世界文学观念的嬗变及其在中国的意义

Transmutation of the Concept of World Literature and Its Significance in China

歌德的世界文学观念有三层含义:世界主义理想;文学跨国流通的现实描述;民族文学在世界文学中扮演的角色。早期学者从不同侧面丰富和发展了歌德的世界文学观念,提出了世界文学的多元起源说、世界文学本质的人性—人类性反映说或民族文学精华说、弱势民族文学在世界文学中地位不平等说;认为世界文学研究有助于建立文学的全球观,且可依靠研究译本来实现。全球化时代的世界文学理论受到沃勒斯坦世界体系理论的深刻影响,致力于探索近代世界文学体系形成和发展的过程,研究世界文学体系内部中心与边缘的不平等关系,研究东方主义在这种中心—边缘关系的建构中发挥的重要作用。中国文学处于世界文学体系的边缘,世界文学话语是一把双刃剑,使用它,会削弱还是加强中国文学在全球文学中的地位,仍有待进一步探讨。

Goethe＇s world literature consists of three levels： ideal of world literature, de- scriptive reality of transnational communication of literature, and the role played by ethnic literature in world literature. Earlier scholars enriched Goethe＇s world literature by raising different theories such as multi-origins of world literature, representation of human nature or ethnic literary masterpieces as the essence of world literature, inequality of the literatures of marginalized nations in world literature, and the establishment of global concept of liter- ature with the help of world literature in general, and the study of translated literature in particular. Deeply influenced by Wallerstein＇s world system, the theory of world literature in a globalized age strives to study the formation and development of world literature sys- tem in modem time, the inequality of the relationship between the center and margins in- side world literature, and the application of Orientalism in the construction of the center- margin relationship. Chinese literature is on the margin of world literature, which is a double-edged sword with the potential to raise or lower the position of Chinese literature in world literature.