≪西游记≫之时间背景的构成方式及其意义

Abstract

The temporal scene of the Jouney to The West(≪西游记≫) can be largly classified into three parts according to the story. This process is described in the Danao Tiangong(大鬧天宮) and the temporal scene used in this part is a mythical temporal scene. Second, the Qujing yuanqi(取经缘起) story uses a historical temporal scene. The part to focus on here is the specific time of ‘Zhenguan(贞观) year 13’, which although is not in accord with factual history, it is meaningful in that it have given the storyline an realistic temporal basis and supplies an transitional bridge to the next story of the ‘The eighty-one sufferings(八十一难)’. Third, the story that occupies the majority of the volume of the novel is the ‘The eighty-one sufferings(八十一难)’ which is the story of traveling to obtain the Buddhist scripture. The focus of narrative is the few days when each ‘Sufferings’ arises and through this method the ‘The eighty-one sufferings’ occur in a vaugue temporal scene, and thus this has the effect of naturally blending the mythical temporal scene and the historical temporal scene. In conclusion, the temporal scene of Jouney to The West(≪西游记≫) not only incorporates and develops traditional time concepts from existing myths and religion, but through the authors delicate positioning and narrative creates a new time concept that harmonizes and combines truth and falsity.