“伟大也要有人懂”——论《儒林外史》的曲笔艺术

“Greatness Is Yet to Be Comprehended”——On Art of Indirect Record in Rulin Waishi

《儒林外史》中有大量的曲笔描写,有些读者觉得莫名其妙,于是,鲁迅发出“伟大也要有人懂”的浩叹。《范进中举》中范进发病的根本原因就是因为原本不学无术,意外考中而发疯。学道周进的科举经历使他对范进产生恻隐之心,于是手下留情,使范进命运发生了逆转。曲笔手法源于史官的历史记载,后代诗歌等文体也有运用,直接影响到小说创作。曲笔艺术具有丰富的美学意义,加强了小说故事的曲折性和可读性;扩大了想象空间,提升了审美趣味;深化了作品内涵,提高了作品的艺术性;为后世小说创作开辟了先路。

There is a lot of indirect record(distortion of the facts) in Rulin waishi(The Unofficial History of the Scholars),which some readers findso bscure.Thus,Lu Xun said with a deep sigh,“Greatness is yet to be comprehended”.InFanjin Zhongju(Fan Jin Passing Civil Exam),Fan Jinwent mad after passing the exam by chance for he was originally ignorant and incompetent.Zhou Jin's experience in preparing for the exam made hime mpathize with Fan Jin and show him mercy,which changed Fan's fate.The writing style of indirect record originating from the historical accounts byhistorians,which was employed by later generations in the poetry and other literary forms,directly affected the creation of the novel.The art of indirectr ecord has abundant aesthetic significance,strengthening the complicacy and readability of the story,expanding the imagination space and aesthetictaste,and deepening the connotation and artistic beauty of the works,which paved the way for the later novel creation.