论话本小说创作的“外役力”和“行世观”

话本小说滥觞于说话艺人和市井文人之作。其时 ,说话艺人和市井文人多受“谋生所迫”与“牟利之役”之役 ,因此 ,其创作原动力并非“发愤著书”之内驱 ,而是为物所使的外役力。话本小说作者受功利所制 ,不求留芳千古 ,却要受益一时 ,不得不抱定急功近利的行世观。作为话本小说创作两个前提的外役力和行世观 ,它们于提高小说社会地位、繁荣小说创作和保持小说的“市民文化”性质十分有益 ,但也并发了“媚俗”之症

On the Outer Force and People's Attitude Toward StoryTelling Novels

Storytelling novels originated from the works of folklore speakers and marketplace writers. At that time most of them were forced to make a living or make profit, so the drive for writing such stories were not "for the pursuit of writing books", but for the outer force of making profit. Since these writers didn't have to seek for being remembered, people thought that they were eager for quick success and instant benefit. As two preconditions of story novels, their outer force and, people's attitude to them were significant in promoting novelistic creation and deepening the prosperity of township culture though they had the tendency of seeking for vulgarity.