追寻:中外文学的叙事母题

追寻是人类文明发展的永恒动力,更是一个终极性的文化命题。人类追寻精神通过艺术审美途径被转译为中外文学中一个基本的母题模式。“流浪汉小说”是其最浅易、最显明的母题表述图式。大多数流浪汉小说的文本都呈现出两重结构:一是直接对应现实生存的表层结构,一是隐含人生哲理和诗意概括、寄寓着追寻母题的深层结构。(精神)家园叙事是追寻母题的形而上层面或哲学意味上的表达形态,具体表现为:其一是对个体存在的认同性焦虑进行自我确证的过程性追寻,现代人的根本性焦虑是无家可归感,文学中的追寻可以将个体性的价值选择、精神追求与特定的精神价值体系和文化观念体系相联系,并在其中被确认而得到心灵的慰籍。其二是持有既定的人生取向和明确的精神目标、旨在重建或心造一个理想“家园”的追寻,这种追寻中的“家园”被赋予了诸多形而上的意味,且与“诗意地栖居”等话语概念相关联,描述了人类带着乡愁寻找精神家园的漫长旅程。

Questing: a meta-topic of literature

Questing is not only an eternal drive in the development of human civilization, but also an ultimate cultural topic. The spirit of questing transfers into a basic model in literature by artistic aesthetics, in which the novels about vagrants are the most simple and most obvious expression of the topic. Most of the novels about vagrants show a two-level structure: a surface structure that directly connects the reality; and a deep structure with hidden life philosophy, poetic summary and the spirit of questing. The narrative of a spiritual homeland is the metaphysical or philosophical expression of this questing topic. It is generally reflected in two aspects: one is the advancing pursuit of self-validation of the identical anxiety in individuals, as a fundamental anxiety in modern individuals is the sense of homelessness. Literary questing can tie individual value choice with a spiritual pursue and a spiritual system that in themselves are confirmed and get the comfort of soul. The other is the trace of rebuilding or building an ideal homeland with a preset life orientation and an unequivocal spiritual target. This homeland in the course of questing is endowed with metaphysics, and is linked to a “Poetical Dwelling.” It has described the long journey of man looking for a spiritual homeland with strong homesickness.