论词曲兴替的历史动因--兼谈宋元易代之际文化精神的分野

Historical Motivation for Emergence of Yuanqu and the Division of Cultural Spirit in the Secession of Yuan Dynasty to Song Dynasty

元曲的产生是中国歌诗传统在金元之际发生的一次深刻的文体革命,其背后是文化精神的巨大变革。在南北朝民族大融合的历史场景中,北方胡风突起;元王朝的入主和混一,催生了中国质浅俚直的审美取向。中唐以降,市民阶层的发展和壮大导致了俗文学的崛起,中国文学的歌诗传统进而也向叙事方向发生了转捩,加剧了词曲兴替的历史步伐。元曲的产生是中国原生口语文化经由下层民众中的长期淬炼,开始以白话文学形式登上历史舞台的结果,它的成熟和繁荣,可以视作口语传统的涅槃重生。

The emergence of Yuanqu(元曲,a type of verse popular in the Yuan Dynasty)is a profound stylistic revolution of the Chinese poetry tradition in China’s northern region during the Jin and Yuan dynasties,behind which is a great change of the cultural spirit.In the ethnic harmony of Northern and Southern Dynasties,the northern Hu culture had long prevailed;and the domination and integration of the Yuan Dynasty gave birth to the Chinese plain aesthetic orientation.The development and expansion of the civic class in the middle Tang Dynasty led to the rise of popular literature.Accordingly,the poetry tradition of Chinese literature also developed towards narratives,which accelerated the succession of lyrics and song.Moreover,the emergence of Yuanqu is the result of the appearing of original Chinese oral culture in the form of vernacular literature through a long-term refinement of the lower class people.Actually,the maturity and prosperity of Yuanqu can be regarded as the rebirth of the oral tradition.