中国文学和西方文学间一向有种不对等的交流,一般中国学者熟知西方文学经典,但西方人并不掩饰他们对中国文学的无知。这种现象发生在今天,个中原因有其值得探讨的复杂性。中国的文学经典《红楼梦》,是曹雪芹写给自己和知友们看的一部感伤忆旧录,他从来没有、也不屑于承认自己是作家,无意将其发表,更不愿意用它牟利或谋生。这与同时期的欧洲作家有着根本的不同,他们都是很自觉、自知的作家,有鲜明的读者意识和市场考量。我们将曹雪芹与他同时代的西方作家进行比较研究,就凸显出曹雪芹在当时世界作家中的独特地位及创作意义。 There is an unequal exchange between Chinese literature and western literature. Chinese scholars are generally familiar with the Western literary classics, but Westerners do not hide their ignorance of Chinese literature. This phenomenon occurs today, one of the reasons why it is worth exploring the complexity. China’s literary classics, “Dream of Red Mansions,” is an old sentiment recorded by Cao Xueqin to himself and his friends. He never disdains admitting himself as a writer, does not intend to publish it, and even reluctant to use it for profit or Make a living. This is fundamentally different from the contemporary European writers, who are self-conscious and self-aware writers who have a clear sense of reader and market considerations. The comparative study of Cao Xueqin and his contemporary Western writers highlights the unique position and creative significance of Cao Xueqin in contemporary world writers.