悲歌里的生存思考——论《张马丁的第八天》中生存困境的书写新义

Survival Thinking in the Mourning Melody:the New Meaning of the Survival Dilemma in the Eighth Day of Martin Zhang

《张马丁的第八天》以天母河地区天主教莱高维诺主教与天石村迎神会张天赐会首的冲突斗争为主线,讲述了传教士张马丁和民间女子张王氏等人在清末乱世所遭遇的种种生命悲情和生存困境。小说一方面延续了对于个体生命在特殊时期沉浮命运的密切关注,延续了对美好生命存在的无限赞美和对周遭无理性环境的注视姿态;一方面又向精神和哲性层面漫溯,在中西方宗教文化的交融背景下,追问不同信仰激烈冲撞产生的困境,思考异质文明身份认同的可能性,思考不堪的生存状态背后的传统秩序与人性的多面呈现,思考真实与荒谬的界限,进而思考生而为人的终极意义。

The main line of The Eighth Day of Martin Zhang is the conflict between the bishop Governo and the leader Tianci Zhang in the region of the Tian Mu river. The book tells us a story about the tragic lives and the dilemma of survival through the experiences of churchman Martin Zhang and folk women Zhang Wang in the trouble times of the late Qing Dynasty. On one hand, the novel continues concentrating on the single life＇s irregular destiny during the special time and the praise for the fantastic things exposed to the irrational environment; on the other hand, it rises to the spiritual and philosophical levels on the background which practices the blend of Chinese and Western religion to question the dilemma produced by the fierce collision between different beliefs closely. The novel thinks about the possibility of self-identity of different civilization, thinks of the multi-appearance of the traditional orders and humanity at the back of unbearable condition of survival. It also thinks about the limit between the truth and ridiculousness and the ultimate significance of humanity.