英国政治讽喻诗中的马嘎尔尼访华

English Satires’ Representation of Lord Macartney’s Embassy to China

马嘎尔尼访华的文学再现不仅体现在浪漫主义时期的经典著作中,而且表现在更早的18世纪英国政治讽喻诗歌中。这些诗歌通过"预演"马嘎尔尼访华,要么把中国儒家的治国理政视为君主制的典范,以此来针砭本国时弊;要么通过兜售英国工业启蒙思想,以期开拓中国市场;要么反对英国在海外疯狂掠夺的殖民扩张,声讨谴责其野蛮行径。探讨这些诗歌对马嘎尔尼访华的犀利讽刺,对其访华目的的猛烈抨击,不仅有助于相关的史学研究,也有利于深入理解英国讽刺文学在浪漫主义时期的没落过程。

Lord Macartney’s embassy to China was represented not only in English romantic prose and poetry,but also in English satires of the early 1790s.These satires"rehearse"this important official visit in order to voice their concerns and expectations.Some take Chinese government as an example of ideal Confucian governance to criticize the political vices and corruptions of England;some hope to expand British share in the Chinese market by diffusing the thoughts and products of English Industrial Enlightenment;some regard the true aim of the embassy as colonial expansion and launch a barrage of condemnation.Exploring these satirical poems is not only conducive to relevant historical studies,but also is helpful to understanding the waning of satires as a genre in the romantic period.