信的伦理和势的诗学——论《哈佛新编中国现代文学史》中的四类虚构

The Aesthetics of Xin and Poetics of Shi:The Four Types of Fiction in A New Literary History of Modern China

文学史以求真为信念,却不能无视虚构的价值。《哈佛新编中国现代文学史》里的四类虚构打开了文学史写作的新向度。无论是“故事新编”“穿越架空”,还是“历史演义”“科幻奇谭”,虚构表明史、诗之间不可弥合的间距,恰是我们寻求对话的起点所在。写实者勉力缝合裂隙的行为,事实上会造成遮蔽,形成见我不见人的绝对差异。而虚构则代表了“信”得以发生的前提和空间,其以“空无”,拉开了史实与叙事辩证的帷幕,实现了古今、中西的沟通。“信”不仅为信念、信仰、真实,更是沟通、开放、顺“势”而为。

Literary history takes truth as its belief,while we cannot ignore the value of fiction.The four types of fiction,“old tales retold”,“time travel”,“historical romance”and“science fantasy”,in A New Literary History of Modern China add a new dimension to literary history writing and show that the inseparable gap between history and literature is the starting point of dialogue.Realists exert themselves to close the gap that may raise a self-centered narrative of history.On the contrary,fiction represents the necessary premise and space for faith.Based on“emptiness and nothingness”,fiction develops the dialectical relationship between history and literature,and achieves the communication between ancient and modern,China and the West.In short,“xin”means not only belief,faith and truth,but also communication,openness,and conformity.