西方文学样式研究的传统与走向

Traditions and Trends in Western Literary Genre Studies

自亚里士多德两千多年前提出文学样式说以来,西方文学样式研究得到长足的发展。新古典主义、浪漫主义、俄国形式主义、结构主义、后现代派和解构主义、社会学、女权主义等等,从不同的理论和意识形态视角观照洞察,所获丰厚。不过,没有任何一种视角可以独揽文学世界的群峰叠岭,垄断对样式的本体、认知和技巧诸方面的阐释。经过后现代派、解构主义等革命之后的一个基本共识是样式不是超然物外的艺术纯粹,不是苍白僵冷、泾渭分明的标签,而是具体历史、文化和意识形态的产物或构建,是繁复交错、鲜活亢奋的流动。

The topic of literary genres seems innocuous and straight-forward enough. However, recent scholars have challenged the traditional hierarchical and taxonomic approaches to genre study and dismissed them as problematic both philosophically and pragmatically. This article attempts to review major perspectives in genre study from classical to contemporary as well as some of the most important issues scholars in genre study have been grabbling with ： genre definitions in terms of textual properties and family resemblances; genre as fixed labels and fluid, ever changing processes; genre as ideal types and as cultural, historical specifics; genre as literary artifacts and as embodiments of ideological assumptions （ and tools for social control and subversion） ; genre in terms of the dynamics between producers （of texts） and consumers （readers and interlareters）.