亲属自撰墓志文的叙事特点及其文学意义

The Narrative Characteristics and Literary Significance of Relative-Written Epitaph

亲属自撰是指丧葬主持者或重要参与者不请托他人而自己为墓主撰写的墓志文或撰作过程。无论血缘还是伦理,成年子嗣都理应是父母丧葬的主持者,子为父母撰文的比例在亲属自撰中相应最高。亲属自撰有自愿和被迫两种情形,自撰者心中常有顾虑,这源自传统的避嫌自夸心理。因撰者与墓主情感深厚、关系亲密,又因与请托撰文的隐含读者存在差异,亲属自撰具有抒情浓郁、细节私密、隐含读者独特等特点。这些特点在深化墓志的抒情功能、促进墓志人物个性化以及催生墓志变体等方面,都有重要的文学意义。

Relative-written epitaph is written by the funeral host or some important participant instead of other purposely invited people. Traditionally, according to blood lineage or ethic principles, the adult children are supposed to be the presider of the funeral, and accordingly there is a high proportion that children write epitaphs for their parents. There are two situations：one is that the rela- tives are of their own accord; another is that they are forced to do that. In both the situations, there is some scrupulosity in their hearts, to some extent, which is derived from the traditional mentality of boasting and averting suspicion. Because of the close rela- tionship between the writer and the dead, and the differences in understanding between the writer and potential readers, the relativewritten epitaph presents the following characteristics：strong emotion, private details and special implied readers, etc. These characteristics play a very important role in deepening its emotional function, promoting the individualization of character and developing epitaph variants, etc.