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Taiping Guangji Est Un Leishu (Littéralement : "Livre Classé Par Catégories") De Textes Narratifs Datant Du Début De La Dynastie Song

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Taiping Guangji Est Un Leishu (Littéralement : Master Une étude du Taiping Guanji et de ses catégories BARBIER, Thomas Abstract Le Taiping guangji est un leishu (littéralement : "livre classé par catégories") de textes narratifs datant du début de la dynastie Song. Comme il cite des ouvrages datant du IIe au Xe siècle, il permit la conservation de nombreux textes aujourd'hui perdus dans leur forme originale. Or, la structure générale du Taiping guangji reste peu étudiée, tout comme le contexte culturel entourant sa compilation : deux éléments qui s'avèrent être étroitement liés. L'organisation d'un leishu faisant toujours l'objet d'un soin particulier, une étude attentive de ses catégories peut ainsi nous renseigner sur les intentions de ses auteurs. Ce travail s'attache donc à exposer les circonstances de la création du Taiping guangji, tout en proposant une explication possible à l'organisation de sa matière : le but étant de montrer que le second empereur de la Dynastie Song, Taizong, avait pour ambition de se servir de projets culturels tels que le Taiping guangji afin de renforcer son emprise sur une société fragilisée par une période de désunion. Reference BARBIER, Thomas. Une étude du Taiping Guanji et de ses catégories. Master : Univ. Genève, 2014 Available at: http://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:37194 Disclaimer: layout of this document may differ from the published version. 1 / 1 Université de Genève Faculté des Lettres Une étude du Taiping guangji et de ses catégories par Thomas Barbier Mémoire présenté en vue de l’obtention d’un MA en Langue, littérature et civilisation chinoises sous la direction du prof. V. Durand-Dastès Février 2014 Table des matières I. Introduction Le Taiping guangji en quelques mots : pourquoi l'étudier ? 1 Buts du travail 2 L'édition actuelle du Taiping guangji 3 À propos des leishu 4 II. La compilation du Taiping guangji Contexte historique et culturel 7 L'empereur Taizu et la réunification militaire 7 L'empereur Taizong et la réunification culturelle 8 Soutien impérial au bouddhisme et au taoïsme 10 L'utilisation de l'héritage culturel et religieux afin d'harmoniser la société 12 Taiping yulan et Taiping guangji 14 Les deux leishu de Taizong 14 Petit historique de la compilation du Taiping yulan et du Taiping guangji 18 Un même projet, des intentions différentes 20 Les compilateurs du Taiping guangji 22 La question de l'auteur 22 Les compilateurs 23 Xu Xuan et Wu Shu 28 La spécificité du Taiping guangji 32 Le titre : « Taiping guangji » 32 Les caractéristiques communes aux textes composant le Taiping guangji 33 Différences entre les textes du Taiping guangji et ceux du Taiping yulan 42 Les sources 46 La diffusion du Taiping guangji et son statut sous les Song du Nord 48 La diffusion du Taiping guangji sous les Song 48 Le statut du Taiping guangji 51 L'ambition du Taiping guangji 57 Deux réponses opposées : John Haeger et Russel Kirkland 57 La sauvegarde d'un certain savoir 59 Une volonté politique d'harmonisation : la reconnaissance des croyances 60 III.Les catégories du Taiping guangji Quelques aspects structurels du Taiping guangji 63 Comment lire le Taiping guangji ? 63 La table des matières 64 Le découpage en juan 66 Les catégories du Taiping guangji sont-elles exclusives ? 67 Présentation des catégories du Taiping guangji 72 Liste des catégories et sujets 72 Quelques commentaires sur le tableau 90 La hiérarchie des catégories 92 La taille et l'ordre des catégories 92 Ciel, Société humaine et Terre dans le Taiping guangji 95 Ciel, Société humaine et Terre dans les recueils de menus propos antérieurs 99 Ciel, Terre et Société humaine dans le Taiping yulan 101 Doctrines et croyances dans le Taiping guangji 103 Catégories en lien avec certaines doctrines et croyances 103 La cohabitation harmonieuse de ces doctrines et croyances 105 IV. Conclusion L'originalité du Taiping guangji 109 L'organisation de la matière 110 Les buts du Taiping guangji 111 V. Bibliographie Sources en chinois 113 Études en chinois 114 Études en langues occidentales 116 I. Introduction Le Taiping guangji en quelques mots : pourquoi l'étudier ? Commandé par l'empereur Taizong 1 en 977, et achevé un an et demi plus tard, le Taiping guangji est un leishu2 contenant un très grand nombre de textes narratifs aux sujets surnaturels, classés en différentes catégories. Bien qu'il ne fût ni le premier leishu, ni le premier recueil de textes narratifs ayant pour thème les phénomènes étranges, il est le plus ancien exemple subsistant en Chine d'un ouvrage compilé sur demande impériale rassemblant ces deux aspects. Ce statut particulier lui permit d'exercer une forte influence sur tout un pan de la littérature à partir du Xe siècle. Sa valeur littéraire est d'ailleurs elle-même inestimable, car il permit à de nombreux zhiguai et chuanqi 3 antérieurs aux