Abstract: Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis is one of the most important milestones of surrealism in the twentieth century. Many novels in the 20th and 21st century have been centered around the theme of human bodily transformation. Regarding its literary representational form, it is suffused with individual innovation and imagination, which cannot be easily emulated and formulated, constantly challenging our habitual and quotidian thinking with extreme representational methods. Before Kafka, what kind of metamorphosis do we have? After him, are there any continuations, developments, and transcendence? Are the writings of metamorphosis generated by writers who are stylish and in favor of employing symbolism? Is it true that various kinds of metamorphic writings cannot escape “the anxiety of influence” and the fate of repetition? What is the difference between the classical and the modern metamorphosis? Does it explore the depth of human nature, or the depth of history, society, and culture? Beginning from the discussion of Ovid's Metamorphoses, this article aims to delineate the variations of metamorphic literature both in ancient and modern times within Western and Chinese representations.

Key words: metamorphosis, surrealism, symbolism, existentialism, feminism

摘要： 卡夫卡的《变形记》是20世纪超现实主义写作的重要标志之一,我们熟悉的许多20世纪和21世纪的小说都绕不开人的身体“变形”的母题。“变形”的文学表现形式,充满了个性化的创意和想象力,完全不属于那种公式化和容易模仿的写作,反而常常挑战我们日常生活中的习惯性思维,以极端的表现方式来引起“震惊”的效果。在卡夫卡之前有过怎样的“变形记”？在他之后,又有怎样的关于“变形记”的延伸、发展和超越？“变形”的写法是否来自风格化的、善于运用象征主义的作家？它是否也逃避不了“影响的焦虑”,逃避不了雷同和重复的命运？古典和现代的“变形记”有什么区别？中国的“变形记”是否有自己的特色？“变形”揭示的是人性的深度,还是历史、社会和文化的深度？本文以奥维德的《变形记》为例,探讨西方古典“变形记”的特征,然后进一步分析西方现代主义的“变形记”的各种演化,并与中国传统和现代“变形记”进行比较,试图勾勒古今中外“变形”的文学变奏曲。

关键词: 变形, 超现实主义, 象征主义, 存在主义, 女性主义