Many folk tales that have been passed down through the ages have accompanied us through our ignorant childhood. When people were exposed to it, they not only experienced the various joys and sorrows in the world for the first time, but also established the basic criteria for measuring right and wrong, good and evil. Just as Calvino lamented, "Folktales provide footnotes to life in people's slowly maturing simple consciousness through repeated verification of the ups and downs of the world" ("Italian Fairy Tales Preface"). Although all of this is just a taste of it, when I think about it again as an adult, I will still feel that these fragments of childhood memories are very precious.
However, it goes without saying that even the most widely circulated and highly accepted folk tales, such as the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, Meng Jiangnu, The Legend of the White Snake, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, etc., only reflect people's behavior and behavior in different eras and specific environments. Thoughts and concepts have changed with the passage of time, and many of them may not be in line with human common sense, and may even deviate from the value system and evaluation standards adhered to by modern civilization.
For example, some time ago, a classroom recording of primary school students questioning the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl went viral on social media. What the children cannot accept is that the two people were able to form a good relationship, which initially started with a series of behaviors such as the Cowherd peeping in the bath and stealing clothes. Adults are stuck in the inertia of thinking that has gradually become solidified. They may not pay attention to this habit, or they may be stubborn. However, if we put aside our preconceptions and look a little deeper, it is not difficult to see the crux of the problem and realize that the Weaver Girl in the story is always trapped in the embarrassing situation of the "male gaze". This also reminds us that it is not only possible but also extremely necessary for people today to re-examine these familiar works based on the standards of modern civilization.
The ultimate goal of re-examination is, of course, not to completely negate these folk tales, but first of all, it should prompt us to better trace their long history and then explore the secrets of their evolution. Still taking the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl as an example, in modern times, including French scholar Gao Yan, Japanese scholars Nagai Kanfeng, Deishi Seihiko, Kimijima Hisako, and Konan Ichiro, and Chinese scholars Zhong Jingwen, Fan Ning, Wang Xiaolian, and Hong Shuling Several generations of Chinese and foreign scholars have conducted detailed and thorough research from different angles, collected and compared a large number of documents, and outlined the entire process of the origin, development and variation of this story, especially revealing that similar legends exist all over the world. It is quite widely circulated and can be included in the story type of "Swan Virgin" (also known as "Hagoromo Goddess"). The plots of peeping into bathing and stealing clothes in the story cannot be generalized. Originally, they also contained religious consciousness or folk custom concepts such as purification of uncleanness and female taboos. They are also retained in other folk stories from time to time. They are not as popular as modern people imagine. Ridiculous. In the course of thousands of years of circulation, the stories of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl have successively blended with myths and legends such as Dong Yong's encounter with immortals, as well as customs and habits such as begging for tricks on the Chinese Valentine's Day, and have infiltrated into each other, forming a large number of forms in different periods and regions. Different texts, some of which do not involve bathing, stealing clothes, etc. If we can fully mobilize our curiosity and thirst for knowledge, patiently explore and understand the various reasons behind this story, the confusion accumulated in our hearts will surely be relieved.
In the process of long-term circulation and acceptance, many folk tales have actually experienced such an interesting evolution from simplicity to complexity, attracting many professional researchers to find out. The "Research Collection of Stories of Meng Jiangnu" compiled by Gu Jiegang focuses on the legend of "Meng Jiangnu cried down the Great Wall" and compiles various types of historical materials such as poems, dramas, novel notes, epigraphic inscriptions, oral documents and other historical materials of the past dynasties. Yin can be regarded as a model in this type of research. In addition, he has successively written papers such as "The Evolution of Chang'e Stories", "Yi's Story", "Legends of Floods and Flood Control", "Wei Sheng Stories", etc. He is also committed to tracing the evolution of various folk tales. transition. This series of case studies based on chapter analysis and source examination not only inspired a large number of scholars to devote themselves to the investigation and research of other folk tales, but also undoubtedly brought broader and far-reaching enlightenment for us to re-examine these works today. . In the face of complex and diverse folk stories with mixed good and bad, how can we eliminate the bad and keep the good? The most urgent task at the moment is probably to do a lot of in-depth and detailed examination and screening, so as to understand its origins and causes. This kind of practical work is far more important than perfunctory propaganda or blind summary.
The story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl was only slightly rudimentary in the "Book of Songs·Xiaoya·Dadong" written by the Pre-Qin Dynasty. Notes", Zhang Hua's "Natural History", and Zong Miao's "Jingchu Years' Notes" began to gradually add many details; thereafter, such as the novel "The Legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl" by Zhu Mingshi of the Ming Dynasty, and the legendary play "Double Stars" by Zou Shan in the Qing Dynasty. "Picture", the chapter novel "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl" by Zhang Henshui, Gu Foying's drama "The New Cowherd Girl", Wu Zuguang's poetic drama "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl", etc., all rely on this traditional theme and constantly elaborate, add or supplement it. Continue writing; various local operas have been arranged and staged based on this story, such as Cantonese Opera "The Cowherd Meets the Weaver Girl", Ping Opera "Tianhe Pei", Qinqiang Opera "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl", Shaoxing Opera "Meeting on the Magpie Bridge", Huangmei Opera "Tianhe Pei" and so on. ; As for the oral stories collected and collected from various places, there are countless more. In a large number of works derived from the past dynasties, the specific content and plots often differ, and their ideological themes are sometimes quite different. This also shows that on the basis of fully understanding and respecting tradition, people today may as well reinterpret or transform the connotations of a large number of folk tales based on modern ideas and value standards.
There is actually no shortage of successful precedents in this regard. Lu Xun's "New Stories" was based on myths such as Nuwa's creation of human beings and Chang'e's flight to the moon. It used the past to satirize the present and poke fun at the spicy style. Wang Zengqi's "Liao Zhai Xin Yi" is rewriting In chapters such as "Promoting Weaving" and "Lu Pan" in Pu Songling's "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", he tried to incorporate the modern consciousness of pursuing equality and advocating interest, which left a very deep impression on us. Even in the same subject matter, different authors should be allowed to use their own ideas and make surprising innovations - in the Ming Dynasty Hong Zhen's "Qing Ping Shan Tang Hua Ben·The Three Pagodas of the West Lake", Feng Menglong's "Warning Words·The White Snake Forever Suppresses Thunder" The White Snake in "Peak Tower" is just a snake demon who charms the world with her beauty, but Zhao Qingge's "The Legend of White Snake" reshapes her into a warm, kind, loyal and courageous woman, and Li Bihua's "Green Snake" examines it Li Rui's "Human World: Retelling the Legend of White Snake" reflects on the entanglement of love and desire between men and women in the world, and reflects on the heavy topic of rejecting aliens. It has successively discovered different new values from the same old themes, allowing readers to truly feel It contains vigorous vitality that can be continuously extended and grown.
In the final analysis, while researching and inheriting, we still need to keep pace with the times, eliminate the clutter and introduce new ones through unremitting exploration. Only in this way can our folk tales be kept alive and fresh for a long time.
(The author Yang Yan is a professor at Fudan University’s Ancient Chinese Literature Research Center and Department of Chinese Literature)
Source: Wen Wei Po