遁世与迷狂:清前期长篇小说中科举失意者的另类追求

Retiracy and Craziness:An Alternative Pursuit of Losers in the Imperial Examination in the Novels of Early Qing Dynasty

清代前期有一批白话长篇小说涉及到了文人科举现象,并塑造了一批科举失意的文人主人公,表现出了科举失败后对人生道路的另类追求。《镜花缘》中的唐敖通过修仙访道方式实现了自我人生价值,是一种纯粹的遁世;《绿野仙踪》冷于冰在修仙访道同时在人间的绿野上实现了大济天下的梦想,是一种济世修道;而《野叟曝言》中的文素臣面对科举的失败,并没有看破人间富贵功名,而是在近乎狂想的非现实情景中实现了致君泽民、名垂千秋的文人梦。之所以有如此现象,与清代前期的科举背景密切相关,但更重要的是有着作家自己的理想寄托。对抑郁人生宣泄的同时,又表现出了作家对一个理想、清平世界的强烈追求。

In early period of Qing Dynasty, there appeared an amount of novels in vernacular Chinese which talked about the literati＇s imperial examinations. In addition, they shaped a group of protagonist literati who failed in such examinations, and described their alternative pursuit in their lives after the failure. The protagonist TANG Ao in Luck Brought by Flowers in a Mirror has realized his life value through cultivating himself to be an immortal. This is completely a kind of retiracy. LENG Yu-bing in Fairy Trails in Green Land has brought into reality his dream to do great things for the world. This is a kind of saving cultivation. In contrast, WEN Su-chen in Words Poured out by an Old Man cannot see through wealth and fame after he fails in the imperial examination. In stead, in an almost imagined unreal world, he has realized his dream to serve the emperor and do good deeds for people and to leave a good reputation in history. Such phenomena are closely related with the system of the imperial examination in early Qing Dynasty. But what is more important is that they represent the hope of the authors themselves. When they poured out their depressed lives, they expressed their strong desire to get a peaceful world.