學界對於民初通小說作家周瘦鵑的研究,多半著重在他的「哀情」、「言情」之作。而對於《禮拜六》雜誌,有不少人誤以為只刊載消閒、娛樂的作品。其實周瘦鵑在《禮拜六》,尤其是後百期,發表了數量可觀的社會小說,這些小說卻很少受到關注。有鑑於此,本文乃以《禮拜六》中周瘦鵑所創作的社會小說為研究對象。一方面探究周瘦鵑社會小說的寫作成就,另一方面亦可以藉此了解前、後百期《禮拜六》的變化情形。從周瘦鵑發表在前、後百期《禮拜六》中的創作小說,可以明顯看出《禮拜六》雜誌從「言情」向「社會」發展的趨向。在前百期,周瘦鵑的社會小說數量極少,而這些小說在寫作藝術上瑕疵不少,所反映的社會現象也很有限。到了後百期就不同了,社會小說的數量超過發表總數的一半,所反映的社會面向也很多元。透過這些作品,我們可以比較具體的感受到民初上海市民生活的種種,他們在新舊觀念中的掙扎,在慾海中的抗拒或沉淪,而新興的商業環境則帶給他們各式各樣的誘惑和災難。在寫作藝術方面,包括以中間事件開頭結合倒敘法、人物以及擬人物的內在獨白、形象化的開頭及結尾描寫、開放性的結局、圓形人物的塑造等,手法多種、技巧圓熟,充分運用各式各樣社會材料,創造出一篇又一篇的短篇佳作,誠不愧「在上海市民大眾文壇上,周瘦鵑可說是最有代表性的作家」之譽。
Zhou Shou-juan was one of the typical authors of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School. He published many social novels in the magazine—Li-bai-liu (Saturday), especially in the last hundred volumes. However, these novels had not been given much attention for a long time. Zhou Shou-juan’s social novels reflect the difficult life of the citizens in Shanghai, people’s struggles between new and old concepts as well as temptation and disaster in an environment facing the rise of commerce. As for the techniques and forms of writing in Zhou Shou-juan’s social novels, he was good at designing flashing back structure and open-ending, shaping round characters, and making use of monologues. Zhou Shou-juan has always been regarded as a writer of romance by common readers, yet, as a matter of fact, he is a great writer of social novels as well.
周瘦鵑; 鴛鴦蝴蝶派; 市民文學; 禮拜六; 社會小說
Zhou Shou-juan; Li-bai-liu; urban literature; The Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School; social novel