不即不離，能寫其神論《桃花扇》中楊文驄的戲劇形象與意義

Bu Ji Bu Li, Neng Xie Qi Shen—On the Theatrical Image and Meaning of Yang Wen Cong in“The Peach Blossom Fan”

前人對於清代傳奇《桃花扇》中楊文驄一角之研究，多在考證史實與戲劇之間的差異，較少談論楊文驄作為戲劇人物之形象與其創作意義。本文回頭從《桃花扇》文本切入，分析劇作中楊文驄的行動、對話與他者之交互關係。就寫作策略上看，劇作家有意藉由楊文驄的「多事」性格，串綰侯方域、李香君之離合與南明王朝之興亡，進而彰顯主角情態並佈置全劇架構；再就人物形象觀之，楊文驄「作好又作惡」的多元面貌，呼應劇作家設定之「間色」形象與末腳行當，翻轉了傳統戲曲「類型化人物」的典型設計。總此，讀者唯掌握楊文驄作為戲劇人物的虛構成分，參酌前人史實研究，明瞭劇作在虛、實上的書寫分寸，方能體悟劇作家所謂「不即不離，能寫其神」的創作妙境。

Past studies on Yang Wen-Cong, a character in the Qing Dynasty chuan qi“The Peach Blossom Fan”, have mostly researched the differences between historical truth and drama, and few of them discussed the image and its creation meaning of Yang as a drama character. This study utilized the text of“The Peach Blossom Fan”and analysed Yang’s actions, dialogues, and interactions with other characters in the drama. From the perspective of composition strategies, the playwright intended to utilize Yang’s nosy personality, linking the relationship between Hou Fan-Yu and Li Xiang-Jun, to the rise and fall of the Southern Ming Dynasty to foreground the protagonist’s character and to construct the structure of the entire drama. As for character’s image, Yang’s diverse features, conducting both good and bad deeds, echoed the playwright’s setting of him being a“jian se”and playing a“mo”role, overturning the traditional theatrical play’s typical design of using stereotypical characters. Thus, only when the readers understand Yang’s fictional components as a drama characters, reference previous historical studies, and understand the balance between fictional and real elements in a drama can they realize the intricate composition that a playwright calls“Bu ji bu li, Neng xie qi shen”, which means whereas adequately describing the historically true images helps to make characters realistic, one must avoid perusing too much details so as not to confuse the role of the character the writer designs.