希望．絕望．虛妄──試論臺靜農《亡明講史》與郭沫若《甲申三百年祭》的人物圖像與文化詮釋

Vision, Desperation, Delusion: A Comparative Study between Tai Jingnong’s Wong Ming Jiang Shi and Guo Moruo’s Jia Shen San Bai Nei Ji

抗日戰爭時文人頗藉明清之際史事以寄託亡國之痛。甲申之變三百年後，郭沫若（1892-1978）作《甲申三百年祭》一文，國民黨人展開劇烈抨擊，左派中人則多護衛有加，是抗戰時期大後方文壇一大盛況。反之，臺靜農（1902-1990）《亡明講史》雖大致成於此時，但未正式出版，迄今猶靜靜地躺在臺大圖書館特藏室。二書同樣以明末清初的歷史舞臺為背景，但不論書寫形式、主題思想、乃至身後流傳命運，皆大相逕庭。《甲申三百年祭》集中描寫李自成（1605-1645）屬下李岩之事蹟與心志，《亡明講史》則以甲申乙酉之變的經過為情節主脈。兩部作品的不同結局正好映襯二者精神基調的差異。郭沫若此作代表當時左翼知識圈的情志與信仰，《亡明講史》一書代表自由派知識份子對時局的苦痛與絕望心境。但郭沫若的作品雖然大力標舉「人民思想」，卻並未真正觸及「人民」的觀感與情緒，而臺靜農《亡明講史》則對人民的苦難與不安，念念繫之。《亡明講史》可以說是臺靜農研究明清史事的具體成果，可能也是小說家臺靜農最後一部小說作品。這部作品「借古諷今」用意十分明顯，它涵括臺靜農對時事國政的慨嘆，可看出臺靜農對現實社會抱持著強烈關懷。因此，《亡明講史》一書不論對了解臺靜農本人思想的發展或者當時的社會心態，都具有重要意義。 During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the intellectuals in China compared the current political situation with the fall of the Ming Dynasty three hundred years ago. Guo Moruo (郭沫若) wrote the famous article Jia Shen San Bai Nei Ji (《甲申三百年祭》, Jiashen Three Hundred Years Memorial Ceremony), about the same time, Tai Jingnong (臺靜農) wrote the unpublished book Wong Ming Jiang Shi (《亡明講 史》, History on the Collapse of Ming Dynasty). Both of the two writings threw the highlight on the chaos at transition between Ming and Qing. But they are totally different in many ways. Jia Shen San Bai Nei Ji told a story about Li Yan (李岩), a subordinate of Li Zicheng (李自成). On the other hand, Jia Shen San Bai Nei Ji focused on the historical event itself. The former indicated that the belief of left-wing intellectuals at that time, while the latter represented the fading away of the hope of the literal intellectuals who were in the wartime. However, the writing of Guo Moruo did not really approach the feeling of the people, although Guo claimed that his article made it. In contrast, Tai Jingnong’s novel had strong sympathy for the people. Wong Ming Jiang Shi is the concrete achievement of Tai’s Ming-Qing historical study. It also might be Tai’s last novel. This book criticizes the contemporary politics of his times by analogy, and we do see his concern for society. As a result, Wong Ming Jiang Shi is important for those who want to explore the thought of Tai or to realize the attitude of society at that time.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, the intellectuals in China compared the current political situation with the fall of the Ming Dynasty three hundred years ago. Guo Moruo (郭沫若) wrote the famous article Jia Shen San Bai Nei Ji (《甲申三百年祭》, Jiashen Three Hundred Years Memorial Ceremony), about the same time, Tai Jingnong (臺靜農) wrote the unpublished book Wong Ming Jiang Shi (《亡明講 史》, History on the Collapse of Ming Dynasty). Both of the two writings threw the highlight on the chaos at transition between Ming and Qing. But they are totally different in many ways. Jia Shen San Bai Nei Ji told a story about Li Yan (李岩), a subordinate of Li Zicheng (李自成). On the other hand, Jia Shen San Bai Nei Ji focused on the historical event itself. The former indicated that the belief of left-wing intellectuals at that time, while the latter represented the fading away of the hope of the literal intellectuals who were in the wartime. However, the writing of Guo Moruo did not really approach the feeling of the people, although Guo claimed that his article made it. In contrast, Tai Jingnong’s novel had strong sympathy for the people. Wong Ming Jiang Shi is the concrete achievement of Tai’s Ming-Qing historical study. It also might be Tai’s last novel. This book criticizes the contemporary politics of his times by analogy, and we do see his concern for society. As a result, Wong Ming Jiang Shi is important for those who want to explore the thought of Tai or to realize the attitude of society at that time.