“近乎平均值的文学理解”与文学的读法

“Near-Mean Literary Understanding” and the Reading Method of Literature

葛兆光先生在《中国思想史》中提出过一个极富方法论创见的命题——“一般知识、思想与信仰世界”:在思想家的思想史或经典的思想史之外,应当注意到在人们生活的实际世界中,还有一种近乎平均值的知识、思想与信仰作为底色或基石而存在,真正地在人们判断、解释、处理面前世界中发挥作用。从“近乎平均值的知识、思想与信仰”中转化出“近乎平均值的文学理解”,并非为了提出一个新概念,而是充分重视思想史研究所提供的方法论启示。“近乎平均值的文学理解”可以指普通读者的文学理解,也可以指一个时代中较为主流的文学风气。这进一步提示我们区分文学的读法——“批评的读法”与“研究的读法”的必要性及其不同的意义与价值。

Ge Zhaoguang puts forward the methodologically innovative proposition of “the world of general knowledge, thought and belief” in his History of Chinese Thought. Beyond the history of ideas of thinkers or the history of classical ideas, it should be noted that in the actual world, there is also a near-mean world of knowledge, ideas, and beliefs that exists as a substrate or a cornerstone, and that plays a real role in judging, interpreting, and dealing with the world before them. The “near-average literary understanding” can refer to the literary understanding of ordinary readers, or to the more mainstream literary culture of an era. This suggests the need to distinguish between literary readings(“critical readings” and “research readings”) and their different meanings and values.