《新序》、《说苑》、《列女传》为刘向编撰——兼谈刘向三书的小说史价值

摘要

Since Southern Song Dynasty there has been an argument among many scholars that Liu Xiang was not the author of Xinxu,Shuoyuan and Biography of Women,but the editor,which is not correct.Studying the material recorded in the Xulu of Shuoyuan,Hanshu and Hanzhi,we can draw a conclusion that the three works were written by Liu Xiang.Material in Chaoqi of Lunheng and some stories in the three works also make it clear the author is Liu Xiang.Liu＇s three works are the largest collection of short stories before the Tang Dynasty,and the beginning of fiction about the historical figures in Wei,Jin and Six Dynasties and the first endeavor in editing and writing fiction according to different categories in Wei,Jin and Six Dynasties.Thus,Liu exerts important influence on the novels in Han,Wei and Six Dynasties and deserves his position in Chinese classical novel history as a major writer of fiction.%南宋以来多有学者认为《新序》、《说苑》和《列女传》并非刘向编撰,他只是做了编校订正工作。此说不确。全面解读《说苑叙录》、《汉书》刘向本传和《汉志》著录,可知三书为刘向编撰;《论衡.超奇篇》所说刘向＂抽列古今,纪著行事……累积篇第＂,以及三书收录西汉当代故事,也都表明了这一点。刘向三书是唐前规模最大的短篇历史故事集,开魏晋六朝志人小说先河,创立了魏晋六朝小说分门别类的编撰体例和模式。刘向为汉魏六朝小说的发展做出了重要贡献,是古代小说史研究中不应也不能忽略的小说家。