obscurity of one＇ s own literary creations.