《聊斋志异》的“美生”论自然写作

The Nature Writing of Strange Tales from a Scholar’s Studioin the Concept of Beautiful Life

“自然写作”在西方是一种后现代时期对于工业革命进行反思与超越的写作,是20世纪中期的产物,但在中国却是具有原生性的文化形式。蒲松龄《聊斋志异》在传统儒家“爱生”论基础上,由其特定的语境决定选择了“自然比人类更美”的“美生”论自然写作,并以一系列无比动人的动植物寓言形象地呈现了这一写作形态,这是一种中国式的生态美学实践。中国17世纪的“美生”论自然写作的观念与20世纪加拿大卡尔松的“自然全美”有其类似之处。“自然全美”,从相对的意义上,可能是片面的,但从总体上,却是一种最终的哲学指归。自然的永恒美丽与神秘魅力是无法抹杀的,这恰是生态哲学与生态美学所包含的自然的部分“复魅”。蒲松龄《聊斋志异》通过艺术形象所倡导的“美生”论具有这种部分“复魅”的意义与价值,需要我们通过回顾展望人类历史并以自己的人生经历去慢慢地体悟与咀嚼。《聊斋志异》这样的“自然写作”是中国文化对于世界生态美学与自然文学的杰出贡献。

In the West,“nature writing”is a kind of post-modern reflection and transcendence on modern style emerged in the mid-20th century;while in China,it is a cultural form owning a long history.Pu Songling,the author of Strange Tales from a Scholar's Studio,chose the nature writing with the idea that“nature is more beautiful than human”on the basis of traditional Confucian thought of“benevolence toward life”,and presented such writing form with series of touching allegory of animals and plants,which can be seen as a kind of practice of ecological aesthetics in Chinese style.Such idea is somehow analogous to“nature as complete beauty”proposed by Carlson.The latter might be a one-sided view in a relative sense,yet is an ultimate philosophical purport on the whole.The eternal beauty and mysterious charm of nature cannot be defeated,which is part of“reenchantment”of nature contained in ecological philosophy and ecological aesthetics.The theory of“benevolence toward life”advocated in Pu's Strange Tales through various artistic images just have the significance and value of such“re-enchantment”,and this kind of“nature writing”is just outstanding contribution to world ecological aesthetics and nature writing made by Chinese culture.