倡真反伪 弃虚返实——《儒林外史》主题新探

关于《儒林外史》的主题,至今众说纷纭。解决这个问题的核心是从这部讽刺小说中找出作者的价值判断。书中所讽刺的各种人物,归于一点,在于学问或人格的“伪妄”。而小说的价值判断标准,即为“真儒”的人格学问之“真”和他们“礼乐兵农”的济世方案之“实”。所以,人才观念上的倡真反伪和社会主张上的弃虚返实,即为小说的基本主题。

Advocating the True and Object the False, Eliminating the Vacant and Returning to the Real New Discovery of The Anecdotes of Scholars

The theme of The Anecdotes of Scholars arouses an intense discussion.The key to this problem is to find the author's value judgment shown in this sarcastic novel.The similarity of all the figures satirized in the book lies in the falseness in their knowledge or their personality;while the standard of value judgment of the novel is the truth in the knowledge or the personality of those "true scholars" and the truth in their social improvement scheme with the content of ceremony,music,soldier,and agriculture.Therefore,the essential theme of the novel should be the proposal for the true and objection to the false in view of the talented and elimination of the empty and return to reality in view of social proposal.