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School of Chinese Scholar Seminar

蛇足之辨——《西遊記》及其續書的當代闡釋
The Debate on “Snakes’ legs”: Contemporary Interpretations of Journey to the West and Its Sequels

摘要 Abstract:

《西遊記》是中國最受歡迎的古典小說之一。早在明末清初，《西遊記》就有三部續書作品誕生，其中以《西遊補》的文學成就最高。與此相對的，是小說續書的整體文學評價並不高。許多人認為小說續書就是“蛇足”、“狗尾續貂”。

本講座將重探《西遊記》及其三部早期續書的意義生成脈絡，分析當代西遊故事改編的熱點，辨析名著續書作品可能被誤讀並忽略的文學價值。

Journey to the West is one of the most influential classical novels in China. As early as the late Ming and early Qing, three sequels were composed, among which Xiyoubu stands out for its literary achievement. Nevertheless, sequels to canonical novels are often dismissed as “superfluous” or “snakes’ legs”. Nonetheless, such judgments fail to explain the persistent practice of writing and reading novelistic sequels.

This lecture reexamines Journey to the West and its early sequels within their historical and cultural contexts, while also engaging with contemporary reinterpretations. It seeks to reassess the literary value of sequel writing, arguing that such works—though frequently marginalized—offer significant insights into the processes of meaning-making and the evolving reception of classical texts.

講者簡介 About the Speaker:

張怡微    復旦大學哲學系本科、中文系碩士、臺灣政治大學中國文學系博士。現為復旦大學中文系副教授，碩士生導師。出版《明末清初<西遊記>續書研究》、《情關西遊》及小說、散文作品二十餘部。於“看理想app”開設《人間西遊：張怡微細解<西遊記>》音訊課。曾獲臺灣時報文學獎、聯合報文學獎、臺北文學獎、香港青年文學獎小說高級組冠軍等。

ZHANG Yiwei   Associate Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University, received her Ph.D. in Chinese Literature from National Chengchi University. She has published more than twenty volumes of scholarship, fiction, and essays, including A Study of the Sequels to Journey to the West in the Late Ming and Early Qing. Her awards include the China Times Literary Award, the United Daily News Literary Award, the Taipei Literature Award, and the Hong Kong Youth Literary Award.