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

摘要： 作为西方现代主义文学的代表,《尤利西斯》通过偷听行为呈现了个体的身份危机与现代社会的异化感;而中国四大古典名著之一的《红楼梦》则在封建家族社会背景下,利用偷听揭示了家族伦理冲突、性别不平等以及阶级矛盾。通过比较《尤利西斯》和《红楼梦》中的偷听叙事在不同文化背景下的伦理与社会隐喻功能,本文分析偷听叙事如何在两种文学传统中折射出不同的道德评价与社会意义,从而突显文化背景对叙事功能的深刻影响。偷听叙事不仅是一种叙事策略,更是揭示社会结构与人物内心冲突的有效手段,对跨文化比较研究具有重要的启示意义。

关键词: 偷听叙事, 《尤利西斯》, 《红楼梦》, 伦理, 社会隐喻