“知行不一”:张之洞的骈文理论与骈文创作

Unity of Knowledge and Practice: Zhang Zhidong's Theorization and Creation of Parallel Prose

张之洞是晚清乃至清代骈文名家。他既注意到骈文发展的时代性差异,指出清代骈文家效法的对象有汉魏体、晋宋体、齐梁至初唐体、中晚唐体、北宋体五类,其中朴雅遒逸的晋宋体最受时人推崇,而唐体、宋体则备受冷落;又认为骈、散两体本不能截然分开,中唐以后才分为两体,然其实则一,古文重“实”,骈文重“雅”;还对清代代表性的骈文家,如陈维崧、汪中、洪亮吉等加以点评。与理论上推崇晋宋体骈文不同,他整体上反感六朝的道衰文弊,转而学习博大昌明、典雅富丽的宋四六与盛唐张说、苏颋的庙堂骈体。他的骈文与政治、仕途关系紧密。体国经野,润色鸿业,表彰忠义,宣扬教化为其骈文的主要内容;淹贯经史,用事雅切,对偶工整,文气流畅为其骈文的突出特征。太平天国运动、捻军起义和鸦片战争等重大历史事件,李鸿章、冯子材等重要人物都体现在其骈文书写中。同时,他通过创办书院,培养学生的辞章(包括骈文才能),为晚清骈文的发展发挥了重要作用。

Zhang Zhidong is a famous parallel prose writer in the late Qing Dynasty and even the entire Qing Dynasty.He not only noticed the differences of the times in the development of parallel prose but also pointed out that the styles that parallel prose writers in the Qing Dynasty followed were the Han-Wei style,the Jin-Song style,the Qi-Liang-to-early-Tang style,the middle-and-late-Tang style and the Northern-Song style.Of all these styles the Jin-Song style was the most respected while the Tang style and the Song style were ignored.He believed that the parallel style and the loose style could not be completely separated as they were the same in essence though divided into two styles after the middle Tang Dynasty.He also thought that ancient prose emphasized reality and parallel prose emphasized elegance and commented on famous parallel prose writers in the Qing Dynasty such as Chen Weisong,Wang Zhong,Hong Liangji and so on.On the whole,he resented the shortcomings of Taoism and literature in the Six Dynasties and respected the elegant and rich parallel prose of Song Si Liu,Zhang Shui and Su Ting in the prosperous Tang Dynasty.His parallel prose is closely related to politics and official career.The main content of his parallel prose is bout respect for the country,running the country,embellishing the great cause and commending loyalty and righteousness;It is characterized by rich citations of classics and history,elegant and incisive use of events,neat antithesis and smooth literary style.Major historical events such as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom movement,the Nian uprising and the Opium War and important figures such as Li Hongzhang and Feng Zicai are reflected in his parallel prose writing.At the same time,he established academies to cultivate students ability of writing,including parallel prose writing,which played an important role in the development of parallel prose in the late Qing Dynasty.