文化的盛宴——论《檀香刑》的文化意蕴

A Cultural Feast:On the Cultural Implications of Sandalwood Death

《檀香刑》是一部文化意蕴异常丰厚的长篇小说,但自出版以来,却存在着严重的狭隘阅读的现象。人们无论是赞美它,还是批评它,基本上都拘囿于莫言对酷刑文化的神奇想象与醒目描写上,而忽视了小说对其他文化内涵的挖掘与展现。其实,除了酷刑文化之外,暴政文化、侠义文化、民间戏曲文化、面子文化、饮食文化、性文化、孝文化、广场文化、看客文化、小说文化以及中西方文化的碰撞,都在小说中有深刻而独到的表现。它不啻为一场令人目不暇接的文化展览、演出、碰撞、交流、联姻、融合的饕餮盛宴。

As a novel with rich and profound cultural implications, though,Sandalwood Death has all a- long been read and interpreted one - sidedly with a fearfully narrow vision. That is, no matter whether the reader praises or criticizes it, he only confines himself basically to Mo Yan＇s magic imagination and eye - catching description of torture cuhure, but ignores the unearthing and revealing of other cultural connota- tions of the novel. Apart from torture culture, culture of tyranny, of chivalry, of folk operas, of face, of bite and sup, of sex, of filial piety, of square, of spectators, and of the novel, and the collision between Chinese and Western cultures, are presented profoundly and uniquely as a matter of fact. The novel is therefore nothing short of a gluttonous feast of a bewildering exhibition, performance, collision, communi- cation, integration and amalgamation.