小小女艺术家的形象——从女权主义角度解读五部女性成长小说

The Images of Five Young Women Artists——A Feminist Reading of Five Children's Books

当代英语儿童文学最显著的特色之一是深受女权主义理论影响。以莫尼卡·惠帝格为代表的一派女权主义学者认为,语言在女性建构主体性的过程中起着至关重要的作用。没有语言便没有主体性,主体之所以成为主体是因为作用于她身上的语言文化力量将其如此构建。加拿大女权主义学者兼儿童文学评论家莉萨·保罗(Lisa Paul)认为妇女文学和儿童文学一样都受到了“语言压迫”,所以女权主义作家们不但拿起笔,用语言来传达自己的声音,同时也让她/他们的主人公以语言武装自己。本文试图通过解读以下五部女艺术家成长小说来验证这种观点对儿童文学创作的影响：加拿大最有影响的儿童文学作家露西·蒙格马利的“埃米莉三部曲”：《新月的埃米莉》、《埃米莉的奋斗》和《埃米莉的求索》,美国当代儿童文学作家路易丝·费兹的《间谍哈里特》,以及莫莉·亨特的《棂车声响》。

One of the most discernable characteristics of modern English children＇s literature is that it was and is deeply influenced by feminist theories. A group of feminists represented by Monique Wittig stick to the idea that language plays a key role in building up women＇s subjectivity, and that it is language and the cultural power embedded in language that form the subjects as what they are. Lisa Paul, a Canadian feminist and children＇s literature critic, claims that both women＇s and children＇s literature has been subject to linguistic repression. In order to get their voice heard, feminist writers of children＇s books empower their female protagonists with superior language ability to express themselves while questing their subjectivity. This paper tends to prove the feminist influence upon children＇s literature through a study of five modern children＇s books which are all Bildungsroman： the Emily Trilogy by Lucy Montgomery, the prestigious Canadian writer of children＇s books, Harriet the Spy （1964） by Louise Fitzhugh and A Sound of Chariots （1972） by Mollie Hunter.