唐代文士的歷史寫作──以韓愈為中心的考察

Literati Historical Writings in Tang China: An Investigation Focused on Han Yu's Works

本文由唐代古文運動倡議者對歷史寫作的討論出發，觀察古文作家群體內部觀念的轉變，及其與史學界之互動，藉此探索韓愈在唐宋之際一系列思想、文化變遷當中的定位。漢魏六朝獨立文學觀的形成，是文學史上一大要事，古文作家卻不欣賞脫離「著書立說」，以個人文采、情性為尚的文章，而是嘗試將傳統經、史、子著作之元素，與時俗應用之短篇散文結合，創造出面貌一新的古文作品。其中，韓愈尤為翹楚。同時，寫作古文者對史學議題特為關注，也留意到當代史籍編纂程序的不足，這促使他們以變創過後的文體處理歷史素材。韓愈曾任史官，亦考慮過撰寫私人史著，然終究選擇以史家之筆法，配合當世流行之紀實文類，撰寫各式人物傳記。其寫作致力覈實，具備史料價值；又藉剪裁敘事之妙，傳達有關褒貶或教化的內容。作品形式看似異於史學界盛行的編年史，然一樣旨在傳達《春秋》傳統，精神影響所至，甚至下開宋代的新史體。

With an aim to better position Han Yu in the intellectual and literary transition between Tang and Song China, this article examines the changing discourses on historical writing by proponents of Classical Prose (guwen) Movement of the Tang dynasty as well as their interactions with contemporary historians. Aware of and discontented with the hollowness and inadequacy of “wen” or “wenzhang” independent of traditional classics, guwen writers attempted to rectify the literary trends by incorporating classics and historical records into their creations. At the same time, concerns for historiography also motivated them to record historical events with innovative guwen styles and genres, which subsequently impacted on the works of Tang historians. Han Yu was one of the greatest promoters of the guwen movement. He adopted styles from both traditional historiography and contemporary proses to write biographies, which was renowned for their narrative techniques, historical values, and practice of “praise and blame.” While distinct from the annals in terms of the form, a historical genre highly praised at the time, Han Yu's guwen inherited the same tradition of the the Springs and Autumns and inspired the renaissance of historiography in Song China.