20世纪中国神话学研究述评

20世纪的中国神话学在融汇中、西两种学术传统的基础上得以确立。学界在以西方神话学重新系统复原中国神话的工程告一段落时,应对中国独特的神话类型和发展道路展开相关思考。从俗文学、古小说、神话3个层次内容的影响关联入手,有助于获取正确的神话信息;在统一的多民族国家内,因为少数民族神话借助汉文古籍、少数民族古籍与民俗、口传而传承,所以必须借助西方人类学理论方法予以挖掘、激活,这有可能是中国神话学独特的文本类型和表述范式。

A Summary of China's Studies of Mythology in the 20th Century

Chinese mythology was established in the 20th century by a fusion of the Western and Chinese academic traditions.Through absorbing some good elements of Western mythology,Chinese mythology emerged as a discipline.However,more studies should concentrate on its types and development with a focus on the relations between folk literature,ancient novels and myths.In a multi-national country like China,its minority mythology relies on ancient Han and minority classics and customs for oral inheritance.The adoptation of some proper theories of Western anthropology will help reveal the implications of Chinese mythology and its unique textual types and expressions.