明末清初是私人修史的高潮,也是時事劇蔚然成風的時期。過往研究易代後的清初歷史劇,寄託、反思、存史與教化是最常被著重的解讀,然而在歷史劇中,除了以上觀點,是否還存有其他解析角度的可能?劇作家以曲代史,此文體選擇在避忌、風教等原因外,是否能挖掘出新的視角?本文以兩位同樣先撰寫過本地之地方志,其後皆投入「邑人寫邑事」之歷史劇創作的戲曲家葉承宗與馬羲瑞為例,探討他們由「撰史」到「以曲代史」的動機。這樣的創作轉變理由為何?他們的「以曲代史」又與其他時事劇曲家差別在哪裡?此外,二人皆為北人,前者為山東歷城(今濟南)人,後者為甘肅甘州(今張掖)人。在他們的史劇中,又有什麼與江浙「主流」不同之處?理由為何?文中指出,葉承宗與馬羲瑞於作史後改以戲曲創作呈現地方歷史事件,透露出文體選擇的重要線索:儘管歷史劇往往標榜「信史」,即強調歷史真實性,但其中天平的兩端差距不可以道里計:一方面是因應劇場冷熱調劑、角色勞逸等基本「劇場點染」,另一方面卻是帶著對「演唱相沿,幾惑正史」可能性的自覺而意圖地加以利用。戲曲文體不僅可以敘說歷史,甚至可能覆寫歷史。葉承宗與馬羲瑞的例子,說明在紀錄、緬懷、教化、避忌等等動機與目的之外,戲曲文體亦可能成為地方記憶塑造與地方話語權爭奪的手段與媒介。在編造與史實交錯混雜的界線上,戲曲文體的虛構性及可操作性,或許才是「歷史劇」之所以成「劇」的理由。
Late Ming and early Qing saw the peak of both unofficial history writing and historical plays. Understandably, historical plays could be a better means than history writing of passionate yet more discreet response to the dynastic transition under harsh censorship. However, other than being cautious, what might have been the motives for literati to choose drama over writing histories directly? Moreover, what could have been the functions other than the generally recognized ones such as remembrance, introspection, and education in such plays? By case study of two dramatists, Ye Chengzong and Ma Xirui, both of whom composed local gazetteers and then turned to write historical plays about local events, this essay elaborates that local dramatists' motives for writing about local events could be very personal, sometimes even harboring familial gains. Furthermore, the shift Ye Chengzong and Ma Xirui made from documenting history to composing historical dramas provides us an insight about the possibilities of drama as a genre. Despite usually stressing fidelity to history, historical plays can hardly present history as some simple combination of dry facts. Yet the retelling could range from adding liveliness or balancing actors and actresses' roles for theatrical purposes to an intentional distorting, covering up or even fabricating. Dramas could be wielded as a weapon to construct or reconstruct local memories. Surfing along the borderline between fictions and realities gives drama the possibility of "playing" history plays.