自传中的转折点叙述

The Conversion Narrative in Autobiography

转折点叙述在西方自传中非常普遍,最初见于以奥古斯丁为代表的宗教自传,在其后自传世俗化的过程中经历了发展和变化,形成了一些基本模式,在不同文化传统下,又各具特征。它是自传家确认身份、揭示主题和结构情节的重要手段,但在现代自传中这种功能在弱化。转折点叙述是一种自我发现还是一种自我建构?人们对此做出了不同的回答。在以司马迁为代表的中国古代自传以及深受西方影响的中国现代自传中,也可以发现转折点,不过其叙述形态与西方自传有所差异。

Conversion(turning point)narratives,very common in the West,appeared first in Augustine's Confessions which represents Western religious autobiography.With the secularization of the autobiography,conversion narrative has developed and changed,giving birth to some basic patterns.The specific characters of the genre vary with its own cultural tradition.Through conversion narrative,the autobiographers may define their identities,reveal the theme and devise the plot of their writings;however,these functions are weakened gradually in the modern autobiographies.Is conversion narrative a self-discovery or selfconstruction?We may find different answers.With different narrative forms,conversion narrative also appeared in Chinese ancient autobiographies represented by Sima Qian and in Chinese modern autobiographies which are affected deeply by the Western forai.