On The Transformation Texts(Pien-Wen) Studies Of Victor H. Mair

Victor H. Mair is a noted American scholar specialized in Chinese studies. Despite the splendid achievements in his systematic studies in such fields of Tun-huang popular literature as pien-wen (transformation texts), our understanding of his study theories is far from systematic. By translating and generalizing the findings he has made in pien-wen studies, this thesis is trying to comb out his study system, and to elaborate his unique and original views in this field with an effort to promote the acceptance of his positions in academic circle and to offer more references to Tun-huang studies.From such angles as the definition, the category, the sources, the performance, the authors, the copiers of pien-wen, this thesis tries to comb out his findings in pien-wen studies in a systemic way with an attempt to analyze and explore the reasons behind his achievements. This thesis holds: Such factors as making full use of materials and documents, bravery to challenge the accepted and seeking new possibilities, proactive cooperation and exchanges across nations, etc, are helpful to pien-wen studies.This thesis also attaches great importance to Mair's 'India hypothesis' in the process of his study and his global views presented in his 'picture story'. Combining with China's traditional concept of 'picture left and history right' and the features of 'storytelling with paintings' of pre-Tang Dynasty, this thesis undertakes a detailed analysis over the respective benefits of 'India hypothesis' and 'native hypothesis'. This thesis demonstrates the differences between the two 'storytelling's in the lights of narrative-orientation, visionary-orientation, and folk entertaining-orientation, and further presents the features of the combination between visionary arts and language arts and the significance in its development. Finally, The thesis makes a systemic analysis of the influence of 'pien-wen' over its proceeding literature in the angles of sources, development direction, integration and extension while exploring both the significance and the limitations of his studies at the same time.In all, the thesis is trying to sort out Victor H. Mair's study thinking and points of view, to elaborate the relations between 'painting' and 'story', to analyze the esthetic and social significance of 'pien-wen', to put forward a full understanding of 'sources' and 'branches', and to display and analyze pien-wen's influence over its proceeding literature.