幸福的寓言──論「三言」所見「志誠者」的生命質性

Abstract

「志誠者」指意念真誠無欺、忠厚本分之人。在「三言」故事中不乏其例，然鮮有論及者。本文試圖透過明確指涉人物為「志誠」的三則話本，對「志誠者」的生命質性進行討論，並透過對生命存在的思考，論述話本小說在見證命運之餘，以「能幸福」人物的正面力量為基礎，突破不幸的困境，迎向圓滿結局。由此發掘話本基於「普世正義」的觀念，以特定的修辭策略述說幸福的寓言。

“Genuine people” refer to those who are sincere, truthful, kind, and responsible. There are numerous examples of “genuine people” in the stories of “Sanyan,” but, they did not receive enough attention in past studies. This article seeks to examine three stories in “Sanyan” where the character of certain people is clearly recognized as being “genuine.” In this article, I will trace not only how these vernacular novellas followed the destiny of these genuine people by reflecting upon the meaning of existence, but also how they escape from their miserable circumstances and build a happy life. In having a positive attitude and the ability to stay happy, the stories of these genuine people turn out to have happy endings. These stories are in fact all based on the idea of “universal justice” and this is expressed through the narration of happiness fables.