从观念到叙事:古代小说中的“灶下灵异”考论

From Conception to Narration:Exploring the “Kitchen-Stove Ghosts”in Ancient Chinese Fiction

古代小说作品中多有关于"灶下灵异"的记载。一方面,这些叙述受到了自古以来灶神(鬼)崇拜与禁忌观念的深刻影响,折射出文化观念的演变轨迹;另一方面,汉魏以来有关故事内容不断被扩展与丰富,出现了灶鬼作祟、灶器夜谈、灶下通灵等各具特色的题材类型。通过对小说文本的分析,可见出"灶下灵异"叙述在流传中情节模式与美学风格方面的细致变化。

Many traditional Chinese novels contain records of the ＂kitchen-stove ghosts＂. Such narrative records, having been deeply influenced by the kitchen-god/ghost worship and its taboos from ancient times on, reflect the evolution of cultural concepts in China. Meanwhile, the stories under such topics have been expanded and enriched since the 3rd century, so that many new subject matters are added to the original motifs, such as the stove-ghost that haunts the kitchen, the kitchen-ware talk at midnight, and the spirit-channeling under the cooking stove. Textual analyses of such novels show the subtle changes of the ＂kitchen-stove ghosts＂ narration in plot pattern and aesthetic style during the process of their circulation.