试论母题在数量上的有限和无限

A Discussion on the Finity and Infinity of Motifs in Number

母题是文学研究中的一个重要概念,但同时也存在着对这一概念的误用和滥用。对概念误解和模糊界定的结果致使母题数量惊人膨胀,这不仅让人无法分辨那些新发现母题的真假,也让母题本身的概念日益泛化模糊,甚至挑战了学者们对母题的一些基本理论界定。这种理论上和实践操作上的矛盾正是源于对母题数量的有限和无限无法确定,只有对这个问题的确定才能矫正当下研究的偏颇。从各种权威与经典的母题定义和界定入手,综合研究的结果表明母题在数量上既是有限的也是无限的,即在特定的时空中它的数量是有限的,在永恒的时空内它又是无限的。

＂Motif＂ is an important concept in the study of literature, but there are also some misuses and abuse about the concept. The misunderstanding and obscure definition of the concept results in surprising expansion of the number of motif. This makes people unable to distinguish which is true or false among those motifs newly discovered. The concept of motif itself becomes blurred, which even challenges the basic theoretical definition given by some scholars. The contradiction between theory and practice is rooted in that no one can define whether the number of motif is finite or infinite. Only the problem solved, can the current study be back on track. The comprehensive study of various classic and authoritative definition of motif shows that the motif is finite and infinite in number. In other word, it is finite in the specific space and time, but it is also infinite in the eternal time and space.