| Summary: | 头颅，作为生命本源的象征，自古以来在人类宗教、农业、政治等社会生活中扮演着极为重要的角色。而所谓“头颅”叙事，笔者意指中国古典文学中，一类在主要情节及人物上与“头颅”及其变体（如髑髅）相关，且大体怪诞不经、出乎寻常的作品。本文的研究以唐代文学中的“头颅”叙事为中心，力求整理、归纳、分析此类作品在主题内容及叙事技法上的特征与风貌。开篇，全面耙梳、探讨“头颅”叙事在《山海经》及汉魏六朝文学中的滥觞、发展与衍变，为唐代文学中不同类型的“头颅”叙事溯源。其次，依内容分类，重点考察唐代文学中两类分属政治与动物主题的“头颅”叙事作品。其中，针对政治主题，围绕“补史之用”，分析作者如何借恐怖血腥之“头颅”，书写、补充、揭示唐朝各重大政治事变中的残忍与冷酷；而针对动物主题，聚焦“警世之用”，探讨诸如动物借“头颅诉冤”、凭“髑髅幻形”等诡奇描绘，如何寄寓佛教戒杀护生、批淫戒色等警世思想。最后，考察唐代“头颅”叙事的叙事技法与后世发展。先从谋篇布局、塑造人物、寄寓主题三方面对唐代“头颅”叙事中“头颅”物象的叙事功能进行归纳，其次以明代小说《西游记》为例，探讨“头颅”叙事于主题及技法上在唐后的发展与变化。
Heads, as the symbol of essential vitality, have played a significant role in various aspects of human society such as religion, agriculture, politics, and more throughout history. “Head Narration”, as defined by the author, refers to narrative works in Classical Chinese Literature that centre around heads or their variations such as skulls when developing plots or portraying characters and feature unexpected characteristics. This paper will focus on discussing the “Head” Narration in Tang Dynasty Literature, aiming to categorize, analyze and conclude the characteristics of the works relating to their themes and narrative techniques. To begin with, the paper thoroughly examines the origin, development, and variation of the “Head” narration in the Classic of Mountains and Seas 山海经, as well as in the Han, Wei, and Six Dynasties Literature, so as to trace back the source and root of different “Head” narrations in Tang literature. Next, the paper focuses on examining the “Head” narration in Tang literature belonging to the themes of politics and animals respectively. To study the “Head” narrations belonging to the political theme, the paper highlights their effectiveness in serving as a supplementary account to the historical records, by analyzing how their authors would portray the brutal impact of various political incidents through the vivid writing of terrifying “head” narratives. And to study the “Head” narrations belonging to the animal theme, the paper emphasizes their morally educational purposes, discussing how the authors would transmit Buddhist values and beliefs such as abstaining from killing and sexual conduct through the storytelling of animals appealing with heads or animals transforming into human with skulls. Finally, the paper looks into the narrative techniques and the impact of the “Head” narration in Tang literature. The paper explores the narrative function of the image of “heads” from three aspects: structuring the narratives, portraying the characters, and conveying the moral values. And the paper ends with an analysis of the “Head” narration in Journey to the West 西游记 which is selected as one of the representatives of the “Head” narration in post-Tang literature.
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