论《中国佬》对中国古典小说结构的戏仿

China Men: Parodying the Structures of Classical Chinese Vernacular Fictions

中国古典白话小说具有两个显著的结构特征,即"联缀性"结构和"头回"故事的运用。联缀式结构是中国长篇白话小说特有的结构特点。在正文前面加一个内容独立的"头回"故事则是话本小说即短篇白话小说的结构特点。通过对汤亭亭的重要作品《中国佬》的细读,可以见出它是作者对中国古典小说进行创造性借鉴和模仿的结果。通过对中国古典小说结构的戏仿,作品并置官方历史记录和虚构的华裔历史故事,质疑和颠覆了貌似客观的官方历史的权威,从而实现了对华裔历史的重访和再创造。

The classical Chinese vernacular fictions have two structural characteristics, 'episodic pattern' and the use of 'first-Hui story', that is, to add a 'first-Hui story' before the main story. A close reading of Maxine Hong Kingston's China Men shows that this novel, through parodying the structures of classical Chinese vernacular fictions, juxtaposes the official historical records and fictitious Chinese American historical stories. Thus it doubts and subverts the authority of the official history and achieves the revisitation and re-writing of the history of Chinese Americans.