The Effectiveness and Limitations of "Context": Reflections Based on Ethnographic Research of Myth Traditions

"Context" has, since the mid-1990s, become a guiding perspective in Chinese folklore research. Based on the ethnographic field study of myth traditions in three communities, this article carefully examines the effectiveness and limitations of the perspective of context. It finds that context plays an important role in shaping myth texts, regulating the narrative occasions of myth, defining the composition and scale of narrators and audiences, and determining the functions and meanings of myths. On the other hand, the influence of context on myth traditions is limited. The combination of core motifs and the type and basic content of the story remain unchanged. Thus, the perspective of context alone cannot adequately express the essential core of the form and content of myths. To make contextual studies more effective, the article proposes a synthetic approach to myth research.