吳秀明
他在武俠敘事時(shí),很好地使用帶有典雅雋永、沉潛蘊(yùn)藉、靈性詩(shī)性特點(diǎn)的中國(guó)方塊字,向世人充分展示漢語(yǔ)的獨(dú)特魅力。這只要讀過(guò)金庸作品,我們便會(huì)倍有所感。甚至最慘烈的武打、互罵斗毆耍貧場(chǎng)面,也寫得意趣盎然。
金庸是誰(shuí)?誰(shuí)是金庸?這個(gè)問(wèn)題看似簡(jiǎn)單,實(shí)則不易回答。
金庸是文化名流,是政治活動(dòng)家,是新聞工作者,是武俠小說(shuō)家,也曾是浙江大學(xué)人文學(xué)院院長(zhǎng)。借用美國(guó)學(xué)者卡林內(nèi)斯庫(kù)所寫的一本書的標(biāo)題《現(xiàn)代性的五副面孔》來(lái)形容,金庸也有五副“面孔”即五種“身份”。所以,談起金庸來(lái),多少給人以“說(shuō)不盡金庸”之感。
當(dāng)然,金庸最主要的“面孔”還是武俠小說(shuō)家,其他的“面孔”也在武俠小說(shuō)家那里得到投射,彼此形成一種互文關(guān)系。就這個(gè)意義而言,金庸是極具個(gè)性化、不可復(fù)制也無(wú)法復(fù)制的。如果我們只是從一般的武俠小說(shuō)家的“面孔”來(lái)看他,可能會(huì)忽略了他的特質(zhì),至少評(píng)價(jià)失之簡(jiǎn)單粗糙。
(一)
一代大俠飄然而去,宣告一個(gè)時(shí)代的結(jié)束,一個(gè)金庸時(shí)代的結(jié)束——我在15年前的一篇文章中,以金庸為敘述主線,曾提出“前金庸”“金庸”“后金庸”這樣三個(gè)時(shí)代。我的意思是說(shuō),21世紀(jì)或再早一點(diǎn),其實(shí),武俠小說(shuō)已由“金庸”時(shí)代進(jìn)入了“后金庸”時(shí)代:“金庸熱”已退潮,金庸范式開始逐漸被新的一代作家的新的范式所取代(如浙江大學(xué)畢業(yè)的滄月),讀者尤其是年輕一代讀者可能也更喜好新的范式,如“穿越”、“盜墓”,全民閱讀的語(yǔ)境變了,口味也變了。這一點(diǎn),只要瀏覽一下今天圖書市場(chǎng),網(wǎng)上廣告及其訂書,已無(wú)二三十年前“金庸專柜”、人們瘋狂搶購(gòu)之盛況,就不難獲知。而在港臺(tái)地區(qū),這種由“金庸”時(shí)代進(jìn)入的“后金庸”時(shí)代,事實(shí)上來(lái)得更早,在上個(gè)世紀(jì)70年代就出現(xiàn)了。只是由于種種原因,港臺(tái)地區(qū)與大陸在金庸及武俠小說(shuō)傳播接受上的這種“時(shí)間落差”,被我們有意無(wú)意地忽略了,我們不少人以為在20世紀(jì)八九十年代,港臺(tái)地區(qū)與大陸一樣,金庸還在繼續(xù)扮演著“有水井處必有金庸”的“超級(jí)神話”。
這樣說(shuō)金庸,可能使人感到有點(diǎn)沮喪,但我要說(shuō),這是合乎文學(xué)發(fā)展規(guī)律的。須知,文學(xué)總是以否定之否定的形式向前推進(jìn)的,這是“常態(tài)”——“一代有一代之文學(xué)”嘛。如果永遠(yuǎn)停留在“金庸”時(shí)代,那倒是不可思議的,也不利于武俠小說(shuō)創(chuàng)新發(fā)展。
那么,在“后金庸”時(shí)代,我們到底應(yīng)該怎樣評(píng)價(jià)金庸呢?立足歷史評(píng)價(jià)的立場(chǎng),也是從當(dāng)下武俠小說(shuō)境遇及其存在問(wèn)題出發(fā),我以為有以下三點(diǎn)有必要值得關(guān)注,這也是我們今天紀(jì)念金庸武俠小說(shuō)的深層原因和要義所在:
首先,金庸武俠小說(shuō)雖有通俗文學(xué)難以避免的類型化、符號(hào)化的局限,但無(wú)論如何,我們不得不心悅誠(chéng)服,他的15部作品為我們創(chuàng)造了林林總總的一系列人物形象,如黃蓉、滅絕師太、歐陽(yáng)峰、老頑童周伯通等,其中有的已成為典型進(jìn)入文學(xué)史,如郭靖、令孤沖、喬峰、岳不群、韋小寶,已家喻戶曉,深入人心。
這是很了不起的,是我們需要向金庸“致以崇高敬禮”的,也是包括“典型”理論在內(nèi)的傳統(tǒng)經(jīng)典的文學(xué)觀,值得尊重乃至值得推崇的地方。自然,恰恰亦是當(dāng)下“穿越”、“盜墓”小說(shuō),包括金庸之后的溫瑞安、黃易的武俠小說(shuō),推而廣之,還包括各種名目繁多的現(xiàn)代主義小說(shuō)的一大致命局限。它們注重隱蔽幽深意象、觀念、心態(tài)、情緒的創(chuàng)作,固然為我們打開了另一個(gè)空間,并由此實(shí)現(xiàn)了將文學(xué)“由外向內(nèi)”的轉(zhuǎn)移,但卻給我們留下了形象()模糊空疏的歷史性局限。不管是什么文學(xué),沒(méi)有形象或者缺少鮮明有力形象()支撐的文學(xué),它的意義和價(jià)值終究是有損害的,這是金庸武俠小說(shuō)留給我們的一個(gè)寶貴經(jīng)驗(yàn),也是他對(duì)當(dāng)下創(chuàng)作的一個(gè)啟迪。
其次,是形象背后用以支撐的精神蘊(yùn)含及其人文情懷,用金庸自己的話來(lái)講,就是“俠之大者,為國(guó)為民”,他就是以此作為“立俠”即確立俠義精神及其載體武俠英雄形象的“阿基米德點(diǎn)”,并把“俠”擺在“武”之上。
