臺灣早期出版《三國演義》彩繪封面與嘉義地區寺廟彩繪三國故事之考察

A Comparison of Illustrated Covers of Chinese Classical Popular Novels Printed in Taiwan and Romance of the Three Kingdoms Paintings in Chiayi Folk Temples

1950至1970年代之間，在臺灣通俗讀物市場上，中國古典通俗小說刊本以封面裝幀具有彩繪圖像為主流，這些小說刊本封面的彩繪圖像，是吸引讀者購買的一大賣點。臺灣寺廟建築中的彩繪裝飾圖像，絕大多數都是從中國傳統古典小說、戲曲故事取材，古典通俗小說的彩繪封面與寺廟彩繪圖像之間，存在著某種程度的共通性。
就目前所見的資料顯示，大約在1940年代，臺灣開始有業者自行印製銷售中國古典通俗小說，臺北南方雜誌社1944年10月鉛印本《三國志演義》，全套共四集，可能是臺灣在地印製、銷售中國傳統古典通俗小說刊本的先聲之一，具有一定程度的代表意義。臺北南方雜誌社《三國志演義》刊本，每集各有不同的彩繪封面，前三集封面所繪者分別為桃園結義、三顧茅廬、刮骨療毒等著名場景，惟第四集封面所繪人物、動作，暫時無法明確判斷所繪情節究竟為何，故本文擇取「桃園結義」、「三顧茅廬」、「刮骨療毒」三種小說彩繪封面圖像，與嘉義地區寺廟彩繪對照討論。經比較研究發現，小說彩繪封面，在繪製時與原著文字較為接近，寺廟彩繪則未必。另一方面，「三英戰呂布」可以說是嘉義地區寺廟彩繪最常出現的三國故事圖像，在筆者有限所蒐集的《三國演義》刊本中，也不乏有以「三英戰呂布」為彩繪封面者，寺廟彩繪與小說彩繪封面，在繪製「三英戰呂布」故事時，從兵器到坐騎，不免還出現一些妙趣橫生的「創意」畫面，這些畫面實有更吸引我們一觀的價值。

Between the 1950s and 1970s, illustrated covers featuring colorful images became the mainstream in the Taiwanese market for popular Chinese classical novels. These colorful illustrations on the covers were a major selling point to attract readers. The painted decorative images in Taiwanese temple architecture are mostly inspired by traditional Chinese classical novels and theatrical stories. There is a certain degree of similarity between the illustrated covers of these novels and the painted images found in temples.
Based on the available information, it appears that in the 1940s, businesses in Taiwan began printing and selling Chinese classical popular novels. One notable example is the October 1944 lithographed edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms (with a total of four volumes) by the South Magazine Company of Taipei, which may have been one of the first locally printed and sold editions of traditional Chinese classical popular novels in Taiwan, holding certain representative significance. Each volume of this edition features a different colorful illustrated cover. The first three volumes depict famous scenes such as the Oath of the Peach Garden, the Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage, and the Bone-Cutting Therapy. However, the characters and actions depicted on the cover of the fourth volume are difficult to clearly identify, and the specific scene remains uncertain. Therefore, this paper selects the cover illustrations of the first three volumes for discussion, comparing them with the temple paintings in Chiayi County. Upon comparison, it is found that the novel’s illustrated covers are closer to the original text, while the temple paintings may not necessarily follow the same depiction.
On the other hand, the ''Three Heroes fight Lu Bu'' is perhaps the most commonly depicted scene from Romance of the Three Kingdoms in temple murals in the Chiayi area. Among the limited number of editions collected by the author, several feature this scene as the cover illustration. Both temple paintings and novel covers display creative interpretations of the story, from weapons to mounts, offering compelling visual appeal worthy of further exploration.