Abstract: The paper proposes a pragmatic approach to Shelley's controversial treatise, “A Defence of Poetry”, which was a fragment published after the poet's untimely death. As an instance of the historical genre, apologia poetica, initiated by none other than Aristotle contra his mentor Plato, Shelley's text was targeted at Thomas Love Peacock's abuse of poetry in the latter's “The Four Ages of Poetry”, published anonymously. Through textual criticism and close reading, the paper restores the discursive and epistolary contexts of the writers' exchange encoded in Shelley's famous ars poetica.

Key words: Shelley, Peacock, apologia poetica, pragmatics, literary periodization

摘要： 要探讨“诗辩”这种特殊文类,论者或可把它纳入更广大的“语用”范畴,进而检视语言一般的结构和规则。根据语用学的观点,“诗艺”与“诗辩”为一体之两面,诗艺的立论基于诗辩的破论;诗辩凸显对话结构中互为主体的话语践行,而诗艺则关注发言者的命题内涵。雪莱的《诗辩》回应友人皮科克匿名出版的诗贬论文“诗的四个时代”。诗人不自觉地透过“诗辩”文体——这种推动文学史的对话式渠道,反驳了皮科克由反演化论及循环论两种宏大叙述所结合的文学史。本文借皮科克作品的导读,以还原雪莱作品的论辩机制和语境。

关键词: 雪莱, 皮科克, 《诗辩》, 语用学, 文学史断代