从暴力到宽容：欧茨的超越观
发布时间：2018-08-20 09:21
【摘要】：乔伊斯·卡罗尔·欧茨是美国当代文坛极富盛誉的作家之一。约翰·厄普代克因此而绰称她为美国最了不起的“女文人”。1970年在接受美国国家图书奖的演讲中,欧茨强调了她的小说创作意图：“如实再现二十世纪中叶美国人不可摆脱的情感——即因出于对爱情与金钱的执着,出于现代社会人际间交往产生的困惑,以及我所见所闻人群中所体现的一种难以压抑的冲动。这种冲动往往以暴力告终,试图通过自我摧残、结束生命等方式寻求极限体验或最终屈服”。此观点产生于欧茨创作生涯早期,但当中所提到的爱情、金钱和暴力等主题几乎呈现于作家其后创作的所有作品。 诚然,欧茨的作品中反复展现暴力描写：诸如谋杀、自杀、强奸、暴乱、纵火和毒打。她笔下的人物,不论出身背景,不乏因身处困境而痛苦挣扎的经历。但是,作家本身并非旨在简单记录美国社会现象。相反,欧茨对作品中的人物所抱有的是一种同情之心,并希冀读者亦能感受作品中所富含的怜悯之情。作品中“悲剧性”人物具有他们特有的“英勇”,这是因为面对困难,他们常常能够果断地采取相应的行动。尽管当中一些人物不能超越命运局限,但他们在困境面前所表现出的隐忍,足以反映人们生生不息超越困苦的不挠精神。 对于一部分评论者而言,欧茨作品多为悲剧性或暴力特征的再现,然而欧茨的真正意图,也可理解为是对小说中人物努力抗争人生挫折的肯定。与自然主义作品中所体现的无助与无望不同,欧茨的创作目的在于唤醒读者对人生局限性的理解并帮助他们“超越人类存在炫目的繁杂性,步入超越性/神性的存在”(NN35)。换言之,欧茨真正的创作意图在于展现“超越”的可能性,而并非“揭露”人物噩梦般的生存现状。 的确,欧茨的许多作品大都以不同环境下难以避免的暴力冲动为写作对象,但是作品当中暗含的创作宗旨更多地是有力展现怎样实现以宽容的美德来超越困境的不可抗拒性。埃伦·G·弗里德曼“欧茨创作观念的核心在于人不可能超越存在环境”的观点有待重新评价。这是因为欧茨的创作理念亦可陈述为,人生来并非一定承受苦难,而是通过选择或者创造性适应,成功地越过苦难。 欧茨作品颇丰,因而有了“欧茨现象”。自1963年短篇小说集《北门边》起至今,欧茨已发表57部长短篇小说,35部短篇小说集,8部诗集,9部剧作,14部非小说性作品,当中包括文学批评,也包括一本有关拳击的专论。“未来的考古学家即便仅仅集合欧茨的作品,亦可重构战后美国”,亨利·盖茨上世纪90年代初评价道。 尽管仍有部分评论者认为欧茨冷峻,暴力性作品的创作基础源于她对现代美国所持的“噩梦愿景”,但把欧茨称作悲观作家的见解仍不攻自破。与批评意见相反,欧茨希望能够见到更多的读者朝向理解带有破坏性行为的根源,而并非仅限于对这些行为的谴责。可以说,欧茨的作品意在明确肯定价值,指向一个更好的生活方式。欧茨阐释道,严肃作家为“普世”而创作,并从纷扰的世间百态或平凡生活中探究意义和价值。她认为正是因为主人公陷于悲惨境地,我们方能透过他的苦难目睹我们个人生活的反面,从而超越尘世的“龌龊污秽”。艺术的目的“不在于重现所见”,而在于“使能见”,文学评论的功用也不应局限于无情攻击或艳羡恭维地剖析作品,而应力图说明重要作家的作品如何阐释他们或者读者所跻身的时代。 透过分析欧茨小说和非小说中人物不懈努力地通过追求金钱、性爱、暴力和宽容等手段实现最终超越现实世界诸多局限,论文提出正确理解欧茨作品中时常受到评论者质疑的“无序、无常和癫狂”,恰恰是探究欧茨超越创作观念的基础。诸多评论者在欧茨作品中所关注到的“暴力”应正确地理解为欧茨展现主题的“手段”,而非创作最终“目的”。与其他伟大作家经典作品相同,欧茨透过作品中刻画的暴力现象背后所体现的真正意图具有积极层面意义,而非仅限于消极意义,目的在于引导读者认识到现实生活环境的错综复杂,并力图实现安然处于其间的生活目标。从欧茨作品可知,作家始终坚信人们能够通过宽容美德实现适应苦难,最终超越生命局限并达到爱与超越的彼岸。
[Abstract]:Joyce Carol Oates is one of the most prestigious writers in contemporary American literature.John Updike nicknamed her the greatest woman writer in America.In her speech at the National Book Award in 1970, Oates emphasized her intention of writing novels: "Reappearing the mid-twentieth century Americans can not be flattered." Emotions of detachment --- the obsession with love and money, the perplexity of interpersonal relationships in modern society, and the irrepressible impulse that I see and hear in the crowd. These impulses often end in violence, trying to find the ultimate experience or ultimate surrender through self-destruction, the end of life, etc. Opinions originated in the early years of Oates'writing career, but the themes of love, money and violence mentioned in them were presented in almost all his subsequent works.
It is true that Oates's works repeatedly show violent descriptions, such as murder, suicide, rape, riot, arson and beating. Her characters, regardless of their background, have painful experiences of struggling in a difficult position. But the writer herself is not intended to simply record American social phenomena. The tragic characters in the works have their own unique "courage" because they are often able to act decisively in the face of difficulties. Although some of them can not transcend the limits of fate, they are shown in the face of difficulties. The present forbearance is enough to reflect the indomitable spirit of people living beyond difficulties.
