文类递嬗与抒叙博弈

Evolution of Literary Genres by the Interact of Narrative and Lyric

中国古代文学的文类很丰富,许多文类的产生都缘于社会生活尤其是政治生活的需要。最早产生的文类是史述与诗歌,即史与诗。它们原本都是实用性强的文体。史的本质是代表官方记载史事,基本形式为散文;诗多韵语,起源民间口头,官方借以了解社会与民情。上古有一段时期,诗除用于礼乐、仪式之需,还兼具史的职能,直到春秋后期,二者的分野才渐趋明朗。此后日益繁复的文类,或原就包含于史、诗二体之内,或由史、诗分化发展而来,以是否具有应用性,判分为两大系列。故古代文学作品,其结构大多为“史性”与“诗性”不同比例的融汇组合。所谓叙事传统、抒情传统,便植根于各文类所具之“史性”与“诗性”之中,既与二性相对应,亦分别积累、演变、更新、消长而传延至今。考察文学史,可以发现抒叙传统之博弈实乃文类变异递嬗之一种内在动力。

Literary genres were extremely rich in ancient Chinese literature,many of which had their roots in social life,especially to serve political needs.The earliest literary genres were represented by historical accounts and poems,both of which were originally used for practical purposes.Historical accounts,which existed primarily in the form of prose,were essentially official recordings of historical facts.Poems with rhyme schemes,however,first appeared in folklore,from which the ruling class collected useful information about the social conditions and livelihood of the common people.For quite a long time in early ancient China,poems also played the role of historical recordings,apart from their function in ritual ceremonies and musical performances.It was not until Book of Poems gave way to Spring and Autumn Annals,when the ritual culture collapsed and the practice of information collection from the folk was abandoned that the separation of narrative and lyrical traditions became gradually obvious.New literary genres proliferated afterwards due to further split and derivation of historical accounts and poetry.Albeit the broad division between the narrative and lyrical traditions based on the application values,an analysis of ancient literary works would reveal that all genres contain both narrative and lyrical elements,though in varying proportions.Therefore,the narrative and lyrical traditions were rooted in the vast repertoire of literary genres with mixed properties,where the two dichotomized traditions have interacted and competed with each other in their evolution till today.Investigation into the Chinese literary history will show that the competition between lyrical and narrative traditions is in fact an internal force driving the evolution of literary genres.Given that little research has been done in this regard,such a perspective may shed new light on the study of literary history.