近代民間復仇事例的省察與詮釋──以「地方志」為重心

A Study of Revenge among Commoners in Local Gazetteers

本文以近代民間復仇事例為討論對象，蒐羅、分析近代方志，並與《清史稿》、《清稗類鈔》、《郎潛紀聞》等文獻所載民間復仇事例進行比較，冀能一窺民間復仇行為與復仇觀及其與傳統「五倫復仇觀」之異同，地方官吏對復仇事件的處置與態度，以及載錄者的觀點與立場等。要點有五：一、參照、比較民間復仇事例與傳統「五倫復仇觀」，說明其於五倫復仇觀念、理論之承變與呼應。二、述論較具特色之民間復仇事例─鬼靈復仇、對盜賊復仇、無法復仇等─並論民間信仰對復仇觀的影響。三、比較方志與經書復仇觀，藉以呈顯民間復仇事例與傳統經書的呼應與差異所在。四、比較方志與史書，以及同一復仇事例在方志、史書、文人筆記等不同性質文獻中敘事的異同與特色。五、最後則論述方志資料的特色、價值與局限。

This article focuses on the representation of revenge committed by commoners as recorded in modern local gazetteers, such as the Taiwan tongshi (The Comprehensive history of Taiwan), Qingshigao (Draft history of the Qing), Qingbai leichao (Classified collection on notes of Qing), and other documents. This essay studies the differences as there exist between the attitudes of the common populace toward revenge, the views of traditional literati on revenge, the legal and judicial perspectives of local administrators deliberating on cases of revenge, as well as the authorial/editorial interests of the historians and historiographers compiling such incidents of revenge. The five major purposes of this article are as follows: 1) Trace the historical development and adaptations of common attitudes toward revenge as compared with traditional literati “views on revenge and the Five Relations.” 2) Identify the influence of popular beliefs on the typologies of revenge committed by commoners, such as divine retribution by ghosts, and retributive punishment for thieves and robbers. 3) Explore the similarities and differences between the acts of revenge portrayed in local gazetteers and those portrayed in traditional classics. 4) Study the varying treatments of the idea of revenge across different genres of writing, such as the local gazetteer, traditional historiography, and literati casual jottings. 5) Provide also a final assessment of the advantages and limitations of the local gazetteers as source materials.