西方文学中面具理论的产生及发展管窥

Origins and Development of the “Persona” Theory in Western Literature: A Brief Review

"面具"源自古代希腊神话及中世纪狂欢文化。古代和中世纪的表演仪式实际上就是"面具"的派生物。而文学中的"面具",形成于16世纪的假面喜剧和假面舞会,在18—19世纪的浪漫主义怪诞艺术中得到进一步发展,在20世纪以来的现当代文学中发生了"人格面具化"与"面具去人格化"的裂变,特别是在后现代主义文学中被极大地繁化了起来;而由此生发的"作者面具"成为后现代主义文学中最合法而不可或缺的叙事策略之一。伴随着面具在功能上从道具到社会角色的不断演变,文学面具经历了人类从"原型"到"变形"、从"面目缺失"到回归"真我"或"本我"等意义上的认知历程,从怪诞、讽刺、暗示、隐喻到叙事策略等艺术上的审美进化,至今已然成为文学家和文艺批评家都极为关注的重要概念之一。

Masks can be traced back to ancient Greek mythology and medieval carnival culture.In effect,masks are derived from the ancient and medieval performances.The literary"persona"from originated from masque comedies and masquerades in the 16 th century,evolved in the romantic grotesque between the 18 th and 19 th centuries.Since the 20 th century,a fission between"persona-fication of personality"and"impersonification of persona"has occurred in modern literature,and it has blossomed extensively in Postmodernism literature.The author’s mask,arising from the literary persona,has become one of the most legitimate and indispensable narrative strategies in Postmodernism literature.As the functions of the mask/persona are ever-changing from props to the present social role,the literary persona has experienced the mankind’s cognitive processes from"archetype"to"metamorphosis"and from"the missing of one’s true personality"to"the return to one’s id or true self".Moreover,it has completed its aesthetic evolution from grotesque,irony,allusion,and metaphors to narrative strategies,etc.The literary persona,as a significant concept,has drawn earnest attention from writers and art critics alike.