“抒情传统”:从“古典文学”的言说到“史诗时代”的展望——以陈世骧、王德威为例

Lyric Tradition: from the Speech of Classical Literature to the Prospect of Epic Age——A Case Study of Chen Shi-xiang and Wang De-wei

“抒情传统”最初是由海外华人学者陈世骧提出的一个极具包容性和阐释性的概念,用来指称中国古典文学所表现出来的整体特质。后经高友工及众多中国港台学者的努力推进,隐然形成了一个在世界华文文学学界具有重大影响力的“抒情传统学派”。王德威是近些年来研究“抒情传统”并推动其广泛传播的标志性人物,他重新解释了“抒情传统”的定义,试图打破“抒情传统”的自我设限,寻找其由“古典”走向“现代”的“通关密码”。王德威对“抒情传统”的改造,扩大了其指涉的空间,并以沈从文等20世纪以来的文人、艺术家为阐释对象,有效展现了“抒情传统”在“史诗时代”的丰富表情,为人们进入“史诗”时代,提供了更为繁复的维度。与此同时,王德威的论述,并未很好地解决“史诗时代”如何“抒情”的深层次问题,需要进一步探索并完善。

Lyric tradition, a very inclusive and interpretive concept, was first put forward by an overseas Chinese scholar, Chen Shixiang, which is used to refer to the overall characteristics of Chinese classical literature. Later, with the efforts of Gao Yougong and many Chinese scholars from Hong Kong and Taiwan, a “traditional School of lyricism” with great influence in the world’s Chinese literary circles has been formed. Wang Dewei is a symbolic figure who studies the “lyric tradition” and promotes its widespread dissemination in recent years. He reinterpreted the definition of lyric tradition, tried to break the self-limitation and search for the secret path from classical to modern. Wang Dewei’s work on lyric tradition has expanded its reference space and showed its various aspects in the epic age by interpreting Shen Chongwen and other scholars and artists since the 20th century, thus providing more channels for people to enter the epic age. However, Wang Dewei’s accounts haven't solved the deep problem of how to express the feelings in the epic age, which needs to be further explored and improved.