天命之外的困惑——《封神演义》的伦理困境及其解决

The Perplexity outside the Heavenly Mandate: The Ethical Plight of Feng Shen Yan Yi and Its Resolving

针对学界普遍认为《封神演义》"歌颂革命"的观点,笔者认为以"武王伐纣"为故事背景的《封神演义》,必然会在面对传统儒家文化对"革命"的矛盾态度———"讨伐独夫"还是"以臣弑君"———中难以取舍。本文通过对小说中十支"叛纣归周"队伍(或人物)的命运分析,对小说中关键人物形象的分析,展现了《封神演义》暗藏的伦理困境,并试图揭示小说中借"天命"、"神魔斗法"以及"封神榜"对此伦理困境所进行的三层消解。

Directing at the popular opinion which considers Feng shen Yah Yi （ The Investiture of the Gods） as a book of ＂eulogizing revolution＂, the author of this paper thinks that this novel, which is based on King Wu＇ s crusading against the tyrant Zhou, is inevitably facing a dilemma of Confucian attitude towards the ＂revolution＂, i. e. , the dilemma between ＂punitive expedition against the tyrant＂ and ＂minister regicide＂. By analyzing the fates and characters of the leading figures in the ten troops which rebelled the tyrant Zhou and surrendered to the King Wu, this paper disclosures the hiding ethical plight in this novel, and indicates that in the novel three levels of resolution have been used to resolve the ethical plight, i. e. , ＂the Heavenly mandate＂, ＂the magic power battle between Gods and demons＂, and the ＂the list of the conferred Gods＂.