常熟师娘宝卷叙事的身份建构

The Construction of Identity in the Changshu Shiniang Precious Scroll Narrative

江苏常熟民间地区流传至少二十八种与当地巫性人士“师娘”紧密相关的“师娘宝卷”。师娘为了改善其巫性身份在大众眼中的负面观感,通过“显性身份建构”或“隐性身份建构”的方式将正面形象寄于宝卷内容中。其中,“助人”又是师娘宝卷最常见的故事母题。这充分显示师娘撰造此类宝卷的核心目的是消泯世人对其巫性身份的负面印象,强调其济世救人特质。同时,这些现象也间接说明民间宝卷除了发挥教化作用之外,还有其他更为实际的社会功能。

There are at least 28 kinds of"Precious Scrolls"related to witches known as"shiniang"circulating in the folk area of Changshu,Jiangsu Province.In order to to reduce the many negative images of witches in popular imagination,the typical shiniang used to employ either"explicit identity construction"or"implicit identity construction"to the effect that positive images of her witchcraft would be duly established across the scroll pages.It is little wonder that it came to pass that"helping out"emerged as a core motif which fully showed that the ultimate purpose of the shiniang figure creation in the said precious scrolls is to eliminate the stereotype of her witch identity and emphasize her identity and characteristics of saving people.This observation also indirectly shows these precious scrolls in the folk tradition,in addition to serving as a medium of moral-virtue cultivation,has uniquely their own social functions to play.