An Emotion-Oriented Narrative Strategy: The Dongba Scripture-Poem "Lubanlurao" as a Case Study
This article by Yang Jiehong argues that the enduring power of the Naxi Dongba narrative poem "Lubanlurao" (a suicide-for-love epic recited during the Dongba "Sacrifice to Wind" ritual) comes not from plot but from an emotion-oriented narrative strategy. The poem's plot -- a herding couple, Kaimei Jiumingjin and Zhu Gu Yulepan, fall in love on a mountain pasture but are driven to dying for love by the groom's family's opposition and slander, reuniting only in the afterlife realm 'Jade Dragon Third Kingdom' -- is summarized quickly, since the text itself skips the courtship almost entirely. The author identifies three techniques: shifting narrative focus from plot to psychology, converting linear time into shifting spatial scenes to avoid monotony, and adopting a lyrical, stream-of-consciousness style tied to the poem's sung, danced, drum-accompanied performance context. The article situates the poem's power in Dongba religious belief in rebirth after death and compares it to other tragic-then-transcendent narratives such as "Dream of the Red Chamber" and "The Butterfly Lovers."
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