今本《西廂記》綜論——作者問題及其藍本、藝術、文學之探討

A Comprehensive Study of the Present Version of The West Chamber: Questions of Origin, Authorship, and Literary Value

《西廂記》是中國戲曲文學上數一數二的作品，自明初流傳至現代的五六百年間，有各種版本三百十二種，由此引發今傳本《北西廂》的作者問題。本文在鄭師因百與前輩陳中凡、王季思兩先生論說基礎上，進一步考訂析論，澄清五點疑慮和一點補充，總結出：《錄鬼簿》所著錄的王實甫《西廂記》為一本四折，原本已佚，而今本《北西廂》應為元中葉成宗元貞大德以後至泰定帝泰定元年（1295-1324）之間，約略與鄭光祖同時或稍晚的無名氏在南戲影響之下的另一部著作。此外更就其創作之藍本及其本身藝術及文學上傑出成就予以探討，首先，梳理西廂故事騰播眾口，歷經唐傳奇、宋轉踏與鼓子詞，到金諸宮調的發展軌跡；其次，其主題思想「願普天下有情的都成了眷屬」，最是深中人心，而關目布置流暢自然，排場處理聯翩開展，人物形象生鮮活色；其三，自《董西廂》轉化而來的戲曲語言，更加貼合腳色人物應有之口脗，表情達意如出其口，雅俗得宜，因此，本文總題為〈今本《西廂記》綜論〉。

The West Chamber is one of the most important works in Chinese literature. During the five or six hundred years from the beginning of Ming Dynasty to modern times, there were 312 different editions of the work. As such, tremendous debate has been generated regarding the authorship of the present version of the work. Drawing on Zheng Yinbo's comments as well as the work of his predecessors, Chen Zhongfan and Wang Jisi, this paper analyzes questions of authorship regarding this work. It will clarify five points of ongoing uncertainty regarding the work as well as one supplemental point, and will conclude that Wang Shifu's The West Chamber recorded by Luguibu is actually a play with four acts. While the original version of this work was lost, the present version is very likely another work by an anonymous author produced under the influence of Southern Drama (Nanxi) between the middle of the Yuan Dynasty and the first year of the Taiding Emperor (1295-1324)’s reign. This was roughly the same time period that the noted Yuan dramatists Zheng Guangzu was producing his works. This paper will also discuss the form and content of the original version of the work, including its literary merits and achievements. The following points will be analyzed: the developmental history of the oral stories that make up The West Chamber, which derive from such sources as the legends of the Tang Dynasty, the Drum Ci of the Song Dynasty, and the Zhugongdiao of the Jin Dynasty. Second, important formal elements of the work such as the natural and flowing nature of its plots, the smooth execution of its dramatic scenes, and the vividness of its characters. Its theme-''may all the lovers in the world become a family”- also has tremendous resonance. Finally, the language of the lyrics that appear in the work, which themselves were adapted from the Jin-dynasty popular work Dongxixiang (董西廂). Such lyrics conformed closely to the language that the respective roles of each character called for, integrating both elegant (ya) and popular (su) idioms, enabling the work to be marked by a vivid and lifelike sense of expression.