关键词: 奥尔巴赫, 喻象, 历史, 真象, 摹仿, 构形

Abstract: Figura is a central concept in Auerbach's literary criticism. In Auerbach's writing, figura goes beyond medieval allegoria tradition, and is a fundamental way of understanding the world and history at that time. Meanwhile, figura is also related to the utterance of meaning as a kind of mimesis of the veritas. Extended between the two respects, figura becomes a “mediator” between earthly reality and ultimate meaning. The “in-between-ness” of the figura displaces veritas as relations between events and suspension of history, and liberates mimesis from the metaphysical narration of identity. This is similar to Walter Benjamin's discussion of Chinese calligraphy's mimesis between “image-thought” and Francois Julian's interpretation of Chinese non-mimetic aesthetics in terms of “shi” and “configuration.” The three critics’ reflections on the mimesis from the roots of Eastern and Western thought precisely form an intellectual space for mutual interpretation between them.

Key words: Erich Auerbach, figura, history, veritas, mimesis, configuration