金庸這樣的武俠敘事,是建立在對(duì)人的理解、對(duì)人的價(jià)值的確信的判斷基礎(chǔ)之上,可以說(shuō)包括西方文學(xué)在內(nèi)的古今中外文學(xué),都是堅(jiān)持以大寫的人為核心的人學(xué)觀的,這也是古今中外文學(xué)創(chuàng)作的一個(gè)前提。而當(dāng)下包括武俠小說(shuō)在內(nèi)的文學(xué),由于西方非理性思潮的影響,對(duì)這樣一個(gè)構(gòu)成和支撐人物形象尤其是英雄形象的人學(xué)核心基本點(diǎn)產(chǎn)生了懷疑。所以,文學(xué)應(yīng)有的理想主義和烏托邦式微,人變成了非人或準(zhǔn)非人,其欲望及其個(gè)我一面被無(wú)限放大。像有些“后武俠小說(shuō)”所寫的俠客一樣,一碰到一點(diǎn)麻煩就拔腿開溜、逃之夭夭,對(duì)此,我們雖不能簡(jiǎn)單否定,需要放在文學(xué)史上給予歷史的評(píng)價(jià),但不得不承認(rèn)它存在著嚴(yán)重局限,尤其是當(dāng)它成為帶有傾向性的現(xiàn)象時(shí),需要引起警惕。將金庸武俠小說(shuō)放在這樣的背景下觀照,可能對(duì)其意義和價(jià)值有更準(zhǔn)確把握。盡管金庸后來(lái)由“立俠”向“疑俠”“反俠”轉(zhuǎn)換,甚至像《鹿鼎記》中對(duì)韋小寶這樣的人物也在相當(dāng)程度上給予認(rèn)同,并且在俠義中融入了現(xiàn)代人文的元素,使之與五四文學(xué)相融通,但他并沒(méi)有否定對(duì)人的信念及其應(yīng)有的精神質(zhì)量。
再次,是他的充溢著中國(guó)元素、漢語(yǔ)魅力和金氏印記的創(chuàng)造性與想象力,由此,在給人們帶來(lái)極大觀賞性的同時(shí),對(duì)推廣和擴(kuò)大中國(guó)文化與漢語(yǔ)魅力產(chǎn)生了不可小覷的影響。從這個(gè)意義上,金庸是中國(guó)文化和漢語(yǔ)的形象的“使者”,他的意義已超越了文學(xué)及其中國(guó)國(guó)界。金庸是屬于世界的,至少是屬于漢文化圈的亞洲的。
(二)
回到創(chuàng)造性與想象力的話題上來(lái),這里所說(shuō)的“中國(guó)元素”,是指大至儒道佛(),從武功招式的命名,到談劍、論簫、品茶、說(shuō)酒,下棋、菜肴、中醫(yī)草藥、文房四寶,尤其是神秘的內(nèi)功,以其博學(xué)及其卓爾不凡的筆力,將中國(guó)文化的神秘性寫得搖曳多姿,令人神往。這里所說(shuō)的“漢語(yǔ)魅力”,指他在武俠敘事時(shí),很好地使用與“中國(guó)元素”或中國(guó)文化相適的,帶有典雅雋永、沉潛蘊(yùn)藉、靈性詩(shī)性特點(diǎn)的中國(guó)方塊字,向世人充分展示了漢語(yǔ)的獨(dú)特魅力。這只要讀過(guò)金庸作品,便會(huì)讓我們倍有所感,為他深厚的語(yǔ)言功底及其古文素養(yǎng)所折服。甚至最慘烈的武打、互罵斗毆耍貧場(chǎng)面,也被他寫得意趣盎然。這對(duì)我們今天只重內(nèi)容或形式創(chuàng)新而不注重語(yǔ)言表達(dá),特別是語(yǔ)言敘述粗糙化、粗鄙化,甚至視丑為美、嗜痂之癖,無(wú)疑具有警示意義。
所謂的“金氏印記”,是指他與個(gè)人經(jīng)歷及文學(xué)觀、歷史觀、價(jià)值觀有關(guān)的獨(dú)特性,與當(dāng)時(shí)的梁羽生、古龍以及此前此后乃至今天相異的東西。除了上面提到外,如選擇重大的歷史事件作為背景,追求武俠敘述歷史化與歷史化的武俠敘述;濃烈的政治情結(jié),揮之不去的政治情懷;傾心傾情地寫男女純潔無(wú)瑕、不為世俗所拘的癡情、愛(ài)情;敘述過(guò)程中經(jīng)常穿插和安排帶有“狂歡”特征的場(chǎng)面,等等。如此,使其武俠小說(shuō)顯得既開闊大氣、富有歷史感,又細(xì)致入微、生動(dòng)有趣。
在結(jié)束這篇短文的最后,我想呼吁在對(duì)金庸進(jìn)行深入研究的同時(shí),加強(qiáng)有關(guān)史料的收集和整理。這不是說(shuō)以前沒(méi)有進(jìn)行這方面工作,而是說(shuō)現(xiàn)在和日后要更加自覺(jué)地從史料學(xué)的高度認(rèn)識(shí)之、實(shí)踐之,包括年譜、版本、撰論、訪談、口述、回憶、演講、影視改編等。
在這方面應(yīng)該發(fā)揮浙江的、浙大的獨(dú)特優(yōu)勢(shì),可以為金庸及武俠小說(shuō)研究做出為別人或其他地方所無(wú)法取代的貢獻(xiàn)。我希望有更多與金庸有接觸交往的人文學(xué)院同仁來(lái)撰寫這方面的追憶文章,從各個(gè)方面、層次和維度來(lái)“還原”金庸,用這種方式來(lái)紀(jì)念金庸。
It seems hard to define Jin Yong (Louis Cha, 1924-2018), though a definition looks deceptively simple. Take a look at his career and life, one can easily say that he is a cultural celebrity, he is a political activist, he is a journalist, and he is a Wuxia novelist. However, first of all, he is a Wuxia novelist. All other identities of his can be traced back to his being a Wuxia novelist. In this sense, Jin Yong is a unique phenomenon. If we considered him just an ordinary Wuxia novelist, we would risk overlooking some of his best qualities. Such a negligent overlook can lead to overly simplified misunderstanding.
