唱一個殘夢到黃粱──論《邯鄲夢》的飲食和語言

Sing the Remnant of the Yellow Millet Dream: A Study of Food, Drink and Language in Handan meng

「意趣神色」乃湯顯祖創作戲曲時孜孜以求的目標。湯顯祖對戲曲語言藝術的重視，雖曾在明清二代遭受批評，但今日早已為學界認同，唯論者多從聲律的角度，或「湯沈之爭」的戲曲史角度，展開論述。對其劇作語言的文學性分析，則較為少見。就有，也多集中於《牡丹亭》一劇。鑑此，本文乃以湯氏最後劇作《邯鄲夢》為焦點，探討劇中重出的飲食意象的意義，並解析劇中語言文字遊戲的思想意蘊。本文指出，「飲食」、「語言」此二母題的凸顯，不僅對《邯鄲夢》之人物塑造與主題呈現有其重要意義，且是湯顯祖對其劇作本事精心再創造的成果，並反映出晚明文人在創作劇本時，所看重之「文學性」與「閱讀性」的審美追求。《邯鄲夢》中先酒，次黃粱，其次朝家飲宴，反襯劇前劇尾提到的仙家「蟠桃宴」，這些飲食意象的運用，明顯有其層次，表現出作者對人生與世俗欲望的反思，以及度世的苦心。湯氏在此劇中更以味覺、聽覺、和視覺的文字遊戲，展現出多元的語言表述，意在打破世俗僵化、故步自封的思維方式。本文最後簡評了湯顯祖在戲曲語言上不斷進行實驗、琢磨的創新精神。

“Gist, fun, spirit, and color” are what Tang Xianzu deems most important in playwriting. His emphasis on linguistic rather than prosodic excellence, though criticized in the Ming and the Qing, has won the approval of contemporary scholars. However, most have discussed his use of language either from the formal angle of euphonic regularities or from the historical angle of his debate with Shen Jing. Few have analyzed from a literary perspective his use of language other than that in the Peony Pavilion. Therefore, I have chosen the Handan Dream as an example to explicate his art of language. This paper demonstrates the significance of the recurring images of “food and drink,” as well as the meaning of his wordplay design. In addition to the great contribution to character portrayal and thematic representation of the Handan Dream, both the motif of “food and drink” and that of “language” represent Tang’s artistic recreation of his source tale. They, in turn, exemplify the aesthetic pursuits of literary essence and the pleasure of reading by the late Ming playwrights. In the Handan Dream, wine, yellow millet, and court banquets reflect the successive and incremental development of the images of “food and drink.” This is meant to contrast with the “feast of flat pears” enjoyed by the Daoist immortals at the beginning and the end of the play. Tang carefully employed these images of “food and drink” to express his thoughts on human life and worldly desire in order to encourage spiritual transcendence. With this purpose in mind, he also invented gustatory, auditory, as well as visual wordplay and displayed multifarious ways of expression so as to break the stagnant way of thinking of his time. To conclude, this paper briefly appraises Tang’s continuous efforts in experimenting with language in his playwriting career