| The literature of a certain period is a microcosm of the social history of a certain period,and to a certain extent can reveal the current state of social history.Ancient Egyptian literature is a splendid and monumental work that can provide us with documentary value.This is why the study of ancient Egyptian literature can,to a certain extent,deepen our understanding of its connotations.One of the most famous surviving literary works of ancient Egypt is the Westcar Papyrus,which belongs to the “prose tales” category of ancient Egyptian literature and is set mainly in the ancient kingdoms,where it was composed in the time of Hyksos.There are five tales in which the sons of King Khufu tell him stories of miracles performed by magicians in order to please him.In this paper,we take the Westcar Papyrus as the subject of our study.By interpreting the historical background of the stories and the social context of the time of their creation,as well as analysing the main characters who appear in the stories,we can gain a clearer insight into the deeper reasons and purposes of the creation of the documents.In addition,an analysis of the stylistic features of the document,the language of the story and the narrative techniques will help to explore the overall construction of the document and,finally,an in-depth analysis of the magical miracles that occur in each story,the socio-historical context in which the document is based and the comparison and analysis of other related documents will allow for a more complete study of the ancient Egyptians’ views on marriage,morality,worldview and religion as expressed in the story of the papyrus.The study of the ancient Egyptians’ core secular ideas on marriage,morality,worldview,religion,belief in the afterlife and the “divine right of kings”,and finally the conclusions drawn.The study of the Westcar Papyrus has implications for our understanding of the presentation and character of ancient Egyptian literature,and provides an opportunity to further our understanding of the secular conceptions of the ancient Egyptians.Although a literary work,the Westcar Papyrus contains a number of historical issues,so that a historical reading of its contents can help us to construct a certain degree of history of ancient Egypt.Using the literature as a base helps us to get a better glimpse into the historical details of social life in ancient Egypt. |
