唐代小说类型考论

从小说叙事性的角度对前唐及唐代小说观念所作的历时考察表明,自汉至唐,各种小说类型的兴起与不同时代学术主流的变迁有着密切关系。唐人对不同小说类型的认识是比较清楚的,唐“小说”源出魏晋六朝的“志人”而增加了叙事因素,但与杂史有别;唐“传奇”源出魏晋六朝的“志怪”并融合了史部杂传类的人物别传,而与唐“志怪”有别。三者之间虽有联系,但却沿着各自的道路分镳并驰。故在小说研究中,对唐小说各种类型作出较为严格的区分,并以唐人的小说观念作为界定具体作品的重要标准,这样做似更符合唐人小说的创作实际。

On the Categories of Fiction in the Tang Dynasty

Diachronic researches into the concept of fiction in the Tang Dynasty from the viewpoint of fictional narration demonstrate that the rise of the different categories of fiction from the Han to the Tang Dynasties was closely related to the changes in the academic mainstreams in different eras. The Tang had a clear understanding of the different categories of fiction. The Tang fiction originated from "Zhi Ren" (literary sketch) of Wei, Jin and the Six Dynasties, enriched with more narrative elements and different from unofficial history. The Tang legend could trace to "Zhi Guai" (stories of demons) of Wei, Jin and the Six Dynasties, fused with supplementary biographies belonging to the category of "miscellaneous biography", but different from the "Zhi Guai" of the Tang. Although interrelated, the fiction, legend and Zhi Guai of the Tang took their own routes of development. Therefore, in the study of fiction, the Tang fiction should be strictly classified, and the Tang concept of fiction should be used as the criterion for defining specific works of fiction. It is a practice that renders a clearer picture of the reality of fiction creation in the Tang Dynasty.