The ante-narrative on bronze wares and the Chinese narrative tradition

Abstract

The Bronze Age lasted for more than 1500 years. The “arch-writing” on bronze wares constituted the logical starting point of the Chinese narrative tradition. When observing from a narratological perspective, the significance of the ante-narrative on bronze wares is all the more self-evident. Through detailed discussion regarding the various categories of “lines/ornament,” “weave/knit,” “empty/full” and “fear/joy,” this article will attempt to analyze the inherent link between ante-narratives and later narratives in order to provide a new point of view for understanding the “genealogy” of the Chinese narrative tradition. Meanwhile, a series of interesting questions must also be addressed: How did Chinese characters and their predecessors influence narrative? Why did the Chinese ancients attach particular importance to the concept of a “brief text and short narrative”? Where is the common ground between different forms of traditional art? Why did this art always put emphasis on “vividness” and “vitality”? Were there any “forerunners” of the structural modes of narrative works? How did the Chinese view of “food is the paramount necessity of the people” impact on the creation and enjoyment of the narrative? Where did the “charm” of the narrative classics come from? How and when did the fictional narrative based on imagination come into being?