一个时代的“怕”与“逃”——《马伯乐》的成书过程及形象接受史

The Writing Process and Image Acceptance History of Ma Bol

在20世纪40年代抗战语境之下,《马伯乐》的卓异之处在于,彰显了萧红在文学创作上的自我突破以及对于所处时代的独特认知,在面临民族危亡、最需要担当和付出的时代,她却刻画了一个融“怕”与“逃”于一身的时代男性形象。《马伯乐》的接受史迥异于《生死场》和《呼兰河传》,总体来看,始终徘徊于贬抑与有保留的认可之间。很长时间以来,人们对《马伯乐》的认知变化,主要体现在对马伯乐这一人物形象的价值和小说艺术成就评判的变迁上,对前者多有肯定,对后者多有保留。文本的未完成性确实影响到了人们对它的整体性认知以及关注热情。关于马伯乐这一人物形象,人们从“浮尸”到“阿Q”再到“渣男”“巨婴”的认知演变,分明透露出批判力度在减弱,更多地表现出一定程度的理解与宽容。马伯乐不是一个具体的个案形象,而是中国男性身上超越时代或多或少存在的质素的形象化。这是一个女性作家对一个时代男性的凝视,并捕捉到的一个时代的面相。马伯乐的“怕”与“逃”,也是一个时代的“怕”与“逃”。正因如此,越来越多的论者看到了《马伯乐》的非同凡响之处而力图重估其文学史价值。

In the context of China's Anti-Japanese War in the 1940s,the uniqueness of Ma Bole lied in its showcasing Xiao Hong's self-breakthrough in her literary creation and her distinctive perception of the era in which she lived,for in the face of national crisis and the greatest need for responsibility and dedication,she portrayed,however,a male image of the era that combined"fear"and"escape".The acceptance history of Ma Bole is com⁃pletely different from that of The Life and Death Field and of The Story of Hulan River,for it has,on the whole,al⁃ways hovered between derogatory and reserved recognition.For a long time,people's cognitive changes towards Ma Bole have mainly been manifested in the changes in the value of the character image of Ma Bole and the evaluation of the artistic achievements of the novel,with more affirmation for the former and more reservation for the latter.The incompleteness of the novel text does affect people's overall understanding of and enthusiasm for attention in it.Re⁃garding the image of Ma Bole,people's cognitive evolution from"a floating corpse"to"Ah Q","a scumbag"and then"a giant baby"clearly reveals a weakening of criticism and a certain degree of understanding and tolerance.Ma Bole is not a specific case image,but a visualization of qualities in Chinese males that transcend the times to a greater or lesser extent.This is a female writer’s contemplation at the males of an era as well as her cognition of the features of the era.Ma Bole's"fear"and"escape"are also the"fear"and"escape"of an era.As a result,more and more critics have recognized the extraordinary aspects of Ma Bole and have been striving to reassess its value in the literary history.