历史小说的三种表现形态——论传统、现代、后现代历史小说

Historical Fiction in Traditional,Modern and Postmodern Models

以反映历史人物和事件为主要内容的历史小说可以分成三个时期,即传统历史小说、现代主义历史小说和后现代主义历史小说。传统历史小说把传播历史知识、忠实反映历史真实、补充历史作为自己的使命,使自己服务于历史。现代主义历史小说转向认识论的寻求,把历史的本质和可知性作为其探讨的主题,把自己放在与历史同样重要的位置。后现代主义历史小说在突出虚构性的时候随意虚构、歪曲历史,把历史置于附庸的地位,揭示历史知识的片面性,探询历史发展的多重可能性,关注历史纪录中少数派和从属者的缺失,确信这种缺失是权力斗争的结果。

Traditional historical fiction in the Victorian era tries to reflect history faithfully, and plays the role of supplementing history and spreading historical knowledge. It respects verified historical evidence, depicts historical events and figures as truthfully as possible, and is usually written in the historically chronological order. Modern historical fiction explores the nature of historical knowledge, questions the authenticity of historical truth, and internalizes historical events according to the writer＇s understanding and interpretation of history. It assumes that history, like fiction, is inevitably subjective to the historian＇s personal inclination as well as to the limitation of historical data. Postmodern historical fiction fictionalizes and distorts history, and puts history in a subordinate position. It subverts established history by inventing other possibilities of historical development, and by digging out the buried histories of the historically suppressed or silenced masses, to reveal the hidden power struggle in the establishment of historical knowledge.