THE TRANSFORMATIONAL MOTIF IN “TRAVEL TO THE WEST” BY NGO THUA AN

Abstract

“Travel to the West” by Ngo Thua An is a representation of the kind of popular novels which is devided into different parts or chapters and  belongs to the fabulous and bizzarre kind of novels. It is also seen as one of the “four great strange books” which has a deep influence on social activities in some European and Asian nations of the classical Chinese literature. “Travel to the West” is loved by many readers at every age. There are many researches about this novel, but eveyone's passion and interest in it have never been run out of. Using interdisciplinary research methods, poetic methods, combining operations: survey, statistics, analysis, the writing follows the motif system, specially the transformational motif into animals in “Travel to the West”  in order to show the important role and function of this motif in setting up a mysterious but true and romantic world of this novel. It also affirms the creative work of the writer Ngo Thua An.