白蛇传:民间传说的三教演绎

Bai She Zhuan: Transformation of Folklore Based on Three Religions

西湖白蛇原是明代民间传言,源自古代中国一种普遍的迷信,即蛇能幻化为人作祟于人,后经道、佛、儒三教演绎,成为以拯救、超度为主题的宗教伦理劝世文学。今人推陈出新,赋以其自由恋爱、婚姻自主的反封建主题,则是现代观念的演绎,与古代民间白蛇传说大异其趣。现代艺术演绎不一定忠实古代民间传说原型,但两者之间有明显的不同,不应该混为一谈,否则就是一种观念上的误导。而这种以今律古、以今释古的误导,在古代民间传说的现代演绎与古典文学的现代阐释中,比比皆是,导致现代中国人对传统文化极大的误解。

West Lake Bai She(White Snake),folklore of the Ming Dynasty originating from a general ancient Chinese superstition that a snake can turn into human haunting human beings,is later transformed into a religious ethics morality of salvation and expiation by Taoism,Buddhism and Confucianism.It is a transformation based on modern ideas to endow to it anti-feudalist themes of freedom in love and marriage,which is quite different from the ancient folklore.Modern artistic transformation is not necessarily true to its ancient folklore prototype;there is,however,remarkable difference between the two which is not to be confused or which is a misleading in concept.Nevertheless,this kind of misleading exits everywhere in the modern transformation of ancient folklores and modern interpretation of ancient literature which leads to serious misunderstanding of traditional culture by modern Chinese.