《紅樓夢》中的「狂歡詩學」――劉姥姥論

The Poetics of Carnival in The Dream of the Red Chamber: A Study on Granny Liu

本文分析劉姥姥處於全書的存在意義，乃是以「成熟型」的老人型態，展示出《紅樓夢》中狂歡詩學的最高體現。以俄國文論家巴赫汀之狂歡化理論豁顯劉姥姥進大觀園的深層意義，一方面是劉姥姥之宴遊大觀園，為賈府之深閨女性在家庭內部世界裏創造出一個「非常狀態」的節慶空間，成為外出遊逛取樂的一種延伸或變形，從而反映了明清上層社會中獨特的女性亞文化；另一方面，劉姥姥以丑角之姿創造了公眾廣場的集體狂歡氣氛，不但彰揚了「物質—肉體下部成分」，使之成為世界新圖景的相對中心，同時在酒令遊戲中進行權威話語的戲擬和融入俚俗民間話語，也激盪出一種「生活話語」對「藝術話語」的衝撞與解構；甚至更進一步以結合動物成份的怪誕形象，堂皇揭露生理排污的溷穢視境，如此種種，對大觀園中理想化、崇高化的精神性傾向而言，都可以說是一種「反昇華」的作用力，因此還引起林黛玉等的斥棄心理。但其中所勃發昂揚的真實生命力，尤其對巧姐的命名與拯救，卻也同時蘊藏了「污泥生殖」（Sumpfzeugung）的意義。

This article analyzes the role of Granny Liu in The Dream of the Red Chamber: as a mature-type old woman, she incarnates the spirit of carnival. I utilize Bakhtin’s poetics of carnival to explore the structural meanings of the episode of Granny Liu’ trip to Prospect Garden. First, through Granny Liu’s trip, an extraordinary festival space is built for the women and girls who live in the inner quarters of the Jia’s Family. Second, by playing a cheerful clown, Granny Liu creates an atmosphere of collective, public-square carnival. Third, Granny Liu emphasizes the material aspect and the lower part of body, bringing them to focus and center. Fourth, the words play in jiou-ling （酒令） games act as parody of the authority discourse. And with Granny Liu’s vernacular and vulgar colloquialism, a scene appears where art-language is confronted and deconstructed by life-language. Fifth, this episode is full of unpleasing or even dirty visions of grotesque animal figures and excrement. All these anti-sublime forces are against the idealized spiritual orientation of Prospect Garden, arousing Lin Dai-Yu’s abjection. Besides the contrasts and disturbances brought forth by Granny Liu, there is energetic and real force embodied in the spirit of carnival. It is exemplified in Granny Liu’s name-giving and saving of Ch’iao-jie, an episode of Sumpfzeugung（污泥生殖）.