近代中國幽默文學中的獨身主義

Celibacy in the Humorous Literature of Modern China

本文將幽默定義為引人發笑的內容與風格，主張近代中國的幽默文學能夠反映時代的感覺結構，並聚焦於以獨身主義作為題材的作品進行個案分析。幽默的感覺結構可以分為釋放論、優越論與不協調論三種，釋放論反映現代性浪潮下人們需要消遣的心理，優越論涉及嘲笑他者與匡正惡俗，不協調論則著重不一致所帶來的反思與趣味。
在近代中國的議論文章中，存在著由男性主導獨身主義論述的趨向，且主要是女性的獨身主義受到討論與批評。其中「個人自由」與「自然人性」這兩種觀念影響了論者對於獨身主義的立場：支持獨身主義者尊重個人結婚與否的自由，或者意欲藉由獨身主義達到高遠理想；佔多數的反對獨身主義者則基於情慾本性與國族延續，批評獨身主義之違背自然。
呼應議論氛圍，幽默文學中也多以優越感覺結構下的諷刺為主，其中以新女性最受攻擊，她們被呈現為表裡不一、要求過高或玩弄感情；儘管也有嘲笑獨身主義男性欲求不滿的作品，卻反而對照出女性情慾在幽默中的缺席。不協調感覺結構的作品雖較少，但其探究獨身主義者的心理狀態與生活處境，將婚姻與獨身作細膩的對照，進而更深刻的體現出兩者的利弊。只是這類文本多以同理男性的獨身為主，顯示幽默背後的性別邊界。

This article defines humor as content and style that elicit laughter and argues that the humorous literature of modern China can reflect the structures of feeling at that time. This article focuses on works that use celibacy as their theme for case analysis. The structure of humor’s feeling can be categorized into three types: relief theory, superiority theory, and incongruity theory. Relief theory reflects the psychological need for entertainment under the tide of modernity, superiority theory involves mocking others and correcting vulgarities, while incongruity theory emphasizes reflection and amusement brought about by inconsistency.
In the discourses of modern China, there is a tendency towards narratives of celibacy dominated by men, with the celibacy of women primarily being discussed and criticized. Within the discourses, the concepts of ''personal freedom'' and ''human nature'' have influenced the positions of proponents and opponents of celibacy: supporters of celibacy respect the freedom of individuals to marry or not, or aspire to achieve lofty ideals through celibacy; the opponents who are majority, however, criticize celibacy as a violation of nature on the basis of natural desires and the continuity of the nation.
In line with the discourses, humorous literature often employs satire under the structure of superiority, with the new woman being the primary target of attack, depicted as inconsistent, demanding, or manipulative; although there are also works mocking unmarried men's dissatisfaction, they instead highlight the absence of female desire in humor. While works under the incongruity structure are fewer, they delicately explore the psychological state and life situations of celibates, contrasting marriage with celibacy in detail, thus more profoundly illustrating the pros and cons of both. However, these works mostly focus on empathizing with male celibacy, revealing the gender boundary behind humor.