摘 要

自古以来，中西方神话故事都凭借其独特魅力在各自文化中占据重要位置。中西方神话有许多相同的地方，但也存在许多差异。鲧和普罗米修斯，神话中两个少有的偷盗者形象，却拥有了几乎完全相反的命运，这种截然相反的命运更是折射出了东西方深刻的文化差异。人们普遍认为在西方勇敢的冒险精神和东方略有保守的脚踏实地精神影响下，双方各自创造了灿烂的文明。本文通过鲧和普罗米修斯在文学作品中形象的解读，从契约社会和等级社会，个人力量和传承精神以及神的原型等几个方面对比鲧偷息壤治水和普罗米修斯盗火，并分析其中显现出的在精神品质，民族特性及发展路途的巨大差异，帮助人们更好理解中西方神话故事及传播中华神话故事，促进英语文化学习。

关键词：鲧；普罗米修斯；文化差异

Abstract

Since ancient times, both Chinese and Western fairy tales have played an important role in their respective cultures by their unique charm. There are numerous similarities between Chinese and Western myths, but there are also many differences. Gun and Prometheus, two images of thieves in the mythology, have almost completely opposite destinies, which to some extent reflect the profound cultural differences between the East and the West. It is generally believed that under the influence of the brave spirit in an adventure in the West and the conservative spirit of down-to-earth in the East, both sides have created brilliant civilizations. The thesis makes an interpretation of Gun and Prometheus in the literary works and contrasts two gods in following aspects: equal society and the hierarchical society, personal power and spirit of inheritance, and the differences of the god in the prototype. Furthermore, the thesis analyses the differences in spiritual quality, ethic characteristics and the route of development. It is also expected to help people understand their myths and spread Chinese fairy tales and promote English cultural awareness.

Key words: Gun; Prometheus; cultural difference.

Contents

1 Introduction 1

2 Two Images in the Literary Works 2

2.1 Prometheus in Prometheus Unbound 2

2.2 Gun in The Classic of the Mountains and Seas 3

2.3 Literature Review..............................................................................................4

3 The Comparison between Gun and Prometheus.........................................................7

3.1 The Equal Society and Hierarchical Society.....................................................7

3.2 The Individual Power and the Spirit of Inheritance..........................................8

3.3 The Differences of the God in the Prototype....................................................9

4 Ethnic Characteristics in Mythological Stories.........................................................11

5 Conclusion.................................................................................................................13

References................................................................................................................14 Acknowledgments....................................................................................................15

Comparison of Cultural Differences 

between the East and the West Based on the Tales Of Gun and Prometheus

1 Introduction

Mythology, as a special literary form, displays people’s life and the spiritual world in the ancient time and becomes vital material to record the history. Mythology is a colorful folk literature which is created by prehistoric people in their labor practice. Mythology is likewise the result of human understanding of nature, conquering nature, and depicting nature. When we are kids, the mythology is our first enlightened reading material. We are engaged in that magical world and it helps us shape our world outlook in the first step.

The literary work of the God in the mythology is rich and various. Prometheus can be one of the best-known images in the Chinese people. The image of Prometheus is so significant that many artists and commentators use Prometheus as an archetype and alter the shape of his character to match their needs and the requirements of their particular type. And the authors are preparing to use Prometheus to represent their subjective desires to reveal some special implication. Analysis of Prometheus from different work in all kinds of ways is a meaningful thing for English study. Through that, we can better understand the image of Prometheus in the mystical world of western people and try to comprehend the western mythology which plays an insignificant part in the western literature.

The whole thesis is divided into five parts. The first chapter is the introduction and the importance of mythology. The second chapter gives a brief analysis of the two images in the literary works, Prometheus Unbound and The Classic of the Mountains and seas. It provides us with a basic impression to two images. The third chapter is concerned with the comparison in the following aspects: the equal society and hierarchical society, the individual power and the spirit of inheritance, and the difference of the god in the prototype. We can learn more differences through the comparison. Then, the fourth chapter is about the ethnic characteristics in the mythological stories. The conclusion is drawn in chapter five.

2 Two images in the literary works