譜歷史事義，見古人情性──論楊潮觀《吟風閣雜劇》之詠史特質與戲劇構思

就戲劇形式而言，中國戲曲發展至明代，無論是雜劇或傳奇，在體製與技巧上都堪稱規範細密與嚴謹。然自明代中葉以後，在戲劇體製上產生了以四折短劇合成一部雜劇，或數種以至十數種短劇合成一部傳奇的作法，如徐渭之《四聲猿》雜劇、沈璟之《博孝記》傳奇等皆是。而清中葉以後，戲曲體製更趨自由，如本文所探討之楊潮觀《吟風閣雜劇》，即由二十八種短劇合成一部傳奇，後來又逐漸增加至三十二種，就是一極為突出的例子。《吟風閣雜劇》不僅在劇作形製上有所變異，且其內容多半是藉詠史事以諷世，展現了不同的歷史視野與批判性，在藝術的構思與內涵特質之展現上，皆有可稱述。《吟風閣雜劇》中的短劇，分別來看，篇篇皆有題旨，各自取事，並無一整體的結構，然在創作動機上，卻皆環繞於一自覺的主旨，以之作為意義的核心，具有套詩的特性。至於其藝術構思之創新性，則可從兩方面觀之：一方面，這些短劇雖取材於歷史人事或載記，在剪裁上皆係出於潮觀之刻意選擇，且在鋪敘時亦加以適度渲染或變造。另方面，潮觀之創作，雖有所諷喻，但其所關注並非一己之窮通利達，亦非借古人之酒杯以澆心中塊壘；而是以一種慈悲心理看待社會，並關心整個士人文化。潮觀作劇時，是將「觀看者」與「敘說者」，置於一「第三者」的立場，所謂「漁樵閒話，粗與平章」，將其義理理解，以動人方式表出。如此也成就了他在雜劇寫作上，一種極為特殊的風格，值得我們細細品味。職是之故，本文將以楊潮觀《吟風閣雜劇》之詠史特質與其藝術構思為核心，針對下列議題進行探討：其一，《吟風閣雜劇》之形製創新與其詠史特質；其二，《吟風閣雜劇》中所蘊含之立義主張、道德自覺與社會意識；其三，《吟風閣雜劇》中之用事、取境與性情敘寫；其四，《吟風閣雜劇》劇作起結之戲劇性構思與演劇特質。

In terms of dramatic form and structure, the Ming zaju drama and chuanqi drama are strict and meticulous in conventions and techniques. However, since the mid-Ming period, the dramatic forms of chuanqi and zaju drama developed in some new directions. There appeared zaju drama composed of four one-act short plays, and chuanqi drama with more than ten one-act short plays, such as Xu Wei’s Sishengyuan zaju and Shen Jing’s Boxiao ji. After the mid-Qing period, the dramatic form became even more flexible in length and structure. A distinctive example among these plays was Yang Chaoguan’s Yinfengge zaju drama which was originally composed of twenty-eight short plays and was gradually expanded into thirty-two plays. In fact, Yang Chaoguan’s works are full of creativity not only in their dramatic forms but also in their satirical effect through historical lyricism, conveying the author’s unique historical perspectives and insightful critique in dramatic construction and thematic significance. On the whole, the short plays in Yinfengge zaju, though without a comprehensive structure among them, have their own respective themes serving as the foci of the plays which imbue them with a quality similar to group poetry (taoshi). As for the creativity of dramatic construction, on the one hand, though these short plays adopted stories from previous historical records, they were intentionally selected by Yang Chaoguan for dramatic adaptation and appropriately dramatized by elaboration. On the other hand, while Chaoguan’s writing is somewhat satirical, this involves not his own achievement or lamenting his personal frustration, but merciful concern for the welfare of the whole society or even the whole literati culture. When writing drama, he took the roles of “observer” and “narrator” simultaneously at the “third person” position as a lively expression of his philosophical understanding. In this way, he created a unique style of historical lyricism in his dramatic writing, worthy of our special attention. This paper therefore aims to explore the following issues: What characterizes the formal invention and historical lyricism in Yinfengge zaju? How should we interpret the thematic propositions, moral awakening and social consciousness embedded in the play? How did the author employ the techniques of allusions, historical context and characterization in his writing? How did the author integrate the thematic construction and the performing arts in the dramatic presentation of the play?