临界性的多重隐喻:拜厄特对西方龙蛇传统形象的改写

Multiple Metaphors of Liminal Animals: A. S. Byatt’s Refiguration of the Dragon and Serpent in the Western Culture

人类自远古时代起就有了龙蛇崇拜。在原始文化中,龙蛇都是介于自然生物和神灵之间的临界性动物,多被视为雌雄同体,形态多变,具有多重含混的文化内涵。基督教文化将两者定格为邪恶的化身,抹杀了龙蛇的临界属性,致使它们在西方传统文化中长期背负罪恶的文化形象。英国当代小说家拜厄特在创作中将龙蛇作为重要的文学意象,充分展现前基督教文化中龙蛇身体和文化属性的临界特质,并将龙蛇与生命、艺术的复杂本质互为关联,隐喻临界性的文学叙事空间、智性身体、生死循环以及艺术想象力。通过多重隐喻,拜厄特改写了西方龙蛇传统形象,使之从总体上体现了后现代语境下去中心、跨边界的社会文化意识。

In the pre-historic dragon/snake-worshiping culture,the dragon and snake are regarded as liminal animals,existing in both natural and supernatural environments,possessing androgynous and transformative bodies and are used as totems with ambivalent significations.The rise of Christian culture eliminated the liminality of the dragon and snake,derogating them as evil monsters,which led to their evil cultural images.The British contemporary female writer A.S.Byatt has put images of the dragon and snake frequently in her works and subverted their negative cultural meaning by referring back to their paradoxical signification in the pre-Christian period.By relating the liminality of both animals to the complexity of life and art,she compared the dragon and snake as liminal literary narrative space,mental body,on-going life circle as well as artistic imagination,thus refigurated the cultural image of the two animals,echoing in general the postmodern cultural consciousness highlighting cross-border multiplicity and pluralism.