“传奇”的双重悖论——论“讲故事”的沈从文

The Dual Paradox of “Legends”——On “the Story-teller” Shen Congwen

1927年后,沈从文将"讲故事"的声音引入小说叙事,运用以模仿讲故事并强调其真实性的方式强化小说的传奇性这一重"传奇"的悖论,使自己的小说逐渐发展出独特的文学形式和美学风格。然而,从《边城》的写作开始直至《雪晴》,由"讲故事"带来的另一重"传奇"的悖论则与沈从文自身"不可知"、"不可解"的现实思虑相纠缠,进而出现了大量自反性、解构性因素,使形塑"现代传奇"以承载历史的小说理想不断从文本内部崩塌,写作也一再陷入未完成的文学困境。"传奇"的双重悖论既体现沈从文叙事艺术的巧思,也显现出写作的危机和现代性症候,其间紧张的张力关系或许也在召唤着某种超越"传奇"的新的文学方式。

After 1927, Shen Congwen introduced the voice of story-telling into the narrative of his novels, and strengthened the legendary paradox of ＂legends＂ by imitating the way of story-telling and emphasizing their authen- ticity, thus enabling his novels to develop gradually a unique literary form and aesthetic style. However, from the writing of The Border Town to Xue Qing （ Post-Snow Sunshine）, the paradox of ＂legends＂ brought by ＂storytelling＂ is intertwined with Shen Congwen＇ s own ＂unknowable＂ and ＂unsolvable＂ realistic thinking, and then there are a lot of reflexive and deconstructive factors, which make the form of ＂modem legends＂ bearing the history of the no- vel ideal constantly collapse from within the text, thereby causing his writing to repeatedly fall into the unfinished literary predicament. The double paradox of the ＂legend＂ not only reflects Shen Congwen＇ s skillful thinking of his narrative art, but also shows the crisis of writing and the symptoms of modernity, during which the tension relation- ship may also call for a new way in literature beyond the ＂legend＂.