As I said in my discussion published in? in 2003, the beginning of the 21st century probably the last few years of the 20th century marked the beginning of a post-Jin-Yong era. The mania about his novels has ebbed on the mainland. He is being replaced by a new generation of writers. And younger readers prefer other genres of adventures. In fact, the popularity of Jin Yongs novels on the mainland raged in the 1980s and the 1990s, about one or two decades later than they were popular in Taiwan and Hong Kong, for example. The post-Jin-Yong era started somewhere much earlier than it did on the mainland. It would seem frustrating to examine Jin Yong and his influence this way. The waning popularity is inevitable. And it is inevitable that a new generation of readers have their preferences. This gives rise to a new question: how do we evaluate Jin Yong in the post-Jin-Yong era?
I believe we need concern ourselves with the following three considerations.
First, though his Wuxia novels cannot avoid limitations, these masterpieces create characters that are very much alive in our culture. This is a great achievement to which we must pay our homage and which we must respect if we want to be consistent with ourselves and if we still respect the classics promoted in traditional literary theories. In comparison with Jin Yongs novels, some new novels by contemporary novelists look good, but they have failed to give us some characters that will go on living in our culture. These new novels and new genres dont stand up to scrutiny if we examine them closely and rigorously.
Second, Jin Yong emphasizes the value upheld by Wuxia. Wushu routines and stunts they are able to perform are always secondary to the beliefs and values they uphold. Jin Yong states that the greatest of Wushu masters put national and public interests before everything else. His Wuxia novels deliver his understanding of human nature and his judgment of human value. His heroes are much better than some anti-heroes in many trendy novels in the post-Jin-Yong era.
Third, his novels are full of Chinese cultural elements, highlight the beauty of Chinese language, and showcase his imagination and creativity in plotting a story and characterization. These novels not only entertain readers but also promote Chinese culture and Chinese language. In this sense, Jin Yong is an ambassador of Chinese culture and Chinese language. He is more than his novels or his being a Chinese nationality. He is a global figure and at least a big name in the cultural circle of Chinese language in Asia.
I hereby call for a better collection and study of historical information on his life, book editions, editorials, interviews, oral narratives, memoirs, speeches, and film and television adaptations. Zhejiang Province and Zhejiang University can play a unique role in this aspect and make irreplaceable contribution to the study of the novelist and his novels. I hope more colleagues at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Zhejiang University who knew Jin Yong personally write their stories so as to enable us to better understand who Jin Yong is.