塑造“地道的中国人”——论《四世同堂》人物形象及老舍的小说美学

Portrayal of “Typical Chinese”:On the Character Images of Four Generations under One Roof and Lao She's Aesthetics of Fiction

一个语象在一个作者的作品中再三重复,即会渐渐累积起象征意义,不再是无情之物,而成为凝结着作者深度经验与情绪细节的主题语象,也成为打开作者精神世界大门的钥匙。《四世同堂》在塑造人物时用了十余处"地道北平人"、"地道的中国人"、"地道的中国读书人"、"地道中国式的‘辩证法’"以及"地道的汉奸胎子"等语象,既用于正面人物塑造,也用于汉奸走狗刻画,因而"地道的中国人"就有了复调多义。分析《四世同堂》"塑造了怎样的‘地道的中国人’"、"为何塑造这些人物"、"如何塑造这些人物"以及"这些人物形象的美学价值与局限"等问题,不仅能够更好地确立《四世同堂》在中国现代小说史上的地位,更能为20世纪中国新古典主义小说美学的建构提供经典的个案依据。

If a verbal icon turns up and up gain in an author’s works,then it will build up gradually its symbolic significance,and will become a thematic icon bearing the author’s profound experience and emotional details,and a key to enter his spiritual world. In portraying different characters in The Four Generations under One Roof（ Si Shi Tong Tang 《四世同堂》）,such verbal ions as ＂authentic Peking man＂,＂typical Chinese＂,＂authentic Chinese reading people＂,＂authentic Chinese- style ‘dialectics’ ＂,and ＂typical traitors unborn＂have appeared no less than ten times,either for the portrayal of positive characters,or for the depiction of traitor lackeys. And the ＂typical Chinese ＂becomes a term with polyphonic meanings. As a result,the issue to analyze how,why,and in what way the＂typical Chinese＂have been portrayed in The Four Generations under One Roof（ Si Shi Tong Tang）,and that about the aesthetic values and limitations of these characters,can not only establish the position of the novel in modern Chinese fiction history,but also can provide a classic case for the aesthetic construction of Chinese neoclassical novel during the 20 th century.