聖教與戲言－－論世本「西遊記」中意義的遊戲

Sacred Teaching and Facetious Talk: Playing with Meanings in the Shidetang Journey to the West

儘管關於百回本《西遊記》的研究，為數已多，這部作品宗教義理與諧謔語言交雜的特質，兩者間的交互運作，及其與晚明文化間的聯繫，仍然尚未得到充分的分析與討論。本文透過聚焦分析世德堂本《西遊記》結尾中宗教論述與諧謔敘事語言之間的互動、辯證、轉化，立論小說的遊戲筆法，絕非僅止於為了義理之教增添趣味，而是在嘻笑中重新鋪排、構造典出多方的宗教論述，置經典義理於小說虛構的新語境，而衍生新的意義。《西遊記》諧謔語言的重要性必須就著其與書中的宗教論述糾纏的關係被理解。小說的遊戲性不只是「高明的喜劇手法」一類簡單陳述可以帶過，也並非為闡道說理而服務。小說遊戲經典文本與各家之教，反方向來說，小說也依賴宗教論述、典故為遊戲材料，非透過這些材料，亦無以為戲。而宗教義理和諧謔語言的交互運作之間，小說中改寫、戲寫之處，正透露出作者對其時代知識內容的擴張、經典的意義、修身成聖等問題所進行的反思。《西遊記》結尾的特異處，也正是不同宗派義理、話語辯論的場域；經典所載真理與小說虛構書寫之間辯證的焦點。Critical scholarship on the one-hundred-chapter Journey to the West (henceforth Journey) has tended to choose between allegorical meanings and the art of comedy. Despite the copious studies on the novel, the complex interplay between the religio-philosophical discourses and the comical language in this novel has not been sufficiently investigated. Through analyzing how the author manipulates and twists conventional religious and philosophical signifiers and conjoins religious ideals of divergent traditions in renewed contexts, this article demonstrates the interdependent entanglement between the edifying and risible dimensions of the novel. It argues that the comical language is by no means mere humorous flavor to 'spice up' the religious messages embedded in the text. The meanings of the established religious discourses alter within the parodic narrative of Journey, while the art of comedy of the novel relies on the rich religious texts serving as sources for rewriting. The dynamic relationship between the two modes of discourse not only characterizes the unique narrative voice in Journey, but also reveals the changes in epistemology in late Ming culture, including the problems with self-cultivation, the expansion of knowledge, and the transmission of 'correct' teachings. Through playing with the established religious traditions, the author presents a scripture-seeking journey that highlights muddled scriptures, inadequate sacred teachings, and flawed apotheosis. This peculiar journey forms an arena, in which heterogeneous discourses and truth claims converse and contend with each other, and the jesting narrative voice celebrates the power of fictional writing to reinvent, ridicule, and challenge the established canon.