文言对接现代性的试验:论鲁迅前“五四”时期的文言写作

The Experiment of Classical Chinese Integrating with Modern Chinese:A Study on Lu Xun s Classical Chinese Writings before the May Fourth Movement

鲁迅在开始现代白话文学创作之前,有过前“五四”颇长的文言写作时期,其文言写作是在晚清近代文言的背景上展开的,受严复、梁启超、章太炎、林纾等近代文章家的影响并力图超越,试图用雅正文言对接新发现的文学现代性。其中,五篇文言论文系统阐述文学救亡思路,揭橥“立人”方案,以强烈的主体意识、深刻的问题意识、复杂的内在逻辑和丰富的情感将近代文言的论说能力推向极致;《域外小说集》以古雅文言直接对接“异域文术新宗”,对文言直译现代小说的可能性进行了极端试验;《怀旧》则已是用文言创作的现代小说。鲁迅的文言写作兼及论说体和叙事体两类文章体式,在文言论文、文言翻译和文言小说诸方面都代表了晚清文言的最后努力,这一过程充满障碍,但正是这一挫折经验,使其五四时期坚定转向白话文立场。

Lu Xun had written in classical Chinese for an extensive period of time prior to the May Fourth Movement.His classical Chinese writings unfolded against the backdrop of classical Chinese becoming modernized in late Qing.Under the influence of and with the attempt to transcend such modern essayists as Yan Fu,Liang Qichao,Zhang Taiyan and Lin Shu,he sought to integrate newly discovered literary modernity with refined classical Chinese.Five classical Chinese essays systematically expound his idea of achieving salvation through literature.These works push the argumentative power of modernized classical Chinese to its peak with a strong sense of subjectivity,profound problem awareness,complex internal logic,and rich emotions.The Collection of Foreign Novels directly connects the refined classical Chinese with the“new school of foreign literature and art”,and conducts an extreme experiment on the possibility of literal translation of modern novels into classical Chinese.Nostalgia is already a modern novel written in classical Chinese.Lu Xun s classical Chinese writings represent the final efforts of late Qing classical Chinese.These experiences of frustration result in his firm turn to vernacular writing during the May Fourth period.