论沈从文与物质文化研究

Shen Congwen and the Study of Material Culture

1949年以后,沈从文被迫搁笔,从文学创作转向物质文化研究。他的物质文化研究关注的是民间的、日常的、生活的杂文物的研究,与其文学创作息息相通,是一种呈现其生命形态的"抒情考古学"。其物质文化研究的基本路向是"为物立传",以大量文献追溯"物"的前世今生。他对物质性存在的高度重视,既与现代考古学相呼应,也与其长期对"物"的兴趣密切相关,有效地将传世文物、出土文献、出土实物相结合。这种"为物作传"的物质文化研究,突破了原来的学科界限,将文史研究与文物研究相结合,穿梭于技术史、美术史、美学史、文化史等不同学科之间,体现了鲜明的跨学科性。沈从文的物质文化研究,既是一种历史解释的方法,也成为理解与修正文学史叙事的重要依据。他的研究是联接历史、沟通人我的工具,使那些充满生命情感的"物","千载之下百世之后还如相晤对"。

Forced to stop writing after 1949, Shen Congwen veered his attention to the study of material culture. Consistent with his literary creation, his study of folk and daily cultural relics was a ＂lyrical archeology＂ to present his life. The guideline for his study of material culture was ＂biographing things＂ by tracing their histories with a massive amount of literature. His emphasis on the material existence not only echoed ideas in modern archeology, but also related to his long-term obsession with ＂things＂, hence the juxtaposition of handed-down relics, newly discovered literature and articles. His study penetrated original discipline boundaries, because he combined the study of literature and history as well as the study of relics, and was involved in the histories of technology, fine arts, aesthetics, and culture. Shen Congwen＇s study of material culture was not only a methodology for historical interpretation, but also significant references for understanding and modifying the narrative of literary history. By connecting history and human beings, his research enabled a fresh encounter between emotionally underpinning things and humankind after thousands of years.