盛世危／微言：中國當代長篇小說歷史敘事研究（2000-2015）

Warnings and Subtle Words in an Age of Prosperity: A discussion on Historical Narratives in Chinese Contemporary Novels（2000-2015）

賴佩暄(Pei-Hsuan Lai)

指導教授 ： 梅家玲

國立臺灣大學/文學院/中國文學研究所/博士(2017年)

https://doi.org/10.6342/NTU201702349

摘要

本論文的構思是受二十一世紀的「中國崛起」的現象與「中國夢」、「盛世」相關論述所觸動。這一「中國夢」延續了二十世紀以來中國知識分子富強救國的理想與現代性╱現代化的追求，可直接追溯至晚清鄭觀應的《盛世危言》。本論文是要從文學研究的角度，討論文學如何以自身的形式回應時代變局，以「小說中國」的方式，為新世紀的「盛世中國」提供危言╱微言大義。所關注的重點是：小說如何想像歷史，藉此與現實對話，乃至於思考未來？如何為「盛世中國」與「中國夢」提供獨特的詮釋與辯證空間？其與國家「大說」之宏大敘事又有何張力與對話關係？
在研究方法上，則借鑑後現代學說對宏大敘事和歷史敘事的反思、烏托邦概念及其文學的寓言性。所論作家作品以中國主流純文學為主，香港文學與中國科幻文學作為參照，依序由不同主題與面向展開討論：
其一、以香港作家陳冠中的小說為首，對「中國夢」的宏大敘事與盛世烏托邦進行質疑與反思。他的中國想像是以邊緣──西藏、香港、台灣──為視野，具有強烈的政治批判性，呈現出一個政治惡托邦（dystopia）式的極權中國形象。他以小說為方法，目的是要在小說的虛實曖昧間，引起對現實政治的種種遐想，甚至是實踐的動能。
其二、以余華和閻連科小說為例，從「時代」的宏觀面向，討論歷史的暴力如何以一「狂熱」的邏輯貫徹於不同時代，形成歷史的怪圈。他們以小說紀時代之惡，凸顯的是「革命」和「市場」的宏大敘事變為意識形態神話與烏托邦狂熱所帶來的暴力惡果。因此，他們筆下的歷史，是相當寓言性的歷史，呈現出一個充滿狂熱的奇觀中國形象。
其三、以莫言和賈平凹小說為例，從「地方民間」的面向，討論小說所表達的中國經驗（the Chinese experience）與苦難經驗，呈現出民間的苦難中國的形象。相對於宏大歷史敘事，他們對歷史的理解與書寫，是邊緣的、微觀的小歷史敘事，體現了民間的觀點與精神。其小說則表明，在歷史沉重的苦難面前，烏托邦的理想太過於遙遠，如何面對過去的歷史與記憶，是更為至關重要的問題。
其四，以格非和張煒小說為例，從「個人心靈」的面向，將抒情視為一種觀看歷史的特殊視角，討論敘史與抒情、小說與詩的關係，呈現出抒情的精神中國形象。他們以心靈史式的寫作，將歷史的隱秘與個人的小歷史從宏大歷史敘事中解放出來。小說中「失敗者」的形象具有特殊意義，他們在烏托邦的追尋與幻滅歷程中所展現的理想主義精神，無疑具有宏大敘事的關懷。
其五，以韓松和劉慈欣的科幻小說為例，從「未來想像」的面向，反思歷史與文明，呈現出一個危機四伏的未來中國形象。小說對於科技烏托邦的反思、對危機與災難的憂患意識，都可視為現實中國的寓言。而在中國，科幻小說最具批判性與顛覆性者，是在「中國夢」既定的未來藍圖之外，對未來抱持開放的想像，提倡未來的無限可能性。
這些作家作品以不同的敘事方式、視角和風格，呈現多樣的歷史風景和中國形象。其「小說中國」的盛世危言╱微言大義在於：一個國家在向前看的同時，也必須回首來時路，正視歷史的陰影與創傷記憶。以歷史鑑往知來，也是提醒人們在重建宏大敘事與烏托邦精神時，必須時時保持謹慎。且小說多元的歷史敘事，有更重要的意義，亦即保持歷史的開放性，以及永遠質疑大敘事的必要性。

