《〈格萨尔〉论》是对西藏史诗《格萨尔》内容、文学框架、社会价值、史诗价值以及思想价值的系统论述。全书共分17章，从《格萨尔》史诗的流变、文化背景等角度详细介绍格萨尔史诗诞生之初所赖以生存的文化土壤，多角度论证了《格萨尔》史诗留给后人的丰富社会学价值，就史诗的传播人的贡献以及格萨尔文化的传播远景进行了说明，肯定了在社会地位低下、受人歧视的状态下，各位说唱艺人对于格萨尔史诗传播的重要贡献。

Preface by Lang Ying
Preface by Mark Bender
Translator’S Foreword
Profile of the Author
Introduction
Chapter One The Historical and Cultural Context of the Epic of Gesar
Ⅰ.NatureWorship
Ⅱ.Bon Culture
Ⅲ.Buddhist Culture
Chapter Two The Morphology ofTibetan Culture
Ⅰ.The Origin of Tibetan Culture
Ⅱ Chinese Culture andTibetan Culture
Ⅲ.The Influence of Oriental and Occidental Cultures
Chapter Three A Gallery ofthe Tibetan Spirit
Ⅰ.The Echoes ofHistory
Ⅱ.An Unlettered Monument
Ⅲ.A Record ofEthnic Memo
ChapterFour TotemisminAncientTibet
Ⅰ.The Worship ofMountain Gods
Ⅱ. TheWorship ofWarGods
Ⅲ.Totemism
Chapter Five The Cultural Matrix of Tibet
Ⅰ.The Concept ofSouls Being Eternal
Ⅱ.The Concept ofSoul Ejection
Ⅲ.Emanation andthe Soul
Chapter Six Dreams，Divination，and Magic in the Epic of Gesar
Ⅰ.Dreams
Ⅱ.Divination
Ⅲ.Magic
Chapter Seven Society and Utopia in Early Tibet
Ⅰ.The Pursuit ofTruth.Virtue and Beauty
Ⅱ.Awareness of Individual Values and Self：Amrnlation
Ⅲ.Kingdom of Ling：The Tibetan Conception of Utopia
ChapterEight TribesinTibetanSociety
Ⅰ.The Structure ofaTribal Society
Ⅱ.Tribal Federations and Battles
Ⅲ.Tribal Society andTribal Identity
Chapter Nine Conflicts Between Buddhism and Bi；n in the Spread ofGesar
Ⅰ.The Culture Clash Between Buddhism and B6n
Ⅱ.Consequences ofConflicts
Ⅲ.The Impact of the Religious Conflicts on the Epic of Gesar
Chapter Ten Narrative Structure in the Epic ofGesar
Ⅰ.The Structure ofEpics
Ⅱ.Character.Oriented Mode of Narration
Ⅲ.Episodic Structure
Ⅳ.Modes ofTransition Between Episodes
Chapter Eleven A Repository for the Art of Language
Ⅰ.ASimplicityRichinWisdom
Ⅱ.An Excellent Combination of Richness and Accuracy
Ⅲ.Brilliant Images and Appropriate Metaphors
Ⅳ.Poetry Within Poetry：The Ingenious Use of Proverbs
Ⅴ.The Individual Language ofthe Characters
Chapter Twelve Artistic Imagery in the Epic of Gesar
Ⅰ.Gesar
Ⅱ.Rongtsa Tragen：The Doyen ofStewards
Ⅲ.SengchamDrukmo
Chapter Thirteen Gesar：God of the Tibetan People
Ⅰ.Ethnic Gods
Ⅱ.A God Forged by Tibetan Culture
Ⅲ.Carrying the Hope ofan Ethnic GrouD
Chapter F。nrteen The Bards of the People：The StorytelIers of Gesar
Ⅰ.Distribution and Types ofBards
Ⅱ.TheMystery ofMemory
Ⅲ.The Concept ofSouls andAnistic Creation
Ⅳ.Yhe Significance of Identifying the Types of Bards and Storytelling
Chapter Fifteen Textual Studies of the Epic of Gesar
Ⅰ.The Earliest Records：Gesar,Whose Ethnicity was Ummown
Ⅱ.A Mortal Transmuted into a God：The Inc啪ation of Avalokitesvara
Ⅲ.Mnarch。fthe Kingd。m。fLing：The Appearance of Gesar Ling
Ⅳ.The Patron Buddha of Buddhism：A Transfomled Gesar
Ⅴ.Gesar in the Eyes ofModem Tibetan Scholars
Chapter Sixteen Textual Studies on the Name“Gesar”
Ⅰ.The Meaning ofthe Name“Gesar”
Ⅱ.The Prototype ofGesar in Tibetan Literary History
Chapter Seventeen The Evolution and Transmission of the Epic of Gesar
Ⅰ The Transmission ofthe Epic Gesar
Ⅱ. TheVicissitudes ofGesar’S Evolution
Ⅲ TheAcademic Study ofthe Epic Gesar
Ⅳ.ThePublication ofthe印ic ofGesar
Bibliography
Index
Afterword
Afterword
Series Acknowledgements