從「敘事程式」的觀點談「臨川四夢」收場的辯證與創發
前言 83
一、傳奇收場的「敘事程式」和審美理想 84
二、「大團圓」的後設與嘲謔：《紫釵記》與《牡丹亭》
三、當頭棒喝的結穴辯證：《南柯記》與《邯鄲記》
餘論：「臨川四夢」收場的辯證與創發
【提要】
明清傳奇向來好以「大團圓」收場，在最後一齣讓重要的劇中人物齊聚場上，除了總結劇情，亦頗收熱鬧謝幕之效。而傳奇好在收場搬出「團圓旌獎」的場面，可視為是一種封建性格的表現。湯顯祖「臨川四夢」作為明清文人傳奇的典範，前二夢從情愛的追尋談情；後二夢從人生的領悟和超脫談情，其收場處靈活變化傳奇的敘事程式，巧妙展開思想辯證，大有可觀。
《紫釵記》和《牡丹亭》端出「團圓旌獎」的排場，卻遊戲文字，嘲謔了封建價值一番。〈紫釵記．節鎮宣恩〉刻意逆轉〈劍合钗圓〉的哀悽之會，將結篇定調在歡樂喜慶的氛圍，卻歪寫了聖旨旌獎的理由。〈牡丹亭．圓駕〉則突起波瀾，讓代表「情」、「理」的雙方爭執得不可開交，又將一道「聖旨」擴大為一堂「聖判」，玩笑意味濃厚，運用「團圓旌獎」這一亟具封建色彩的程式，作為解決衝突的力量，巧妙的為「情至論」背書。《南柯記》和《邯鄲記》則捨棄「團圓旌獎」的框架，表達其對這一套世俗價值觀的超脫。在新的釋、道體系與戲劇陣容中，〈南柯記．情盡〉極寫人情愛慾之難捨，作者費盡心思，展開多層次的思想辯證。〈邯鄲記．合仙〉則一派輕鬆，人物在一一懺悔之後又自我解嘲一番。
「臨川四夢」悠遊於傳奇諸多定型的敘事程式之中，其奇麗動人，膾炙人口，往往從中蘊蓄翻轉而出。尤其在結局處，更達到了明清戲劇家論傳奇收場的高度審美理想。
關鍵字：收場、大團圓、敘事程式、湯顯祖、臨川四夢。
The
Dialectics and Innovations in
the Endings of
Four Dreams at Lin Chuan：From
the Perspective of Narrative Formula
Abstract
The Ming-Qing chuanqi often have happy
endings. All of the main characters would appear on stage in the last act, which
not only serves to summarize the plot but also heralds the curtain call. The
happy endings, characterized by reunion and royal rewards, can be seen as a
product of feudal culture. The first two dreams in
Four Dreams at Lin Chuan (
Zichai ji and
Mudan ting) involve the nature of love
and the process of searching for love, and the last two dreams (Nanke
ji and Handan ji) deal with the nature of love in the phase of
enlightenment and transcendence. The ending of each dream is quite innovative.
Despite the familiar happy reunion in
Zichai ji and Mudan ting,
both endings sneer at feudalistic values by playing on words. In the last act of
Zichai ji, the play abruptly reverses
sadness into happiness and distorts the usual reasons behind royal blessings.
However, in the last act of Mudan ting,
sentimentality and rationality are brought into conflict and the imperial edict
is playfully transformed into a court-like situation. In the latter case, the
surface adherence to feudalistic formula is in fact a clever plea for the
supremacy of love. By contrast, there are no happy endings in
Nanke ji and
Four Dreams at Lin Chuan plays with the
conventional ending, adhering to the formula but at the same time reversing it.
More specifically, its various endings have reached the high aesthetic standards
as propounded by Ming-Qing scholars.
（紀蔚然譯）
Key words: ending, happy reunion, narrative
formula, Tang Xian-zu, Four Dreams at Lin Chuan.