“双重认知轨道”:认知文化研究面临的挑战和机遇

“Double Cognitive Trajectories”:Challenge to and Opportunity for Cognitive Cultural Studies

自20世纪90年代认知转向以来,文学中的认知成为热门话题,但迄今为止,尚未有人关注这样一种认知文化现象:在某种文化环境中,信息发出者有意提供两条认知轨道:第一条能达到正确理解,第二条则通向错误理解。信息发出者迫于文化力量的压力,诱导受众沿着第二条轨道走,在错误理解的掩护下,使不被文化语境所容的理论概念或文学作品能够面世和生存。就理论概念而言,布思提出的“隐含作者”为研究这种认知现象提供了典型例证。在排斥作者的学术氛围中,布思通过“首因效应”、隐喻与字面意义的并置、重解码轻编码等手段对“隐含作者”进行认知伪装。学者们普遍沿着布思铺设的错误认知轨道前行,在推理和关联过程中,屏蔽了通向正确理解的相关信息。在文学创作中,也有一些作者迫于文化语境的压力,有意提供两种认知可能性,在情节发展层面进行认知伪装,对读者加以认知误导。这种复杂的认知现象既对现有认知研究模式构成了挑战,又为认知文化研究的发展提供了新的空间。

Since the cognitive turn in the 1990s,cognition in literature has attracted a lot of attention,and in recent years,cognitive cultural studies has formed an emerging area of inquiry.But no matter moving in what direction,cognitive investigations have so far neglected such a phenomenon:in proposing a theoretical concept or creating a literary work,the theorist or author,under cultural pressure,purposefully set up“double cognitive trajectories”for the addressee,with one trajectory leading to correct interpretation,and the other to misinterpretation.The latter functions to camouflage the concept or the literary work,enabling it to be accepted in that cultural context.The putting forward and subsequent reception of Booth's“implied author”well exemplify this cognitive phenomenon,which presents a serious challenge to existing cognitive models,models that need to be extended and transformed to cover the double cognitive trajectories in question.In terms of literary interpretation,the double cognitive tracks laid by some authors under cultural pressure complicate readers' cognitive processes,which provides a good opportunity for extending cognitive cultural investigation.