关键词: 偷听叙事, 《尤利西斯》, 《红楼梦》, 伦理, 社会隐喻

Abstract: As a representative work of Western modernism, Ulysses uses eavesdropping to reflect the protagonist’s identity crisis and the alienation of modern society. In contrast, as one of The Four Great Classical Novels of China, A Dream of the Red Mansions employs eavesdropping within the context of a feudal family to expose familial ethical conflicts, gender inequality, and class tensions. Through a cross-cultural comparison of ethical implications and social metaphors of eavesdropping in Ulysses and A Dream of the Red Mansions, this paper analyzes how eavesdropping narratives in these two literary traditions reflect different moral evaluations and social implications, highlighting the profound influence of cultural contexts on narrative function. The study shows that eavesdropping narrative is not only a narrative tactic, but also an effective approach to revealing social structures and characters’ inner conflicts, offering important insights for cross-cultural comparative studies.

Key words: eavesdropping narrative, Ulysses, A Dream of Red Mansions, ethics, social metaphor