企業烏托邦的幻滅——茅盾《子夜》中的階級鬥爭

The Failure of an Industrial Utopia: Class Struggle in Mao Dun’s Midnight

從夏志清的《中國現代文學史》(1961)、以及李歐梵的《浪漫的一代》(1973) 以降，五四文學批評一直以寫實、浪漫為主導。三十年後的今天我們重估五四文學，要注意的是：五四文學作品中啟蒙、革命的精神，和十九世紀歐洲的寫實、浪漫主義，實際上大異其趣。例如巴爾札克的寫實小說，受到科學研究的影響，敘事語態是客觀、冷靜的，目的是不偏不倚地「呈現」現實。五四小說的敘事者則往往預設立場，主觀意識強烈，目的是「批判」現實，從而喚起讀者對危機感產生共識，達到改變現世的目標。兩者間基本上的差異，值得我們思考。五四小說的說教性、前瞻性，事實上可說是承接了清末「譴責小說」的部分傳統。清末民初社會上強國強種的夢想是眾所周知的，這種心態我們不妨 稱之為「新中國情結」。文學作品普遍反映出對舊中國的失望和對新中國的嚮 往，各種文類如政治小說、科幻小說等相應而生，都圍繞這個主題發揮。1902 年的《新中國未來記》，預言公元2060年立憲規模完備的「新中國」；1904年 的《癡人說夢記》，以海外「仙人島」為民主中國的藍本；1907年的《獅子吼》則創造了一個「民權村」。這種「新中國情結」一直延續到三○年代前後而不墜，當時的言談模式中，「烏托邦」或「理想國」的理念仍相當盛行。

In Mao Dun's Midnight，the protagonist Wu Sunfu, an entrepreneur who envisions the establishment of an industrial utopia in his hometown, is disillusioned in the end. The reason for his downfall is that his investment in the stock market fails. On top of that, the women workers in his silk factory go on a strike. His position as the patriarch of the Wu family is also challenged by the betrayal of the female members at home. The novel emphasizes the conflict between father and son, the class struggle between capital and labor, and the awakening of female consciousness. Mao Dun uses the thunderstorm to highlight the force of the women workers’ picket line, symbolizing the irresistible power of the revolution led by the working class. Even though the working class is suppressed for the time being, the tide of revolution is impending. The end of the story opens up the vista of the victory of the working class.