論《閱微草堂筆記》的異物書寫及其文體美學

本文旨從清初一代文宗紀昀（1724-1805）《閱微草堂筆記》異物書寫探討其文體美學。該書書寫異物種類繁多，包括醫藥偏方、動物精魅、草木精怪，甚至無生物等。值得注意的是，《閱微草堂筆記》中的異物也包括西方火器，而且他逕稱科學為「格物學」；可見紀昀的物類範圍可說是先前概念的綜合，並增加近代性「器物」層次的新意涵，一定程度呈現出當世文人的「格物」觀的漸變。最特別的是，在紀昀眼中，鬼、人皆「物」。他主張鬼或妖既為天地萬物之一，屬於物理自然，但不相干，未嘗不可並育，聖人可同理揣度鬼神之情。至於紀昀的格物致知論，仍不脫傳統文士人格陶養理念，彰顯了「神道設教」的宏旨。要之，微觀《閱微草堂筆記》異物書寫，乃延續中國志怪傳統小說「廣見／異聞」的功能，不僅消閒記物，更有著文士志怪書寫的文化詩學。《閱微草堂筆記》是一部學者志怪書，其載錄異物，兼備「出於美學」和「出於意識形態」敘事修辭目的。前者映現「簡約雋永、雍容平易」的儒雅風格，後者關涉智慧幽默的人格修養和生活倫理。此乃是傳統文人美學的體現，寄寓了中和的人生理境，也標誌著清代文言志怪書寫新美學典範，開創出「簡約」雋永的小說筆記。

關鍵字

紀昀；《閱微草堂筆記》；異物書寫；文體美學

並列摘要

An influential scholar of the Qing dynasty, Ji Yun (1724-1805) left behind a book entitled Yuewei Cottage Notes that progressed the function of the traditional Chinese novel to broaden the scope of the reader's knowledge by recording several kinds of things from far lands. This study examines and discusses the writing style and content within Yuewei Cottage Notes The various things collected in Yuewei Cottage Notes include medicinal remedies, mythical creatures, plant monsters, as well as stories about substances, cultures, and transformation. Yuewei Cottage Notes also contains tales of Western firearms in which Ji Yun refers to the sciences as ＂Gewu.＂ ( Acquiring knowledge by investigating things) This shows that Ji Yun gathered a comprehensive assortment of preceding concepts that added new conceptions to prevailing thoughts, demonstrating the gradual change in the understanding of ＂Gewu＂ of scholars at that time. Most notably, in Ji Yun's eyes, both the mythical and the physical are things to be studied. He believed that ghosts and demons are part of nature that make up this physical world and as we both exist together, people should be able to understand and empathize with the supernatural. Ji Yun's opinion that people must study the underlying principles of ＂Investigating things to know＂ (＂Gewuzhizhi＂) is consistent with the traditional idea of cultivating character held by scholars, highlighting the book’s moralizing core. In summary, close examination of the narratives in Yuewei Cottage Notes clearly illustrate the cultured and straightforward style of this book. Ji Yun’s Yuewei Cottage Notes is more than just a collection of stories; it bears cultural significance concerning scholars' weird novel (also called fiction of immortals and apparitions). Yuewei Cottage Notes is a weird novel written lightly to emphasize the cultivation of character and the attainment of both knowledge and ethics. Although it contains some novel aesthetics, it is still a reflection of the traditional aesthetics of scholar-bureaucrats that stresses a balanced middle ground in life. It denotes a new paragon for weird novel in the Qing Dynasty, making this a significant novel.