For some critics, Oates'works are mostly a representation of tragic or violent features. However, Oates' real intention can also be understood as an affirmation of the characters'struggle against life's setbacks. Unlike the helplessness and hopelessness embodied in naturalistic works, Oates' creation aims at arousing readers'limitations of life. Understanding and helping them to "transcend the dazzling complexity of human existence into transcendental/divine existence" (NN35). In other words, Oates'real intention is to show the possibility of transcendence, not to "expose" the nightmarish existence of the characters.
It is true that many of Oates'works are written on the unavoidable violent impulses in different environments, but the underlying purpose of his work is more to demonstrate the irresistibility of how to achieve the virtue of tolerance to overcome difficulties. This is because Oates'idea of creation can also be stated that man is not born to suffer, but to successfully overcome adversity by choice or creative adaptation.
Since 1963, Oates has published 57 short stories, 35 short stories, 8 poetry, 9 plays, 14 non-fiction works, including literary criticism and a monograph on boxing. The collection of Oates's works can also reconstruct the post-war us. Henry Gates commented on the early 90s of last century.
Although some critics still believe that Oates's grim, violent writing is based on her "nightmare vision" of modern America, the notion that Oates is a pessimistic writer is not self-explanatory. Contrary to the criticism, Oates hopes to see more readers towards understanding the root causes of destructive behaviour, not just about it. Limited to the condemnation of these acts, it can be said that Oates'works are intended to affirm value and point to a better way of life. Oates explains that serious writers create for the sake of "universal" and explore meaning and value from the confused worldly state or ordinary life. She believes that it is precisely because the hero is in a tragic position that we are able to penetrate. The purpose of art is not to reproduce what is seen, but to make it visible. The function of literary criticism should not be confined to mercilessly attacking or flattering the analysis of works, but to explain how important writers interpret them or their works. The age of readers and readers.
Through the analysis of Oates'novels and non-fictional characters' unremitting efforts to transcend the limitations of the real world through the pursuit of money, sex, violence and tolerance, the paper proposes that a correct understanding of Oates'"disorder, impermanence and madness", which is often questioned by critics, is precisely the basis for exploring Oates' transcendence of creative ideas. The "violence" that many critics pay attention to in Oates'works should be correctly understood as the "means" of Oates' presentation of the theme, not the ultimate "purpose" of his creation. From Oates'works, the author always believes that people can adapt to suffering through tolerance virtue, and ultimately transcend the limitations of life and reach the other side of love and transcendence.
