西方中世纪修辞零度偏离观

中世纪尽管古典修辞学进入了长期的黑暗时期,但由于基督教仪典的兴盛,“主题布道(sermononthesubject)”或“学府式布道”的新体裁和古雅矫造、高雅繁复的拜占庭式(Byzantine)的修辞风格得以发展起来。拜占庭修辞在雅典希腊语的基础上刻意模仿古典后期的赞颂修辞,创造了讲究语言形式胜过于表达内容的偏离至极、复杂难懂、雍容华丽的文体风格。这种风格是对语言事实的一种绝对夸大,从而使得人们忽略了非语言事实,是语言的狂欢,却是非语言的黑暗。有学者认为拜占庭风格是对古典修辞学的一种背叛,也是人类发展的一次挫折。不过喻词理论以其偏离的言语风格表现与诗歌创作和研究联姻,使得修辞作为一个学科得以延续。这个时期表达性修辞因创造偏离的文体风格而得到了发展。其代表人物奥古斯丁非常重视运用修辞偏离策略。例如反复、奇喻、意象和悖论等主要修辞格,舞文弄墨,斟字酌句,而获得布道词的艺术魅力。奥古斯丁认为修辞术可以使布道具有更大的吸引力。比如对《圣经》的解经,就是依赖文本外的意义,以丰富多样的艺术性的语言传达了满足信徒对高大尚追求的心理。

但另一方面,书信艺术(arts dictaminis)研究在中世纪得到了发展,形成了规范的“认可格式(approved format)”。如信函格式规范包括“招呼(salutation)”“获取好感(securingofgood -will)”“叙事(narration)”“诉请(petition)”“结语(conclusion)”五部分,如下例:

Conrad,by the grace of God,august king of the Romans to venerable Wibald,abbot of Corvey,—his most kind greeting．

Because we know that you especially desire to hear from us and to learn the state of our prosperity,we think it fitting to first tell you of this．By God's mercy we are in good health and we have embarked in our ships to return on the festival of the blessed Virginin September,after having accomplished in these lands all that God willed and the people of the country permitted．

let us now speak of our troops．When following the advice of the common council we had gone to Damascus and after a great deal of trouble had pitched our camps before the gate of the city,it was certainly near being taken．But certain ones,whom we least suspected,treasonably asserted that the city was impregnable on that side and hastily led us to another position where no water could be supplied for the troops and where acs was impossible to anyone．And thus all,equally indignant and grieved,returned,leaving the undertaking uncompleted．Nevertheless,they all promised unanimously that they would make an expedition against Ascalon,and they set the place and time．Having arrived there according to agreement,we found scarcely any one．In vain we waited eight days for the troops．Deceived a second time we turned to our own affairs．

In brief therefore,God willing,we shall return to you．We render to you the gratitude which you deserve for your care of our son and for the very great fidelity which you have shown to us．And with the full intention of worthily rewarding your services,we ask you to continue the same．

这样,信函格式就从一般书写格式中独立出来,形成了本语域内的文体风格。但这种固定格式反映了中世纪思想的僵化,其过分地追求形式上的华丽和规范,反而导致内容贫乏和无趣,这种属性规范让反对拘泥常规做法、主张灵活多样的偏离形式的人感到反感。尽管现在的书信还保留有中世纪的影子,但是在形式上已经出现了多样化的发展趋势,尤其是电子邮件出现之后,更是以经济实效为第一原则,冗余的格式往往被年轻人所抛弃。

中世纪的修辞观在文艺理论中被发挥得淋漓尽致。以杰弗里(Geoffreyof Vinsauf)《诗艺新论》(Potria Novel)中的文学创作原则就是建立在修辞的基础上的。一方面创作要遵循理性的作文规则和传统的修辞规范,另一方面也要通过“换位(Conversion)”“添加(amplification)”“抑减(abbreviation)”等修辞偏离操作策略,创造性地构建文本。“杰弗里着眼于语言表达的创新,用‘越位’这个超级概念将所有这些辞格的机制都包含在内,强调词语和语境的搭配关系,并指出改变这一关系,或者说将词语迁移到它原来不熟悉的语境,是文艺修辞创新的主要途径”然而尽管中世纪修辞强调语言表达上的创新,但其内容上的贫乏还是使得中世纪的修辞研究并没有多少超越古典修辞的实质性进展。