美国现实社会变迁的一面镜子——解读约翰·厄普代克的小说《兔子》四部曲

A Mirror to American Social Changes——An Interpretation of John Updike's Rabbit Series

约翰.厄普代克是美国20世纪下半叶最著名的现实主义小说家之一,是美国“垮掉的一代”的重要代表,被评论家称为“社会历史变化的准确记录者”。他的小说《兔子》四部曲,生动形象地描述了哈里这个普普通通美国人家庭的兴起与衰败,成功地塑造了“兔子”哈里这样一个置身于美国现实社会中的典型形象,系统而全面地展现了半个世纪以来美国社会的分崩离析和精神颓废等现实,从而加深了人们对美国当代现实生活真实状况的认识,是20世纪美国现实社会变迁的真实写照。

John Updike is generally acclaimed as the most realistic of all the postwar realists, a leading novelist in the contemporary literary circles. He is regarded as an important representative of Beat Generation and viewed as ＂the accurate recorder of his torical changes＂. His Rabbit Series are usually regarded as the greatest success in his literary career as he carefully manipu lates the sympathy of the reader toward Harry Angstrom＇s predicament in modern society. It chronicled the life of Harry （Rabbit） Angstrom, creating as memorable an American character as any that appeared in the twentieth century. The significance of the tetralogy lies in the way they orchestrate Harry＇s alienated soul with different historical and social events and his will to struggle his way through the chaotic Years. From the Series, the readers can see clearly how American society changed during the second half of the 20th century with a presentation of its disintegration and spiritual decadence.