稀見清傳奇《玉指環》考辨──兼論吳梅手稿〈玉指環傳奇序〉的發現

Study of Rare Versions of the Yu Zhi Huan Chuanqi of the Qing Dynasty –With a Study of the Discovery of Wu Mei’s Manuscript of Preface to the Yu Zhi Huan Chuanqi

與元代以雜劇為主體的北方戲曲活動不同，明清戲曲以傳奇形式為主，其活動區域則受宋元戲文的影響而集中於江、浙、皖、贛、閩等南方地區。明清中國南方戲曲代表了明清中國戲曲的主流，其作者之眾多、作品之豐富都是中國戲曲史、中國文學史所罕見者。現今，明清南方戲曲作品保存較多，並不斷有新的戲曲文獻被發現，其中，清代南方善本戲曲文獻之被發現者更多。對清代南方善本戲曲的研究，成為中國南方地域文化研究的重要組成部分。本文即以《玉指環》傳奇為例，研究清代南方戲曲的版本面貌、保存情況、題材來源、與同屬於俗文學範疇的小說之關係，及其創作、流傳的文化背景等。現存的稀見清代傳奇《玉指環》有分屬於兩種版本特徵的南京圖書館藏本和上海圖書館藏本，且皆被著錄為稿本。然而，通過對這兩種版本的比勘，我們發現現存本皆非稿本。相比較，南京圖書館藏本是一個較能反映底本原貌的早期鈔本。該劇作者為皖南地區的張夢祺，創作於作者入仕之前即道光十八年（1838）之前，為作者窮途歌哭的寫照。劇作的敘事特徵顯示了該劇已經走出了中國南方戲曲常用的文士妓女情感戲的老套路。而吳梅先生手稿〈玉指環傳奇序〉的發現，則對於重新解讀該劇傳播過程中所顯示的戲曲文化和進行戲曲學術史研究都具有重要的價值。

Unlike northern drama in the Yuan dynasty, which was centered on Za ju, the dramas in the Ming and Qing dynasties performed in the southern areas such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Fujian Provinces were mostly in the form of chuanqi. Presently, relatively more southern dramas from the Ming and Qing dynasties have been saved, and many new dramatic scripts are continuously being discovered. Research on carefully emended editions of southern dramas has become an important part of study of southern Chinese culture. In the case of Yu Zhi Huan, we researched the appearance of the edition, its state of conservation, the derivation of its subject matter, its relation to novels that similarly belong to the category of popular literature; we also studied the cultural background of its creation and transmission. Today, there are two rare versions of chuanqi named Yu Zhi Huan from the Qing dynasty, respectively housed in Nanjing Library and Shanghai Library. Both have been regarded as the author’s draft. However, by comparison of these two versions, it is clear that neither is the author’s, and the version in Nanjing Library is the earlier copy which better reflects the original. Zhang Meng-qi, before he became an official in 1838, wrote this drama portraying his many personal hardships. Its narrative characteristics indicate that this drama was well beyond the old pattern of love stories about literati and prostitutes. The discovery of Wu Mei’s manuscript Preface to the Yu Zhi Huan Chuanqi gives an important opportunity to reread this drama, understand dramatic culture shown in its transmission and improve the study of the academic history of dramas.