诺曼·梅勒的《自我宣传》:作为斗牛术的文学

Norman Mailer’s Advertisements for Myself:Literature as Bullfighting

美国犹太裔作家诺曼·梅勒在他的自传性作品《自我宣传》一书中,以一种私人化的口吻对自己的弱点与困境进行了最大程度的暴露和批评,从而将自己推向公众凝视、众人评说的中心。梅勒这种自戕式写作方式与法国作家米歇尔·莱里斯提出的"文学斗牛术"理念极其吻合。根据莱里斯"斗牛文学"的概念,自传创作应该像斗牛运动一样,从危险、规则、美学三个层面去贯彻执行,而《自我宣传》在这三方面践行了"斗牛文学"的理念。但是,他也并非是完全模仿莱里斯,而是在几个方面对斗牛术文学进行了改进和完善。

American Jewish writer Norman Mailer in his autobiographical work Advertisements for Myself not only criticizes himself,but also in a personal tone exposes his weaknesses and plights to such an extent that he pushes himself to the center of public gaze and debate.Such suicidal writing conforms in form to the“literature as bullfighting”proposed by the French writer Michel Leiris,for whom autobiographical writing should be like bullfighting and should be carried out from the three principles of danger,rule and aesthetic.Mailer’s Advertisements for Myself falls into the category of“literature as bullfighting”,but instead of strictly following the principles of Leiris,he improves and perfects the form.