悲剧与悲苦剧——从戏剧理论看卢卡奇、本雅明应对现代性困境的不同策略

Tragedy and Trauerspiel:Different Strategies of Lukács and Benjamin in Dealing with the Dilemma of Modernity from Their Theory of Drama

卢卡奇与本雅明的戏剧理论对现代性困境有相近的认识,他们都强调上帝离去所导致的世界的无意义状态,以及人在这种无意义状态中的生存感受。在《悲剧形而上学》中,卢卡奇认为人在无意义的世界中对意义的渴望是悲剧的形而上学依据;在《德意志悲苦剧的起源》中,本雅明主张悲苦剧是对丧失意义秩序的人的悲伤的展示。但他们采用了不同的策略来应对这一困境:卢卡奇在无产阶级与人类解放的历史总体中找到生活的意义,并以小说对这一历史倾向的反映代替了悲剧对生存困境的表达;本雅明则认为,作为悲苦剧核心的寄喻概念既描述了堕落世界的基本特征,也对堕落世界具有批判和救赎潜能。

Lukács and Benjamins dramatic theories share a similar understanding of the predicament of modernity.They both emphasize that the departure of God has led to a loss of meaning in the world and explore the existential experiences of individuals in this state.In Lukács“The Metaphysics of Tragedy,”he argues that the human longing for meaning in a meaningless world serves as the metaphysical basis of tragedy.In Benjamins“The Origin of German Trauerspiel,”he asserts that Trauerspiel portrays the grief of individuals who have lost a sense of meaning in life.However,they employ different strategies to confront this predicament:Lukács finds meaning within the historical context of the proletariat and human emancipation,and thus replaces the expression of existential crises in tragedy with reflections in novels that embody this historical tendency.Benjamin,on the other hand,believes that the concept of allegory,which lies at the core of Tragicomedy,not only describes the fundamental characteristics of this fallen world but also holds critical and redemptive potential for it.