論「文類體裁」的「藝術性向」與「社會性向」及其「雙向成體」的關係

On Literary Form: The Interaction between the 'Aesthetic-oriented,' the 'Social-oriented,' and the 'Aesthetic-social' Balanced Literary Form

從清朝末年到當代，有關中國古代及現代文章體裁的分類，一直存在「藝術性文類」與「實用性文類」二分，或「純文學」與「雜文學」二分的論述框架，而形成文學的二元本質論。此一論述框架，使得「藝術」與「社會」斷裂為內外不相及的二元存在。不管從理論或從作品而言，這一論述框架的邏輯都令人質疑。它的本身就隱涵著自我解構的因素。本論文即從批判這一論述框架為起點，經過解構之後，重新提問：文類體裁有「藝術性」與「實用性」之分嗎？我們所提出的觀點是：文類體裁無所謂「藝術性」與「實用性」或「純」與「雜」之分。它並無先於創作實踐的恆定性本質，而只是在文學傳統與社群的共識上，「原則」地建立了創作、批評與社會互動的公約性、中介性的言語形構。它本身沒有現成的「藝術性」與「社會性」，只在創作實踐的動態過程中，以其工具的結構性及功能性，提供作家實現其作品的藝術性與社會性的可能。因此它只具有這兩種潛在的向度，亦即「藝術性向」與「社會性向」。而且任何一種文類體裁必然同具這兩種向度，形成「雙向成體」的關係。

Since the late Qing Dynasty, it has been a common critical practice to divide Chinese prose writings-modern as well as ancient-into two categories: the prose of art and the prose of utility or, in another set of terms, the pure literary writing (chunwenxue) and the mixed literary writing (tsawenxue). This framework of discussion views literature as essentially divided by a binary opposition between the artistic and the useful, a binary that results in the perpetual rupture between art and society as if the former existed in an inner realm isolated from the external realm of society without any interaction. This framework is problematic either as a theoretical formulation or for creative writing-and, in itself, are embedded the elements of deconstruction. This paper takes this classification of styles as its point of departure. After deconstructing its framework, we have to ask: is there an essential distinction of literary styles between the artistic and the useful? My argument is that such a distinction - the artistic in opposition to the useful, or 'chun' in opposition to 'tsa'- does not exist as the eternal essence prior to the actual practice of writing. The classification of literary styles is only a mediating common ground made in and by language for the social interaction among critics and writers; it is only a 'principle' established on the basis of a literary tradition and the consensus of the academic community. There is no ready-made 'artistic nature' or 'social nature' in literary styles, but there is the instrumental structure and function for writers to crystallize artistic and/ or social possibilities in their works. Therefore, there are only two potential dimensions: that is, the 'aesthetic-oriented' and the 'social-oriented .' Any literary style must simultaneously possess these two dimensions, forming a co existent relation, 'aesthetic-social' balanced literary form.