历史证据的采用与阐释——以《马丁·盖尔归来》中贝特朗的形塑为例

On the Use and Interpretation of Historical Evidence: The Portrayal of Bertrande in The Return of Martin Guerreas a Test Case

历史证据作为历史认识及历史叙事的基础,备受人们关注。本文旨在以《马丁·盖尔归来》作为案例去反思历史证据。历史证据的阐释及其真实性的建立,需要从论证结构、文本阐释技艺、理论阐释层以及读者接受等多角度进行全方位考量,可以说这些范畴共同扮演了“真之制造者”的角色。在借助这些范畴去考察历史证据的真实性时,应采取一种动态的即历史性的思维方式去思索认识环节中的种种。在《马丁·盖尔归来》中,那些看似客观而自然的阐释,其实早已“混入”了作者所处时代隐秘的“声音”。戴维斯的阐释与其说是“经过过去的声音严格检验”,不如说是经过当前各种观念和规范的检验。在历史认识中,“过去的声音”这个隐喻所暗示的思考方式,过于理想化和简单化了,因而无助于人们更加深入地反思历史证据以及建基于其上的历史叙事的真实性。

As the basis of historical knowing and historical narrative, historical evidence has attracted much attention. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on historical evidence with The Return of Martin Guerre as a case.The interpretation of historical evidence and the establishment of its authenticityis influenced by the structure of argument, textual interpretation, deep theory, and readers’ acceptance,etc.It can be said that these categories together play the role of“Truthmakers”. When examining the authenticity of historical evidence with the help of these categories, we should adopt a dynamic and historical way of thinking.That seemingly objective and natural interpretations of Bertrande’s sexual experience in The Return of Martin Guerre, in fact, mixed with hidden“voices”of the author’s age. That is, Davies’interpretations are held tightly in check by current concepts and norms, rather than“the voices of the past”. In historical knowing, the way of thinking implied by the metaphor of“the voices of the past”is too idealized and simplified to help people reflect more deeply on historical evidence and the authenticity of historical narrative.