Sound Writing of Supernatural Beings and Construction of Soundscapes in Early Chinese Literature: A Case Study Based on The Classic of Mountains and Seas

Abstract

In early Chinese literature, depictions of supernatural beings not only relate to their forms and appearances but also cover a rich array of sounds. As a culminating work in high antiquity for the representation of sounds, The Classic of Mountains and Seas portrays numerous animals’ sounds, which are largely simple imitations of human and beast voices. Based on the object of imitation, these sounds can be classified into four types: imitation of birds and beasts, natural vocalizations of birds and beasts, imitation of humans, and imitation of nature. Sound endows animals with vigorous vitality and extraordinary capacities. Sound writing can be regarded as an art of characterization, through which these creatures are seen as supernatural beings that feature human emotions and vocalizations, and thus can be studied within the human purview. This approach reflects the sacred narrative tradition of Chinese literature in which things are apprehended through sounds. Among other things, mountain valleys, deep marshes, and night hours constitute the spatio-temporal dimension of supernatural sounds and embody cultural significance such as ancestral worship of mountains and rivers and wushu (intermediation rituals) beliefs. Supernatural sounds can generate an “auditory impact,” which, in conjunction with visual impact, impels listeners to construct two kinds of soundscapes—positive and negative. A study of such sounds and soundscapes addresses a gap in previous research on supernatural beings, which focused on appearances and visual effects and paid little attention to sounds and auditory effects. The study can therefore enrich the connotations of supernatural beings and expand the scope of mythological studies. It helps to correct the “deafness” in current mythological studies and corroborate the completion time of The Classic of Mountains and Seas. Furthermore, it provides clues for exploring the writing modes of animal sounds in Han rhapsodies or supernatural sounds in tales of the strange of the Six Dynasties, thereby being conducive to in-depth, interdisciplinary research in relevant fields.

Keywords

early Chinese literature / The Classic of Mountains and Seas / sound writing / spatio-temporal dimension / construction of soundscape / sacred narrative

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Higher Education Press