“文以意为主”:中国古代散文理论的历史演变

改革开放40年来,中国古代文论研究获得长足发展,不仅实现了理论的体系化,而且发展成一门独立的学科。2008年首次出版的祁志祥主持的＂十一五＂普通高校国家级指南类教材《中国古代文学理论》,系中国古代文论系统化、学科化的标志性事件。全书分文学观念论、创作过程论、文论方法论三个部分,建构了以表情达意为主的民族文论体系。2018年,该书得以修订出版,又在原著的基础上增补了各门文学理论发展演变的内容。以下发表的这组专题讨论文章即为这一研究的新成果。文学是用文字状物叙事、言志抒情的体裁。如果说西方文学侧重于状物叙事,诞生了古代的模仿理论和现代叙事理论;那么,中国古代文学则侧重于言志抒情,形成了表现主体的文学理论。所谓＂以情义为主,以事类为佐＂（挚虞）;＂言志乃诗人之本意,咏物特诗人之余事＂（张戒）;即使写史,也要＂寓主意于客位＂,＂有表微意在＂（刘熙载）。中国古代诗词通过写景咏物来言志抒情,景语只是情语,咏物即是言志;中国古代戏剧、小说通过写人叙事来寄托讽谏、醒世明世,人和事只是表达、寄托作者主体思想情感的手段或道具。所以,＂文以意为主＂是中国古代散文理论万变不离的旨归;＂言志＂、＂缘情＂是中国古代诗词一以贯之的旋律;而寓意劝谏、醒世明世,则是中国古代戏曲和小说世代不休的主题。紧扣这一主题,以下诸文展开了各门文论历史脉络及其时代特征的追寻与剖析,对于从整体上把握中国古代文学理论的演进历程具有重要的参考价值和启示意义。

In 2008,I first published the"Eleventh Five-Year Plan"national-level guide textbook of Ancient Chinese Literary Theory,which is a symbolic event of systematization and discipline of ancient Chinese literary theory.The whole book is divided into three parts:literary concepts,creative process and literary methodology,which construct a national literary theory system with expression of feelings and meaning as the main content.Ten years later,the book was revised and published in 2018.On the basis of the original work,we added the development and evolution of various literary theories.This group of special discussions is the new achievement of this study.The following papers have launched the pursuit and analysis of the historical context of various literary theories and their characteristics of the times,which has important reference value and enlightenment significance for people to grasp the evolution process of ancient Chinese literary theory as a whole.