王宁

上海交通大学教授

 

Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Shanghai, China)

 

从比较诗学到世界诗学：一种理论建构

 

在过去的十多年里，“世界文学”已成为国际比较文学界的又一个热门话题。当年歌德之所以提出世界文学的构想，一个主要的原因就在于，他在读了包括中国文学在内的一些非西方文学作品后受到启发故提出了这一构想。本文在西方学者的先期研究基础上，从比较的和中国的视角提出一种世界诗学的建构。作者认为，世界诗学的建构有着世界文学和比较诗学这两方面的基础，因此建构一种世界诗学或世界文论主要基于这三点：（1）世界诗学是基于世界文学和比较诗学研究成果的一种理论升华，而当今占据主流的西方文论并未涵盖不同区域的国别和民族的文学和理论经验；（2）迄今所有具有相对普适性的文学阐释理论都产生于西方语境和西方文学创作和理论批评实践，由于其语言和文化背景的局限，这些理论的提出者不可能将其涵盖东西方文学和理论的范畴和经验；（3）中国学者始终关注西方文学理论的前沿课题，从一开始引进比较文学这门学科时就十分注重比较诗学或文论研究，同时，中国学者又有东方的本土文学和理论批评经验，因此中国学者完全有能力从比较的和世界的视野出发提出这一理论建构。作者在对建构世界诗学的路径加以阐释后指出，世界诗学构想的提出，有助于世界文学理论概念的进一步完善，它作为一个由中国学者提出并且值得国际学界关注和讨论的理论话题，将改变和修正现有的世界文学和文论之格局，同时也可以提出一个新的能够引发理论讨论的话题。

 

World literature has in the past decade become another heatedly discussed cutting edge theoretical topic in the field of international comparative literature studies. Goethe first conceptualized this term largely due to the fact that he was inspired by some non-Western literary works he had read, including Chinese literary works. Based on the ready-made research results done by Western scholars, the article, largely from a Chinese and comparative perspective, puts forward a theoretical construction of world poetics. To the author, the construction of world poetics has a foundation of both world literature and comparative poetics. Thus the theoretical foundation of constructing such a world poetics or world literary theory mainly lies in the following three aspects: (1) World poetics is a theoretical sublimation of the research results of world literature and comparative poetics as the dominant Western literary theory in the present era does not cover all the experiences of different national literatures and critical theories. (2) So far almost all the relatively universal literary interpretive theories are produced in the West, which due to the limit of their languages and cultural backgrounds can hardly cover all the literary and theoretical categories and experiences. Although some Western theorists, depending upon their profound theoretical attainment and superb interpretive power, impose their theoretical doctrines upon interpreting non-Western literary phenomena, their interpretations can hardly be effective and convincing. (3) Chinese literary theorists are always concerned about the cutting edge issues in Western literary theory while obtaining rich local literary and critical experiences, and they have from the very beginning of introducing comparative literature in China paid particular attention to comparative poetics and criticism as they have rich experience of Eastern literature creation and criticism. They have thereby full right to put forward this theoretical construction. The author points out after explaining his way of constructing world poetics that to put forward this theoretical construction may well help perfect world literary theory and conceptualization. As a theoretical issue set forth by Chinese scholars worth attracting their international counterparts’ attention and discussion, world poetics will change and revise the established world literary and theoretical framework.