近代江南说书人的乡村地位

On the Status of Storytellers in Jiangnan Rural Area in Modern Times

近代江南说书人的社会地位不宜笼统而论,他们在乡村的好名声为其赢得了"先生"般的地位。在江南乡人心目中,说书先生博闻强识,以历史知识启慧,以传统伦理教化,堪比传道授业的师者。这样的师者,靠的不是冬烘式的思想灌输,而是运用口技、乡谈和角色扮演等妙趣横生的艺术技法,在愉悦的氛围中触抵乡民的心灵。在乡村共同体中,说书人的体面行头成为他们自塑"先生"形象的重要符号,更让乡民钦敬的,是说书人身上所体现的周急继乏的乡绅行谊、谨严的职业操守以及社会责任感。修行砥名的说书人所获得的良好评价和社会承认决定了其在乡村社会的先生地位。这种地位源自近代江南乡村世界的日常逻辑,非贱视民间艺术的知识精英所能理解。

In modern times,the social status of storytellers in Jiangnan area should not be discussed generally,because their reputation in the countryside earned them the respectable status equal to the＂master＂. In Jiangnan area,villagers regarded storytellers as teachers who had wide learning and retentive memory,enlightened people with historical knowledge and educated people by traditional ethics. Furthermore,storytellers touched the hearts of the villagers in a cheerful atmosphere by their witty words and artistic skills such as vocal imitation,dialect and role play instead of pedantic infusion of ideas. In the rural community,storytellers dressed decently for their profession and they became an important symbol of the＂master＂. What the villagers admired and respected was the strict professional ethics and sense of social responsibility of the storytellers who would help the poor and those who were in need,and their conduct matched that of the landed gentry. Therefore,the storytellers earned favorable social recognition and their status as the＂master＂in rural society by their code of ethics. This followed the daily logic of the rural world in Jiangnan area and this may not be understood by those intellectual elites who despised folk art.