征服、赞美与贬损:《一千零一夜》中的基督徒形象探析

Conquered,Praised and Belittled:An Exploration of Christian Images in Arabian Nights

《一千零一夜》中的基督徒形象可分为三种:被征服的弱者、被赞美的使者和被贬损的恶徒。他们互相指涉、杂糅包容,是阿拉伯人投射自身欲望的想象物。复杂的他者形象表明形塑者与他者并非简单的二元对立关系,而是形塑者基于自身的历史语境创造性建构的产物。在阿拉伯社会的他者想象中,既有对基督教文明的某种现实认识,也有对两者关系的焦虑与期待,不仅包含了伊斯兰阿拉伯文明与基督教文明的冲突、抗争与融合,更是形塑者用以确立自身文明属性和民族身份的镜子。

The Christians portrayed in Arabian Nights can be divided into three kinds:the conquered weak,the praised messengers and the derogatory villains.They refer to each other,are mixed and inclusive,and are imaginary objects for the Arabs to project their own desires.The complex image of the Other shows that the relationship between the shaper and the Other is not a simple dichotomy,but a product of the creative construction of the shaper based on the historical context in which he is placed.The imagination of the Other in Arab society includes a certain awareness of Christian civilization,as well as anxiety and expectation about the relationship between the two,and contains the conflict,struggle and integration between Islamic-Arab civilization and Christian civilization.