从詹姆士·库柏到肯尼斯·罗伯茨──美国独立战争小说发展概论

From James Cooper to Kenneth Roberts──A Brief Survey of American War Novels about the War of Independence

美国独立战争小说从库柏到罗伯茨经历了两百多年的发展和从浪漫主义到现实主义创作手法的转变。在库柏时代和深受库柏浪漫主义传统影响的１９世纪，表现美国独立战争的战争小说几乎全都显示出一种理念化、简单化、浪漫化的创作特点，使美国革命和华盛顿等美国革命的领袖人物罩上一层神秘与虚幻的光环。库柏这种浪漫主义的创作传统甚至影响到许多２０世纪表现美国独立战争的作品。这种状况在法斯特和罗伯茨等人对独立战争的现实主义创作中才被根本扭转。

American war novels about the War of independence have undergone a development of over 200 yearsfrom James Feminore Cooper to Kenneth Roberts, and from romantic methods to the realistic. Under thestrong influence of Cooper and romantic tradition of literature, the American war novels in the 19th centuryabout the American War of independence almost unanimously demonstrate features of idealistic, simplisticand romantic treatment of characters and themes. t'nnsequently, American Revolution and its leaders likeGeorge Washington were constantly wrapped in a shroud of mystery and illusion. This romantic tradition ofthe American war novels beginning with Cooper had had an enormous influence on the 20th- century novelists of the American War of independence until the emergence of such realistic writers as Howard Fast andKenneth Roberts.