【学位授予单位】：华东师范大学
【学位级别】：博士
【学位授予年份】：2012
【分类号】：I712.065
本文编号：2193131
[Abstract]:Joyce Carol Oates is one of the most prestigious writers in contemporary American literature.John Updike nicknamed her the greatest woman writer in America.In her speech at the National Book Award in 1970, Oates emphasized her intention of writing novels: "Reappearing the mid-twentieth century Americans can not be flattered." Emotions of detachment --- the obsession with love and money, the perplexity of interpersonal relationships in modern society, and the irrepressible impulse that I see and hear in the crowd. These impulses often end in violence, trying to find the ultimate experience or ultimate surrender through self-destruction, the end of life, etc. Opinions originated in the early years of Oates'writing career, but the themes of love, money and violence mentioned in them were presented in almost all his subsequent works.
It is true that Oates's works repeatedly show violent descriptions, such as murder, suicide, rape, riot, arson and beating. Her characters, regardless of their background, have painful experiences of struggling in a difficult position. But the writer herself is not intended to simply record American social phenomena. The tragic characters in the works have their own unique "courage" because they are often able to act decisively in the face of difficulties. Although some of them can not transcend the limits of fate, they are shown in the face of difficulties. The present forbearance is enough to reflect the indomitable spirit of people living beyond difficulties.
For some critics, Oates'works are mostly a representation of tragic or violent features. However, Oates' real intention can also be understood as an affirmation of the characters'struggle against life's setbacks. Unlike the helplessness and hopelessness embodied in naturalistic works, Oates' creation aims at arousing readers'limitations of life. Understanding and helping them to "transcend the dazzling complexity of human existence into transcendental/divine existence" (NN35). In other words, Oates'real intention is to show the possibility of transcendence, not to "expose" the nightmarish existence of the characters.
It is true that many of Oates'works are written on the unavoidable violent impulses in different environments, but the underlying purpose of his work is more to demonstrate the irresistibility of how to achieve the virtue of tolerance to overcome difficulties. This is because Oates'idea of creation can also be stated that man is not born to suffer, but to successfully overcome adversity by choice or creative adaptation.
Since 1963, Oates has published 57 short stories, 35 short stories, 8 poetry, 9 plays, 14 non-fiction works, including literary criticism and a monograph on boxing. The collection of Oates's works can also reconstruct the post-war us. Henry Gates commented on the early 90s of last century.
Although some critics still believe that Oates's grim, violent writing is based on her "nightmare vision" of modern America, the notion that Oates is a pessimistic writer is not self-explanatory. Contrary to the criticism, Oates hopes to see more readers towards understanding the root causes of destructive behaviour, not just about it. Limited to the condemnation of these acts, it can be said that Oates'works are intended to affirm value and point to a better way of life. Oates explains that serious writers create for the sake of "universal" and explore meaning and value from the confused worldly state or ordinary life. She believes that it is precisely because the hero is in a tragic position that we are able to penetrate. The purpose of art is not to reproduce what is seen, but to make it visible. The function of literary criticism should not be confined to mercilessly attacking or flattering the analysis of works, but to explain how important writers interpret them or their works. The age of readers and readers.
Through the analysis of Oates'novels and non-fictional characters' unremitting efforts to transcend the limitations of the real world through the pursuit of money, sex, violence and tolerance, the paper proposes that a correct understanding of Oates'"disorder, impermanence and madness", which is often questioned by critics, is precisely the basis for exploring Oates' transcendence of creative ideas. The "violence" that many critics pay attention to in Oates'works should be correctly understood as the "means" of Oates' presentation of the theme, not the ultimate "purpose" of his creation. From Oates'works, the author always believes that people can adapt to suffering through tolerance virtue, and ultimately transcend the limitations of life and reach the other side of love and transcendence.
【学位授予单位】：华东师范大学
【学位级别】：博士
【学位授予年份】：2012
【分类号】：I712.065
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