Song d'être préservés alors que les sources originales furent perdues. Dans l'entrée du Dictionnaire de littérature chinoise consacrée au Taiping guangji, l'ouvrage est qualifié par Jacques Dars de « filon le plus colossal, en matière de récits variés, de la littérature chinoise ancienne ».4 Bien que d'apparence flatteuse, cette affirmation est en fait réductrice. Le Taiping guangji a en effet été longtemps cantonné au rôle d'intermédiaire nous permettant d'accéder à des textes plus anciens. Il ne s'agit cependant pas d'une simple anthologie de récits divertissants, mais bel et bien de l'un des deux leishu impériaux – l'autre étant le Taiping yulan – commandés par le second empereur des Song dans le cadre d'un vaste projet de consolidation du pouvoir, et compilés par quelques-uns des meilleurs lettrés de l'époque. Il est donc intéressant d'étudier le Taiping guangji comme un ensemble indépendant et cohérent, et non pas seulement pour les textes qu'il renferme. 1 Taizong fut le deuxième empereur de la dynastie Song (960-1279), il régna de 976 à 997. 2 Leishu littéralement : « ouvrage dont le contenu est classé par catégorie ». Nous reviendrons sur ce terme plus bas, voir pp. 4-6. 3 Le Taiping guangji est en effet presque exclusivement constitué de zhiguai et de chuanqi, deux formes littéraires en langue classique qui avaient pour sujet les « étrangetés » de toutes sortes. Les zhiguai , littéralement « rapports sur le bizarre », étaient de brefs textes particulièrement en vogue lors de la période des Six Dynasties (220-589). Les chuanqi , littéralement « transmettre l'extraordinaire », apparurent quant à eux lors de la dynastie Tang (618-907). 4 Jacques Dars, « Taiping guangji », in André Lévy (ss. la direction de), Dictionnaire de littérature chinoise. Paris : PUF, 2000, p. 291. - 1 - S'intéresser à cet ouvrage et ses spécificités nous aide à mieux comprendre la période du début de la dynastie Song, une époque particulièrement intéressante sur le plan culturel grâce à la généralisation du système de recrutement des fonctionnaires par examens, au début de l'utilisation à large échelle de l'imprimerie, et au développement d'une nouvelle forme de littérature populaire en milieu urbain.5 Or, le destin du Taiping guangji est justement lié à ces multiples aspects. L'examiner en détail permet donc d'appréhender cette période avec un regard nouveau, notamment en nous proposant une certaine vision du monde, organisé par catégories. Il est possible d'aborder son étude en se penchant par exemple sur les circonstances de sa compilation, son organisation interne, ses éditions successives ou encore sa diffusion. Les premières recherches exclusivement dédiées au Taiping guangji datent de la fin du XXe siècle, et ce n'est que très récemment que des chercheurs ont commencé à s'intéresser au contexte culturel entourant sa création. Par conséquent, plusieurs questions fondamentales, telles que les raisons de sa compilation, n'ont à ce jour pas encore reçu de réponses réellement convaincantes. Buts du travail Pourquoi l'empereur Taizong ordonna-t-il, au début de son règne, la compilation d'un leishu constitué de textes traditionnellement considérés comme d'une importance moindre par les lettrés des époques précédentes ? En quoi est-ce que les catégories du Taiping guangji et l'organisation de sa matière reflètent une certaine vision du monde, et laquelle ? C'est à partir de ces deux interrogations que nous avons choisi d'élaborer notre travail. Pour y répondre, un certain cheminement nous paraît nécessaire. Il faudra, dans un premier temps, définir brièvement le contexte historique et culturel dans lequel la compilation du Taiping guangji fut ordonnée, et donc s'attarder tout particulièrement sur la figure de l'empereur Taizong. Le décor une fois mis en place, nous pourrons alors nous pencher sur les différents aspects de sa création : Qui sont les auteurs ? Comment cet ouvrage s'intègre-t-il dans le grand projet culturel et politique initié par Taizong ? Quelles sont ses sources ? Si l'on souhaite comprendre les raisons de sa compilation, il nous faudra 5 Jacques Gernet estime en effet que l'accroissement des distractions dans les villes lors de la dynastie Song fut à l'origine de l'apparition de la littérature populaire en Chine ancienne. Voir Jacques Gernet, Le monde chinois. Paris : Armand Colin, 2005, pp. 291-292. - 2 - également examiner de près l'utilisation qui en fut faite une fois achevé, et, par conséquent, sa diffusion sous les Song. L'organisation d'un leishu faisant toujours l'objet d'un soin particulier, une étude attentive de ses catégories devrait donc nous renseigner sur les intentions de ses auteurs. Une partie du travail sera donc consacrée à la présentation et à la description des 116 catégories et 127 sous-catégories composant le Taiping guangji. Cela nous permettra de dégager un ordre général, de définir l'importance des différents sujets traités, ainsi que de révéler les similitudes et différences avec d'autres recueils ou leishu, antérieurs ou contemporains.
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