法兰西革命修辞与德意志封建威权的碰撞——析歌德的政治喜剧《平民将军》

The Collision Between French Revolutionary Rhetoric and German Feudal Authority: An Analysis of Goethe’s Political Comedy Der Bürgergeneral

1792年10月到次年4月,法军在莱茵河左岸的占领区输出法国革命模式,包括成立美因茨共和国,这是《平民将军》的故事背景。喜剧的主角并非历史上法国的“平民将军”,实为一个德意志乡间理发师所假冒,意图效仿法国革命在村里掀起一场暴动,执政贵族揭穿骗局,制止事端,伪革命者遭受惩戒,旧制度秩序井然。文章从戏剧形式、言语行为、威权仪式、政治象征物等方面展开分析并得出结论:《平民将军》全剧可被视作法兰西革命修辞与德意志封建威权交锋的一种诗学映像,是对美因茨共和国结局的舞台预言。

From October 1792 to April 1793,the French army exported the French revolutionary model to the occupied area on the left bank of the Rhine River,including the establishment of the Republic of Mainz,which is the background of the story of Der Bürgergeneral.The protagonist of the comedy is not a“civilian general”of the French army in history,but a German countryside shaver who impersonates to inspire neighbors to imitate the French Revolution.The pseudo-revolutionaries are finally punished by the ruling aristocracy and the old system is in good order.From the aspects of theatrical forms,speech acts,authoritarian rituals and political symbols,this paper draws the conclusion that Der Bürgergeneral can be regarded as a poetic image of the confrontation between French revolutionary rhetoric and German feudal authority,and a drama prophecy of the end of the Republic of Mainz.