關鍵字

盛世 ； 中國夢 ； 當代長篇小說 ； 歷史敘事 ； 宏大敘事 ； 烏托邦

並列摘要

This dissertation has been inspired by discourses on the ‘rise of China’, the ‘Chinese dream’ and an ‘age of prosperity’. The so-called ‘Chinese dream’ is a continuation of twentieth-century ideals held by Chinese intellectuals of ‘saving the nation by building a strong and prosperous country’ and of modernity and modernization—ideals that can be traced to Zheng Guanying（鄭觀應）’s Warnings in an Age of Prosperity（《盛世危言》）. In this dissertation, I discuss how literature has responded to the changing times—how a ‘literary China’ is used to provide ‘subtle words with deep meaning’. The focus will be on the following questions: how do novels imagine history to enter in a dialogue with current times and reflect on the future? What kind of interpretive space do they offer for the‘age of prosperity’ and the ‘Chinese Dream’? What kind of tensions exist with the ‘grand narratives’ of the state?
Throughout this dissertation, I draw on postmodern reflections of grand historical narratives and on the concept of utopia as a literary allegory. My discussion is based on authors and works from Chinese mainstream literature, with references to science fiction literature and literature from Hong Kong. The discussion will follow different themes.
I begin with Hong Kong author Chan Koonchung（陳冠中） and his questioning of the grand narrative of the ‘Chinese dream’ and the utopian view of an ‘age of prosperity’. Chan’s perspective is focused on the margins—on Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan—and is strongly critical, presenting China as an authoritarian dystopia. Using novels as method, he explores the space between fiction and reality in order to raise different kinds of thoughts on the current political situation and, perhaps, even call for concrete action.
Second, I discuss the way authors like Yu Hua（余華） and Yan Lianke（閻連科） use a historical macro-narrative to describe a logic of feverish violence that keeps returning in different periods of time. Using their novels to documenting the evils of these ages, Yu and Yan demonstrate how the grand narratives of ‘revolution’ and ‘market’ are the violent consequences of ideological myths and utopian fanaticism. Their history is an allegoric history that lays bare a China full of fanaticism.
Third, I discuss novels that express the Chinese experience and the experience of suffering from the perspective of ordinary people, using novels by Mo Yan（莫言） and Jia Pingwa（賈平凹） as examples. Mo and Jia focus on the margins and make use of micro-historical narratives, displaying popular perspectives and attitudes. Confronted with sufferings from history, utopian ideals are very far away. For them, the question becomes how to cope with the memory of history.
Fourth, I discuss the relation between narrative, lyrics and literature, using the novels of Ge Fei（格非） and Zhang Wei（張煒） as examples of works that focus on the personal soul, taking lyricism as a particular perspective to focus on history and express an image of a spiritual China. Through ‘histories of the soul’, these authors liberate the individual histories from the grand historical narratives. The figure of the ‘loser’ in their novels carries a special meaning, as the idealism displayed through their search for a utopia and disillusionment that follows still show a concern for the grand narratives.
Fifth, I discuss how imaginations of the future are used to reconsider history and civilization and present the picture of a China that is under threat, using science-fiction by Liu Cixin（劉慈欣） and Han Song（韓松） as examples. The sense of impeding crisis and critical reflections on a techno-utopia that are part of their novels can be seen as allegories on China. The most critical and subversive aspect of science-fiction is that it leaves room for other possibilities that lay outside of the fixed blueprint of the Chinese dream.
Using different narratives, perspectives and styles, these authors and their works display very diverse imaginations of China and its history. The deep meaning expressed in this ‘literary China’ is that a forward-looking country also has to look back and face the painful memories of history. History serves as a reminder that caution is required during the construction of grand narratives and the search for a utopia. At the same time, the different historical narratives employed in the novels also serve as a reminder for the need to maintain an open attitude towards history and question the grand narratives.

並列關鍵字

the rise of China ； Chinese dream ； contemporary novels ； historical narratives ； grand narrative ； utopia

參考文獻

賴佩暄，《地域．鄉土．傳統：以陳忠實、賈平凹為代表的陝西當代小說研究》，台灣大學中國文學系博士論文，梅家玲先生指導，2010年6月。

許紀霖，《中國：何以文明》，香港：中華書局，2015。

莫言，《盛典：諾貝爾文學獎之旅》，台北：遠見天下文化，2013。

梁文道、陳冠中等，〈梁文道 vs 陳冠中──香港、盛世中國、公共知識份子〉，《文化研究月報》第107期（2010年9月），頁52-75。

陳冠中，〈顧左右言他：中國論述的絳樹兩歌〉，收錄於思想編輯委員會編，《思想的求索》（台北：聯經出版事業股份有限公司，2006），頁135-151。