东西方早期弃逐故事的基本形态及其文化内蕴——以“抛弃—救助—回归”之弃逐母题为中心

Primary Categories and Cultural Implications of Early Oriental and Occidental Deserting Stories——Focusing on the Desertion-Rescue-Reunion Motif

弃逐神话广泛存在于东西方早期历史中,如果去除其中繁复多变的枝节,提取其不变的主干,按弃子之缘起、抛弃之地点、救助之过程、最终之结果加以展示,可以认为:施动者、受动者、救助者构成弃子故事的三大基本要素和重要支撑,抛弃——救助——回归是其所呈现的连续性很强的三个阶段,在其浓郁的神谕性质、怪诞特征和宿命色彩背后,深隐着某种历史的必然性。如果说,神话的本质在于对人类生存结构的模拟,那么,东西方弃逐神话的核心便在于反映了人与人、人与社会、人与命运的对立;如果说,弃子故事的核心是关于人类命运的特殊展演,那么,作为故事的中心人物,弃子从始被抛弃,到他者救助和自救,再到最后的回归或对回归的渴盼,便形成了一条主线和母题。由此一主线和母题构成的编码信息,不仅在不同民族、不同地域的同类作品中反复出现,而且也在后世无数流放、贬谪作品中反复出现,从而极大地强化了它的集中度和深刻度,赋予它以超越时空的穿透力和感染力。

Both Oriental and Occidental early histories contained numerous deserting myths.In terms of final results,three primary factors,that is,the agent,the recipient and the rescuer,can be thought to be the major support of such mythical stories.As a rule,such a story covered three closely continual stages,namely,deserting,rescue and reunion,whose exuberant character of God＇s command,queer features and predestined style deeply hid a kind of historical necessity.Since the nature of mythology offers simply an imitation of structure of human survival,the focal point of Oriental and Occidental deserting myths was to show the opposition between men and men,men and society,and men and destiny.Furthermore,since the aim of deserting stories was to specially show something about human destiny,then the deserted child,the main character of such stories,presented a main line and motif with his story starting by being deserted,continuing by being rescued or rescuing by himself and ending by reunion or expectation for reunion.The information codified on this main line and motif recurred in the counterparts of different people in different parts of the world and echoed in stories of exile and banishment in later times,strengthening concentration and depth of the motif and giving it excessive power of penetration and impression.