《瑞普.凡.温克尔》和中国古代神话主题之比较

A Comparative Study of the Themes between“Rip van Winkle” and Ancient Chinese Fables

Abstract

Washington Irving（1783-1859）is the first American author who achieved international reputation. He is named as the father of American literary. “Rip van Winkle” is one of the most famous short stories of Washington Irving. Like many ancient Chinese fables it is also a tale about “meeting fairies in the mountain”. Although they have similar plots, the themes are of great difference. The attitude towards life of Irving and Rip is positive. They care about politics and accept reformations. The marriage of Rip is also on the basis of reality. On the contrary, people in ancient Chinese fables hold a negative attitude towards life and politics. They are more conservative. And the love between human and fairies symbolizes the dream of perfect world. Those differences of themes are caused by different times and the differences of the thoughts between Puritanism and Taoism. Thus, we found the cultural discrepancies between America and China in similar literary works.

Key Words: “Rip van Winkle”; ancient Chinese fables; theme; Human; fairy

摘  要

华盛顿•欧文是第1位赢得国际声望的美国作家，被称为“美国文学之父”。《瑞普•凡•温克尔》是华盛顿•欧文最有名的短篇小说之1，与许多古代的中国神话故事1样，它讲述的也是1个关于“入山遇仙”的故事传说。在故事情节上，虽然2者有着很多相通之处，但他们的主题又有着明显的差异。欧文与瑞普的生活态度是积极的，他们关注政治，乐于改变。瑞普的婚姻也是以现实为基础的。而古代中国神话中的主人公却截然不同。他们对生活与政治持否定态度，更加保守。故事中人类与仙人的爱情象征了他们对完美世界的追求。这些主题上的差异是由时代的不同及清教与道教思想的不同造成的。于是，在中美相似的文学作品中我们看见了2者间存在的文化差异。

关键词：《瑞普•凡•温克尔》、古代中国神话、主题、人类、仙人

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（科教作文网 zw.nseac.com整理）