莫言是一位在叙事上不断求新探索的作家,他总是着意追求以多种叙述视角和多样的话语形态营造出狂欢化的叙事美学风格。发表于2003年的《四十一炮》是莫言这一叙事努力的里程碑式的收获。在《四十一炮》中,叙述者罗小通穿行在现实与想象之间,他的叙述与故事相互纠缠交织、平行推进,俨然一曲严整的二重奏。无论是话语的对立、交织与重叠,还是记忆、想象与现实的相反相衬,都在叙述者的操控下呈现出狂欢化复调叙事的特征。
Mo-yan keeps exploring and creating new miracles in the walk of narration. He always tries hard to establish carnivalized narrative style from different perspectives and in varied discourse mood. 'The 41 Gunshots', published in 2003, is such a milestone of his efforts, in which the narrator, a liar named LUO Xiao-tong, relates irresponsibly his 'likely-true' story. In the novel, the narrator penetrates in between reality and imagination, and his narration intertwines with his personal story, which is literally a well-composed duet. Both the conflicts, intertwining and overlapping and the contradiction and correspondence between imagination and reality are typical of the carnival of polyphonic narration under the control of the narrator.