論晚清科學小說《新法螺》的「跨語際實踐」

On ''Translingual Practice'' in the Late Qing Science Fiction Novel New Mr. Braggadocio

1905年，中國作家徐念慈寫成〈新法螺先生譚〉，研究者視之為中國第一部完整的短篇科學小說。其轉折的生成過程值得注意：該小說以翻譯家包天笑的譯作〈法螺先生譚〉和〈續譚〉為底本，而該兩篇譯作，又根據日本兒童文學翻譯家巖谷小波從德國通俗故事《閔豪生奇游記》（1786）翻譯、撮寫而成的〈法螺先生〉、〈續法螺先生〉加以轉譯和改寫。可以說，〈新法螺先生譚〉經歷了多重的「跨語際實踐」（translingual practice）——即學者劉禾所指，晚清文人翻譯外文作品時，通過有意識的挪用或改寫，使原文產生新意義的過程。1906年，小說林社將徐念慈的〈新法螺先生譚〉與包天笑的兩篇譯文底本結集出版，取名為《新法螺》。當中三篇作品互相關連，可以反映包、徐兩位晚清文人對西方科學觀念的某些相近的思考。過往研究者多從中、西文明衝突的角度切入探討〈新法螺先生譚〉，認為該小說反映了晚清文人抵抗西方科學的態度。然而，本文通過考察《新法螺》多重的「跨語際實踐」，認為〈新法螺先生譚〉裏的中、西方思想的關係並非簡單地對立，該小說也並非旨在評斷中、西方學說的高下而已。故此，本文擬從「跨語際實踐」的角度，首先比讀包天笑對巖谷小波譯文的改寫，然後探討〈新法螺先生譚〉如何在包天笑的譯作之上，增添科學元素，將原作中狂妄自大的德國男爵，改寫成為常作自我反省的中國瘋狂科學家，並通過該人物展示晚清文人對於西方科學和啟蒙救國的複雜思考。

Xu Nianci徐念慈, a renowned translator and novelist of the Late Qing清dynasty, wrote New Tales of Mr. Braggadocio新法螺先生譚in 1905. Scholars recognize this creative work as the first modern Chinese science fiction novel. Xu composed it after reading Bao Tianxiao's包天笑Chinese translation of the German adventure story Baron Munchausen's Narrative of his Marvelous Travels and Campaigns in Russia閔豪生奇游記, which was based on a Japanese translation by Iwaya Sazanami巖谷小波. Xu rewrote the story by changing Mr. Braggadocio into a Chinese intellectual, and he used this character to discuss various scientific issues. It is worth noting that this creative work is a typical case of ''translingual practice,'' a term that Lydia Liu劉禾has used to describe the process via which Late Qing intellectuals assimilated foreign knowledge and expressed new meanings through literary adaptation in their translations. In 1906, the Novelistic Forest Press published Xu's work together with Bao's translations of the original text under the title New Mr. Braggadocio新法螺. The juxtaposition of these texts shows that Xu and Bao shared similar ideas about Western science. Earlier studies of Xu's novel for the most part viewed it through the lens of civilizational conflict and concluded that it reflected Late Qing antimodernization and anti-scientific attitudes. However, by examining the different types of ''translingual practice'' found in New Mr. Braggadocio,this article argues that Xu's creative work did not simply counterpose Chinese and Western cultures. It first compares Bao's translation to the original Japanese text and discusses how Bao emphasized the importance of science. It then analyzes how Xu transformed the character of the arrogant German nobleman into an introspective and whimsical Chinese scientist in an effort to express his sophisticated conceptions of science and enlightenment.