The Narrative Construction And Transmision Mechanism Of Contemporary "Urban Legends"

The legend of" Shanghai vampire" originated in the 1990s and continued to spread in Shanghai.Based on the theory of narrative sociology,this study focuses on the narrative construction and evolution of "Shanghai vampire incident",as well as the communication mechanism and social construction mechanism of the legend.Through the analysis of the narrative construction and evolution of this urban legend,we can not only see the evolutionary clues between rumors,gossip and legend,but also expose the social psychological construction mechanism hidden behind the urban legend.In the 1990s,Shanghai has just begun the construction as a special development zone,the attempt of various new things,the rapid change of social life,the continuous entry of foreign population,and the frequency of emergencies.This particular background,combined with the memory of "ghosts" in folk knowledge,in a sense,promoted various"threshold-invading imaginations" behind urban legends.As a kind of "urban legend",the narration of "Shanghai vampire" has experienced different contents and forms of expression in the context of social life during different times.At first,along with some specific social events,based on the psychological mechanism under the specific social background,the "Shanghai vampire" triggered a real fear memory and specific response behavior among the public.More than ten years later,this rumor has not disappeared,but as time goes by,"rumor and "gossip" have become "legend".It has gradually developed from anecdotal rumors to a legend text widely spread on the Internet,and even adapted into cartoon and novel for people to enjoy.From the perspective of narrative sociology,urban legends are also part of urban life history and social history.When studying urban legends,we should not focus on the "story" itself,but on how the "story" and daily life interact,and how the "story" is told and constructed.When we restore a static narrative to a dynamic process,we can realize the transition from narrative research to social research advocated by "narrative sociology" in a sense.