叙事困境的化解与转化——明清通俗小说中的“休妻”叙事

The Dissolving and Converting of Narrative Predicament: The Narration of“Divorcing One's Wife”in the Popular Novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

当明清通俗小说出现"休妻"的时候,不仅意味着小说中的夫妻关系已经走到穷途末路,也意味着作者正面临一个难以摆脱的叙事困境:在情节和人物关系方面都是如此。为了摆脱这种困境,小说作者会运用种种方式对休妻的负面情状进行消解,甚至是对之进行彻底的逆转,使得最伤害阴骘的休妻也能成为道德和情感的守望者。因此,小说中的休书会变为见证爱情的情书,休妻也转成一场取径独特的恋爱,原本的休弃妻子的薄情者则成为至情至性的多情之夫。通过"休妻"这一情节,可以看到小说作者如何化解叙事困境,并释放其中蕴含的潜能,将叙事上的困境转化为小说中的妙境。

When ＂divorcing one＇s wife＂ appeared in the popular novels in the Ming and the Qing Dynasties, it not only means that the marital relationship in the novels has come to a dead end, but also indicates that there is a predicament in both plots and figure relation. In order to get rid of this predicament, the writer would try to dissolve the negative situation of ＂divorcing one＇s wife＂ in a variety of ways, and even try to totally convert it, make the most virtue hurting events a kind of watcher of morality and emotion. Therefore, the letter of divorce might become an evidence of love, and the divorcing might become a special way of loving, the fickle husband might become an extremely affectionate lover. Through this plot, we may see how the writers dissolve the narrative predicament, release the potentiality in it, and transform it into a wonderful realm in the novel.