《桃花扇》的主题蕴涵与艺术成就

《桃花扇》主题蕴涵是复杂的。第一主题是孔尚任思考历史,以侯方域、李香君的爱情故事为线索,描述了南明王朝兴亡的历史,即桃花扇底系兴亡。第二主题是孔尚任思考人生,人在历史的关键时刻如何选择人生道路,即朝更代易慎选择。第三主题是孔尚任为穷途末路的人们指出了迷津———归隐山林,读书吟诗,渔樵度日,静观世变,即人生空幻归桃源。《桃花扇》艺术成就表现在角色安排颇见功底、艺术结构完整、打破生旦当场团圆的俗趣、塑造真实的历史人物等方面。作为历史剧的典范,《桃花扇》成为雍正以后众多文人传奇模仿的对象。

The Theme and Achievement of The Peach Blossom Fan

The Peach Blossom Fan is believed to entail rich themes.The first theme is KONG Shang-ren's view on history,i.e.the destiny of the South Ming Dynasty in the form of the love story of HOU Fang-yu and LI Xiang-jun.The second is KONG Shang-ren's life philosophy,i.e.how to make a decision upon a critical historical point.The third is the direction for the lost man given by KONG,i.e.as a hermit on recluse.The artistic achievement of the play lies in its extraordinary arrangement of roles,the whole structure,the breakdown of worldly immediate reunion of the male and female roles,and the representation of the historical events and characters.As a model of historical play,it is imitated in lots of long poetic dramas by literary men after Yongzheng Emperor.