西方文论关键词:语象叙事

Ekphrasis:A Keyword in Critical Theory

语象叙事被视为艺术表现的一种方式、体裁、隐喻,或文艺理论中一个重要的概念与阐释工具。该词在西方有着源远流长的历史,其含义也在近两千年的发展中不断演变,至今仍未有定论。原因之一是它具有跨艺术、跨媒介和跨学科研究的特征,然其最核心的问题乃是词语与意象的关系。今天学界对该词使用值得反思的几个问题是:这一术语该如何界定?其理论边界有多大?文学研究中的语象叙事与绘画艺术等所使用的该词是否应有区别?语图之间是什么关系?等等。本文拟从上述几个方面对西方语象叙事的历史与现状、定义与问题做一梳理。

Ekphrasis has been widely used as an expressive mode, a literary genre, a metaphorical notion, or an important concept and analytical tool in literary and art the- ories. The use of the word ＂ekphrasis＂ can be traced back to about 2000 years ago and its definition has undergone many changes in history. Unfortunately, there is still no con- sensus upon what ekphrasis means. One reason is that it is inter-art, inter-media, and in- ter-disciplinary. The most fundamental question, however, is the relationship between word and image. Questions often posed to the term include： what is its definition and theoretical boundary？ Is there a difference between the term when it is used in literature and that used in visual arts？ What exactly is the relationship between word and image？ This article will focus on these questions and try to give a brief introduction to the past and present, definition, and questions of ekphrasis.