| 摘要: | 語言是文學的表達工具，高爾基說：「語言是文學的第一個要素」，而且在作為語言藝術的文學創作中，語言也是唯一的工具。何立偉說：「一部作品失了語言的魅力，則正如同一朵花失了清香。它的審美的價值就真正是值得懷疑了。」借用聞一多的話說，寫小說就是寫語言。從某種意義上來說，小說實際上就是一種運用語言的藝術。語言本身就是藝術形象，語言的好壞關係到作品的生命。
晚清譴責小說代表作《老殘遊記》藝術成就突出，百年多來始終贏得廣大讀者喜愛。魯迅在《中國小說史略》中稱讚這部小說是「敘景狀物，時有可觀」。胡適也評價說：
《老殘遊記》最擅長的是描寫的技術，無論寫人寫景，作者都不肯用套語濫調，總想融鑄新詞，作實地的描寫。在這一點上，這部書可算是前無古人了。」
的確，無論是在生活的觀察上，景物的描寫上，還是語言的藝術表現方法上有自己的創新與發展。
《老殘遊記》之語言藝術，已有不少之研究，本論文作比較完整及全面之研究，為人熟悉的部份研究之外，亦其他部份也加以研究，助於欣賞劉鶚《老殘遊記》之美。
本論文共六章，第三章至第五章是重心所在，分述於如下：
第一章是〈緒論〉：主要在於揭示本論文的研究動機與目的，研究範疇及研究方法。其中亦概略述及到《老殘遊記》研究現況，以及何謂「語言藝術」。
第二章是〈《老殘遊記》的文化背景〉：作者劉鶚之生涯，他的太谷思想及著作等，其創作背景作一說明，以便進一步理解《老殘遊記》創作上的用意。
第三章是〈《老殘遊記》之藝術表現技巧〉：主要在探討《老殘遊記》傳統與創新之語言特色。第一節探析劉氏之創新之表現技巧，如字形創造、偏旁運用、詞性轉化、特殊句法等。第二節將書中出現的劉氏自創詩和引詩，以及典故、方言、外來語等全部整理出來，看看劉氏是如何有效利用雅俗的語言。第三節探析《老殘遊記》在敘事方式上，有不同於傳統小說之結構特色。
第四章是〈《老殘遊記》之語言藝術特色〉：本章主要在指出《老殘遊記》中語言藝術所表現的生動美、敘述美、繪畫美、簡潔美、音樂美等特色。第一節是如見其人、栩栩如生的人物描寫，如臨其境的場面描寫，第二節是探討該小說人物敘述語言的特徵，如人物語言的流暢簡明、語帶反諷的、含蘊哲理性的、有補史意識的歷史事件的陳述等。第三節指出《老殘遊記》有如同繪畫一般的表現力，第四節探討簡潔有力的成語的運用，第五節是如聞其聲的音樂描寫。
第五章是〈《老殘遊記》之修辭藝術技巧〉：重點在探討《老殘遊記》的幾個重要修辭手法，如何增加其小說語言的表現力和感染力。第一節是探析使此小說富韻律美感的「疊音」，第二節探討《老殘遊記》小說語言所呈現出來的「詼諧幽默」，第三節探析「譬喻」修辭法在《老殘遊記》如何運用，第四節是文學中最具曖昧色彩的「象徵」，《老殘遊記》的主題思想，應與此象徵手法有關，第五節是比直接描寫主體更為鮮明生動的「烘托」，第六節檢視「對比」修辭法在《老殘遊記》字句修辭的整齊美，第七節是《老殘遊記》小說語言文字所生發的機趣「諧音」。
第六章是〈結論〉：本章是將前面各章節的研究心得的總結說明，以期更能清楚地提點出《老殘遊記》的語言藝術特色所在。
Language is the means of expression for literature, just as the Russian writer Maksim Gorky (1868-1936) claimed, “Language is the first element of literature.” Moreover, as a linguistic art in literary creation, language is the exclusive means. Li-wei Ho, a modern Chinese literary critic contended, “A work, once losing its linguistic luster, loses, like a flower, its fragrance, and its aesthetic values is left in doubt.” Here is another similar statement from Yi-to Wen, a modern Chinese literary writer-critic, who said that to write novels is equal to writing language. In some sense, novel writing is de facto an art of using language. Language per se is full of artistic images and whether they are successful or not plays a crucial part in the life of a literary work.
