《中国文学小史序论》与钱锺书的文学观

Foreword to A Short History of Chinese Literature and the Literary Views of Qian Zhongshu

钱锺书自20世纪30年代起即对文学研究中的实证主义不满,而以当时为主流学界所歧视的"词章之学"即文学批评作为自己的研究对象。其文学观念集中体现在《中国文学小史序论》一文当中。钱锺书主张从功用及效果方面定义文学,认为文学特征有二,即动人与美感。文学史应该客观论述文学演变的内在脉络,而文学批评则当揭示文学作品的审美价值。中国文学没有西方式的统一的"文学"概念,只有分体的观念。中国文学有严格的文体界限,注重从形式风格方面横向辨别各种文体的特征及相互之间的差异;同时也重视从题材内容方面纵向衡定各种文体及同一文体内部各作品的价值高低。与胡适的文学史论述不同,钱锺书认为宋以前文学史只有雅言文学传统,而宋以后才有雅言、俗语两个文学传统。其文学观在当时独树一帜,在今天仍有参考意义。

Opposing to positivism in literary studies popular in China from 1930＇ s, Qiau Zhongshu started to study literary criticism which had been despised by the mainstream academic circles. His literary views were articulated in his essay Foreword to A Short History of Chinese Literature. He declared that literature should be defined, not by its subject-matters, but by its functions and effects, holding that literature is characterized with its appeal and aesthetic property. Literary history should record the internal context of literary changes, while literary criticism should reveal the aesthetic value of literary works. There was never such a unified Western-style concept of ＂literature＂ in Chinese literature, but there was the concept of different genres. Chinese literature had its strict stylistic definition, stressing that genres were valued differently with their subject-matters, and so were works within the same genre. Disagreeing with Hu Shi, Qian held that there was only the tradition of refined literature before the Song Dynasty, and the two traditions of refined literature and popular literature co-existed after the Song Dynasty. Qian＇ s distinctive literary views are still of reference significance.