从《瑞普·凡·温克尔》看华盛顿·欧文的历史文本意识

Texts and Contexts in Rip Van Winkle

随着各种批评理论的衍进和经典重读的不断进行 ,华盛顿·欧文的形象似乎也发生了“变化”。与美国其他经典作家一样 ,他在向国人提供愉悦的同时也参与了一定历史的“书写”。他的小说《瑞普·凡·温克尔》就是一则再现美国历史瞬间的故事。如果将它置于一定历史语境下加以考察就会发现 ,该小说隐含了深层的历史含义和鲜明的价值取向 ,即它在国族建构、意识形态和主题意蕴等方面所体现的多重文本内涵。

Critics tend to read Washington Irvings Rip Van Winkle as a mythic escape from history without delving into the complicated vision of history in it. A close reading of the historical texts and contexts in the story reveals how Irving contextually establishes the storys thematic frame in a variety of national and ideological representations. This discussion therefore focuses on the texts and contexts that Irving incorporates into the story and argues that Irving writes out his anxieties and ambivalence toward America and himself.