激异与恣逆:明代文学的现代、后现代派色彩

Individuality and Liberalization:The Modernism and Postmodernism Characteristics of the Ming Dynasty Literature

中国文学蕃衍至明代,方次第进入思想前卫、体裁周博的“近代化变革”时期。明代文学皴染着绚丽而卓荦的现代、后现代派色彩,具体表现一是具有显著的非理性、唯意志倾向,二是涵蓄着丰富的荒诞和魔幻征象,三是沉潜着繁复的象征与反讽手法,还有游戏、扭曲、变态、丑恶、黑色幽默以及隐语、转喻、符号等非中国古典文学范畴的思想和方法不同态势地根蘖于明代文学创作。因为它们,明代文学才拥有了为其他朝代所无的气象、气质和气度。它们的前卫、先锋、出众与多元、杂色、变奏,创造了不羁、不凡、不朽,使明代文学放射出奇光异彩,为中国文学开辟了雄途阔境。中央集权加强、商业经济繁荣、城市文化形成与王学左派兴起是明代文学具有现代、后现代派色彩的根本原因。激异与恣逆正是明代文学的魅力所在。然而,明代文学毕竟不是现代、后现代派文学,它只具有现代、后现代派文学的一些性状、征象,与现代、后现代派文学还存在着很大差异。现代和后现代派等元素使明代文学偶临歧路绝境,但更多的是不仅别开生面,而且蔚为壮观。

When Chinese literature developed into the Ming dynasty, it gradually entered a period of “modernization reform” with avant-garde thoughts and diversified genres. Literature of this period was full of modernism and postmodernism characteristics,which was embodied in the following three aspects: first, with a marked tendency of irrationality and voluntarism;second, full of fantastic and magical features;third, using a variety of non-Chinese classical literary ideas and methods such as symbolism, irony, games, distortion, metamorphosis, ugliness, black humor, and metaphor, etc. As a result, literature of the Ming dynasty had its own atmosphere and characteristics different from those of other dynasties. Its vanguard and excellence, as well as its diversity, colorfulness and changeability created liberalization, extrordinariness and immortality, which made the literature of the Ming Dynasty shine with extraordinary splendor and opened up an ambitious future for Chinese literature. The strengthening of centralization, the prosperity of commercial economy, the formation of urban culture and the rise of Wang Xue’s leftist school were the fundamental reasons for the Modernism and Postmodernism of Ming Dynasty literature. Individuality and liberalization are the charm of the Ming Dynasty literature. However, the Ming Dynasty literature is not modernist and postmodernist literature after all. It only has some characteristics and symptoms of modernist and postmodernist literature but is quite different from them. The elements of modernism and postmodernism make the Ming Dynasty literature conflicted and desperate occasionally, but more importantly make it a new beginning and very splendid.