“义”与“法”:林译小说序跋之现代性解读

Content and Form:Analyses on Modernity in the Prefaces and Postscripts of Lin Shu's Translations

林译小说序跋是林纾古文创作的组成部分,蕴含着其既继承又超越桐城派的古文理论思想。林纾将翻译小说作为开启民智、警醒国人的载体,在其序跋中介绍并评价外国的政治军事、风土人情、伦理道德、宗教文化等,所涉及的内容已超越了桐城派古文所规定的"义"的范畴;林纾肯定以狄更斯小说为代表的描写底层社会的现实主义创作方法,肯定外国小说之"法"与古文叙事、状物、摹人等方面的相通,破除桐城派古文在语言运用上的诸多清规戒律,逐步消解雅俗文学之间的壁垒,拓展了桐城派古文"法"之内涵。林纾的小说序跋无论是在"义"还是在"法"等方面,都体现出了对桐城派的明显超越,显示出强烈的现代性色彩。

Prefaces and postscripts of Lin Shu＇ s Translations, parts of his ancient prose, contains Lin＇ s ancient prose theories which inherited from Tongcheng School. Lin Shu took tran^ations as carriers to enlighten and warn people. In his prefaces and postscripts, he introduced and criticized foreign politics, military, customs, religions and so on, which went beyond Content defined by Tongcheng School. Lin Shu said highly of realistic writing method represented by Dickens. Lin admitted the form of foreign novels and that of ancient prose had something in common, which broke away from commandments of Tongcheng School in language usage. Lin＇ s criticisms gradually eliminated the barriers between refined and popular literature and expanded Form defined by Tongcheng School. In a word, in both Content and Form, the prefaces and postscripts of Lin Shu＇ s Translations has gone beyond Tongcehng School, revealing modernity.