中西神话构形特征与叙事传统

The Configurational Charateristics and Narrative Tradition of Chinese and Western Myths

《山海经》与《神谱》在叙事话语和内容组织上,分别呈现出强化空间性和时间性的明显差别,这一差别也体现在中国与希腊上古其它神话传说和史诗文本之中。总体上看,中国神话叙事话语和内容组织偏重于空间形态,西方神话叙事话语和内容组织偏重于时间形态。两个民族神话叙事形态中积淀着不同的时空优势构形心理,这种构形心理深刻地影响了各自后世文学、尤其是叙事文学构形传统。西方叙事文学经历了一个漫长的以时间为主、以时统空的形态转化为以空统时的形态,而中国叙事文学则经历了一个从以空间为主、以空统时的形态转化为以时间为主、以时统空的形态的发展过程。但即使在以时统空阶段,中国文学叙事中,空间要素依然具有重要的结构性作用。

In terms of narrative discourse and content organization, there exist striking differences between Shan Hai Ching and the Theogony. The former lays particular emphasis on space, while the latter on time. This difference can also be found in other myths and epics in ancient China and Greece. The space-based Chinese mythology and the timespaced Western mythology reflect the respective psychological mapping of the two cultures. The difference, in turn, has a great impact on the two narrative traditions. Western culture and literature, especially narrative literature, experiences the transformation from the timedominant narrative to the space-dominant narrative, while Chinese culture and literature undergoes an opposite change from the space-dominant narrative to the time-dominant narrative, although space still remains important in its narrative configuration.