Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.4, 2022

Oral Literature under the Dual Narrative of the Sacred and the Profane

(Abstract)

Wang Yan

The sacredness and profaneness of oral literature are confirmed by the field of performance. Under the umbrella of sacredness, the texts tend to be fixed and sacred in character, with the singer’s role being to store, memorize and interpret the sacred texts, and the audience listening to and memorizing the texts and performance practices. In the secular sphere, texts are emergent and openended, with the singer’s main task being to perpetuate, create and perform cultural texts, while the audience is also involved in the production and transmission of meaning.