西方文化批判者伏尔泰的跨文化戏剧

Voltaire's lntercultural Theatre

赛义德指出东方主义两大母题 :东方是被打败的和危险的 ;但忽视了伏尔泰代表的第三个母题 :浪漫化东方 ,批评西方。伏尔泰对东方的了解虽然肤浅 ,但他的剧作宣扬宗教和文化宽容 ,挑战占统治地位的丑化东方人的观念 ,成就卓著。西方社会内部对自身文化的批判和对他者文化的向往也有一个重要的传统 ,这一点应该引起当代学者的注意 ,这样才能全面认识历史上跨文化交流的真实面貌。

Edward Said points out two major Orientalist motifs: The East is either defeated or dangerous. But he overlooks a third motif Voltaire represents: romanticizing the East while criticizing the West. Although Voltaire did not really understand the East, his plays promoted religious and cultural tolerance, challenging the then dominant European works' degrading the East. There has been a tradition within the West that criticizes its own culture and tries to open up to other cultures. Today's scholars should pay attention to this tradition in order to see both sides of the picture of intercultural communications in the past.