One of the representative rebuke novels in late Ching Dynasty, Lao Tsan Yo Chi (literally translated as “The Travelogue of Lao Tsan”) has a well-recognized artistic fame that has won a favorable popularity among its audience. Lu Hsun, in his A Brief History of Chinese Novels, lauded this novel as “having much to appreciate regarding scenery and object delineations.” Hu Shih also made favorable comments by saying that “Lao Tsan Yo Chi is at its best in descriptive techniques and be it in character and scenery depictions, the author never follows the worn-out stereotype but always creates his own language to describe. This makes this novel unparalleled.”
Indeed, whether it is in real-life observation, in scenery and object depiction, or in language art exhibition, Lao Tsan Yo Chi has its own innovation and development.
There has been considerable research regarding the linguistic art of Lao Tsan Yo Chi. This thesis, however, has made a complete and comprehensive study on this issue. It focuses on not only the familiar aspects of the linguistic art but also those aspects that have been neglected or unexplored, with a view to helping readers better appreciate the linguistic beauty of this novel.
This thesis consists of six chapters, chapters three to five being the main parts, as follows:
Chapter 1, “Introduction,” includes motivations, purposes, scope and methods of this thesis. Also included in this opening chapters are a review of literature of Lao Tsan Yo Chi and definitions of the term “language art.”
Chapter 2 titled, “The Cultural Background of Lao Tsan Yo Chi,” examines the life of the author Liu Erh, his philosophical thoughts related to the School of Tai-ku and works, and the milieus in which he fostered his creation, so that one can better understand how and why Lao Tsan Yo Chi has been written.
Chapter 3, titled “The Techniques of Language Art in Lao Tsan Yo Chi,” mainly examines both the traditional as well as the creative linguistic characteristics of the novel. The first section of this chapter examines Liu’s innovative linguistic skills in such aspects as coining new forms of characters, using parts of the characters, transforming the parts of speech, and special sentence structures. The second section deals with such linguistic components as the poems, quoted and self-composed, the allusions, dialects, and foreign words, to attest how Liu has effectively employed the Chinese language for both graceful and vulgar purposes. Section 3 discusses the narrative skills that are radically different from the structures in conventional Chinese fiction.
Chapter 4, titled “The Characteristics of the Linguistic Art in Lao Tsan Yo Chi,” examines some of the dominant linguistic features that exhibit senses of beauty in liveliness, narration, picture-drawing, brevity, and musicality in the novel. Section 1 of this chapter discusses the vividness in character and scenery depictions. Section 2 goes on to discuss the linguistic features of characterization and narration, such as fluency and lucidity, irony, implicit and philosophical language used by the characters, and anecdotal narration conducive to understanding of historical events. Section 3 examines the linguistic attributes exhibited in the novel that are comparable to the picturesque effectiveness. Section 4 examines the terseness and force of the Chinese idioms used. Section 5 examines the linguistic power in the novel that is comparable to listening to a live music or concert.
Chapter 5, entitled “The Rhetorical Skills in Lao Tsan Yo Chi,” examines some key rhetorical skills used in the novel to see how they have contributed to the successful expression and contagious power of language in fiction. Section 1 of this chapter examines the repeated sounds that add rhythmic and melodic beauty to the novel. Section 2 examines humor exhibited in the novel. Section 3 examines the uses of figures of speech. Section 4 examines the most equivocal rhetorical skills in literature, symbolism, to scrutinize how the themes and thoughts of Lao Tsan Yo Chi are hinged on this rhetorical strategy. Section 5 examines the rhetorical skill of contrasting which has a fresher and more vivid effect than direct delineation of the objects. Section 6 examines the use of parallelism and how it helps achieve linguistic orderliness and beauty. Section 7 examines homonyms and their implications for understanding the novel of Lao Tsan Yo Chi.
Chapter 6, “Conclusion,” sums up all the discussions made in the previous chapters and sections, pinpointing all the characteristics of the linguistic art in Lao Tsan Yo Chi for better appreciation and understanding of this novel. |
