對整體性危機的文化回應——現代「文學」的確立與王國維的「審美現代性」規劃

Cultural Response to Macrocosm Crisis: the Establishment of "Modern Literature" and Wang Guowei's Project on "Aesthetic Modernity"

Abstract

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.

在西方，一般認為「現代性」的展開過程就是一個「合理性」分化的過程，即歐洲的「現代性」是宗敎與形而上學所表達的「實質理性」一分為三個自主的領域——科學、道德與藝術——的結果。而所謂「現代文學」也是在這個過程中創製出來的。本文在晚清歷史和思想的語境下，討論王國維「審美現代性」規劃與「現代文學」在中國確立之間的關係，指出中國現代性雖然也面臨着「合理性」分化的問題，但是作為對整體性文化危機的一種回應方式，它的內在特質和表現形態並不能純粹按照歐洲經典現代性的方式予以規劃，相反，正是在某些有悖於甚至是抵抗「經典現代性」的層面上，更能顯示出中國現代性的活力。具體到王國維，文章並不局限在「審美」或「美學」領域，而是希望通過把王國維的「分化」思想置放在中國現代性「創製」的背景下，繼續追問一系列知識學問題，進而考察知識分化、學科建立與敎育體制之間的複雜關係，由此描繪出「現代文學」在晚清發生時的複雜圖景。

It is commonly shared by the western world that the development of "modernity" is a process of the differentiation of "rationality", i.e. European "modernity" is the result of Substantial Logos' dividing into three-science, moral and art - independent domains with "Substantial Logos" expressed by religions and metaphysics. The so-called "modern literature" is created right in this process. Using the context of the history and thoughts of late Qing, the paper studies the relationship between the establishment of "modern literature" in China and Wang Guowei's project on "aesthetic modernity". As a fashion in response to macrocosm cultural crisis, China's modernity, facing though the differentiation problem of "rationality", differs with classical European modernity in inner character and expression. Rather, China’s modernity is more richly unfolded when it differs with or even resists the "classical modernity". When studying Wang Guowei, the paper is not localized in the field of "aesthetics" or "esthetics", instead, it traces a series of knowledge problems by exploring Wang's thoughts on "differentiation" in the background of the "creation" of China’s modernity. Hence, by probing into the complicated relationships between episteme differentiation, the constitution of disciplines and the education system, the paper pictures an intricate image of "modern literature" in late Qing.