中国初期莎士比亚评论的重要界碑——论茅盾对莎士比亚的接受与批评

茅盾对莎士比亚的评论(以下简称莎评)是中国初期莎评的重要界碑.茅盾从人性、浪漫主义和现实主义三个层面论及了莎士比亚,但对莎士比亚现实主义价值的看重最能体现他的莎评的特色.他首次借马克思、恩格斯的评价将莎士比亚与现实主义联系起来,并且通过译文的方式第一次向中国读者介绍了"莎士比亚化"这一重要术语及其内涵,对当时以及后来相当长一段时期里莎士比亚在中国传播与接受的基调产生了极为重要的影响.他对莎士比亚完全现实化的接受与评论,直接服务于当时的社会政治,具有鲜明的功利性特征.他的莎评的现实主义倾向性,既是当时的社会历史文化大语境使然,又与他本人的价值理念密不可分.茅盾并非一开始就推崇莎士比亚,他对莎士比亚的认知经历过一个曲折的转变过程,从一个侧面也折射出了莎士比亚在20世纪20、30年代的中国得以传播与接受的曲折过程及其社会历史文化语境.

A Major Boundary Marker for the Initial Chinese Comment on Shakespeare——On Maodun's Acceptance and Criticism of Shakespeare

Maodun's comment on Shakespeare is a major boundary marker for the initial remarks on this subject in China.He made the comment from the point of view of humanity,romanticism and realism respectively,among which the emphasis on Shakespeare's realistic value mostly distinguishes the comment.It is Maodun that for the first time drew support from Marx and Engle's evaluation of Shakespeare to relate the master's works to realism.And he also initiated the introduction of the important term Shakespearization and its connotation to China by the translated works.All of this has exerted significant impact on the keynote for Shakespeare's spread and the Chinese acceptance of it not only for that time being but also for quite a long period to follow. His acceptance and criticism of Shakespeare in terms of complete realism catered directly for the social politics of his time and beared distinct utilitarianism.The realistic tendency in his comment on Shakespeare on one hand developed as an inevitable result under the social historical and cultural context at the time and on the other hand had much to do with his own notion of value.Maodun did not have the greatest esteem for Shakespeare from the beginning.In fact,there had been a long time for him to achieve gradual knowledge and acceptance of the latter,which meantime shows the complicated process of Shakespeare's spread and the Chinese acceptance of it during the 1920s and the 1930s as well as the social historical and cultural context within.