“拱顶石”的意味——莫言小说《檀香刑》的历史哲学寓言

Implication of Philosophy of History in Mo Yan’s Novel Sandalwood Punishment

莫言的长篇小说《檀香刑》是一部独特而富有艺术分量的重要作品。它介于仿历史小说和准历史小说之间,因为它所叙述的事件和描写塑造的人物虽然有一部分是历史人物和历史事件,但小说对历史事实的运用总体而言是采取了“六经注我”的方式,特别是小说中的核心人物和主要故事情节都是虚构的。作者以虚构的“檀香刑”及其执行作为了小说叙述的归结点与高潮所在,让其承担了类似一座雄伟大厦的、起着“封顶”作用的“拱顶石”的使命与意义,这背后蕴藏了《檀香刑》关于个体的道德功过评判的价值坐标和观察历史进程、透视文明底蕴与文明冲突的实质的历史哲学见解。

Mo Yan’s novel Sandalwood Punishment is a unique and important work with artistic value.It is between imitation historical novels and quasi-historical novels,because although some of the events and characters it describes are historical figures and historical events,generally speaking,the novel’s use of historical facts has adopted the method used for me,and no longer considers historical facts,especially the core characters and main story lines in the novel,are all fictitious.The author takes the fictional“Sandalwood Punishment”and its execution as the ultimate point and climax of the novel’s narrative,allowing them to assume the mission and meaning of a“capstone”similar to a majestic mansion,which bears the role of“capping”,behind this it contains the value coordinates of the evaluation of personal moral merits and demerits of the individual in history or reality,as well as the discoveries of philosophy of history of observing the historical process and penetrating the essence of civilization and civilization conflict.