钦努阿·阿契贝长篇小说中的口述性论析

An Analysis of Orature in Chinua Achebe's Novels

"口述性"是由非洲本土学者提出的一个文学术语,用以描述当代非洲文学中突出的哲思表征和叙事特色。非洲现代文学之父钦努阿·阿契贝是其具代表性的倡导者和实践者。在非洲文化传统中,对声音的亲近和推崇与群体性的自我意识密切相关。阿契贝借助口述性将这种本土的经验与哲思在文学写作中进行了传达。本文以他的长篇小说为对象,借助民俗学表演理论,考察了口述性在文本中的叙事形态和功能,包括口述性表演框架所带入的群体性和新生性特征。口述性所携带的强大的本土文化基因和顺应全球化背景下文化交流需求的建构力,构成了阿契贝重新缔造非洲大陆文学文化传统的思想基础和灵感之源。

＂Orature＂ is a literary term coined and used by African scholars to describe modem African literature. Chinua Achebe, father of modem African literature, was a leading advocate and practitioner of orature. In traditional African culture, an intimate respect for sound was closely connected with collective consciousness; Achebe transmits such cultural practices in his writings through orature. In light of performance theory of folklore, the present paper studies Achebe＇s novels to investigate the narrative form and functions of orature, including its collectiveness and uniqueness due to its oral performance frame. The strong cultural influence of orature, coupled with its constructive power for cultural exchange in globalization, intellectually underpinned and spiritually inspired Achebe＇s efforts to reconstruct a literary as well as cultural African tradition.