唐寅、文征明文化性格比较论

文化性格是指包含文化内涵的人物性格。唐寅、文征明皆以诗书画三绝著名当时与后世,而两人之人生及文化性格则大不同。唐“百年强半”而夭,而文则遐寿九秩,且主持吴中风雅30余年;唐曾中解元,涉科场案而愤世自放,文数试不得一举人而待诏翰林三年;唐赴宸濠招而不得不佯狂以免,而文卒能避之。唐纵情酒色,而文持身谨严。而两人之诗,则唐更有个性与时代气息。唐、文的这种差异,反映了在当时的政治体制下,在经济生活和社会风气发生新变的时代,文人及其所代表的文化可能作出的选择。考察这种文化性格的差异及其成因,对认识中国文学、文化发展过程中各种因素如何发挥作用、这些作用又会有怎样的意义和效果,都可以提供一定的启示并帮助我们思考当代的文化建设与发展问题。

A Contrast of Cultural Characters of Tang Yin and Wen Zheng-ming

Cultural character refers to personal character containing cultural implication.TANG Yin and WEN Zheng-min were both well-known for their unique skills in poetry-writing,calligraphy and painting among their contemporaries and through later ages.Nevertheless,their cultural characters were greatly different.TANG Yin died after he was 50 yeas of age,while WEN Zheng-min died when he was in his nineties and took the lead among men of letters in the Province of Jiangsu for over 30 years.After he came out first in the provincial civil service examinations.TANG sent himself in exile due to his detesting human injustices after he was involved in a law case in the imperial civil examinations.WEN took the provincial civil examinations for several times but failed to become a successful candidate and then he waited for his lot at the Imperial Academy for 3 years.Tang gave himself over to sensual pleasures while WEN was self-disciplined.As for their poetry writing,TANG was of more individual character and the spirit of the times.The differences between TANG and WEN reflected the possible choices that men of letters might make under the political system when there were new changes in their economic life and social atmosphere.The investigations of the differences of the cultural characters and the reasons for them may supply us with an understanding how the various elements played their roles in the process of the Chinese culture and literature development and what significance and effect the roles might have.The investigations may be of some enlightenment and may also help us think about the cultural construction and development of our contemporary times.