批評與課士：晚明館課評點的特色與文化意義

The commentaries and academicians --the features and cultural implications of “Guanke Pingdian” in the late Ming dynasty

館課評點是對館課的閱讀及寫作指導，本文討論其形式、體例、原則、目的與著錄。館課評點與晚明其他文體的評點相類，具有自由隨興的表現，也有托名作偽的問題，但因評點者署為館師、閣師，肩負教習庶吉士的權責，其評點以臺閣規模為衡量，以儒家內聖外王、經世濟民為理想，故由課士育才而針砭文體士風之衰，欲導正士習與世道，具有政治目的。惟館課評點雖具政治目的，實際則側重於文學性的鑑賞，反映館閣復古風尚，莊重平穩有餘，對庶吉士擬策施政能力的提昇相對有限。對於公眾而言，館課評點塑造著館閣「實境」的想像，足以強化舉子的應舉心態，吸引他們揣摩擬寫，以待登入館閣，獲得名公獎拔，故為應舉教育的一環，襄贊著科舉文化的源遠流長。

 

“Guanke Pingdian” is a literature genre that comprises the academicians’ commentaries and guidance on the students’ reading and writing in the Guanke courses. This paper discusses its forms, styles, principles, purposes, and problems with authorship. “Guanke Pingdian” is similar to commentaries on other literature genres in the late Ming dynasty, with a style of spontaneity and the same problem of falsified authorship in disguise of other authors’ name. However, the authors were being entitled as academicians, who were given the rights and responsibilities to teach “shujishi” who would have a chance of being promoted to become high rank officials in the government. Therefore the authors of commentaries and guidance would consider the size of existing bureaucrat and promote the Confucian ideal of “being sage inside and being kingly outside” and “to govern and benefit the people”. They were politically motivated and intended to educate the students, criticize the decline of literati ethos, and correct the scholar’s habits and manners. Nevertheless, their commentaries and guidance were focused on evaluating literary achievements, reflecting the academicians’ tendency to return to the ancients and emphasize being solemn and stable. By contrast, they were limited in enhancing the shujishi’s capacity of policy making and administration. To the public, “Guanke Pingdian” shaped the imagination about the "reality" of the Guanke academy and strengthened the students’ desire to sit for the imperial examinations, so that the students were attracted to write in a similar style to the commentaries and guidance, in the hope that they will be promoted to join the imperial academy. Therefore, “Guanke Pingdian” is part of the imperial examination, indicating the long lasting legacy of Chinese imperial examination.