论阿特伍德文学作品中的历史再现——从《苏珊娜·莫迪的日记》到《别名格雷斯》

On the Representation of History in Atwood's Works:From The Journals of Susanna Moodie to Alias Grace

19世纪加拿大移民女作家苏珊娜.莫迪在其代表作中多次记述和阐释当时引起轰动的"格雷斯·马克斯案件"。当代"加拿大文学女皇"阿特伍德在其作品《苏珊娜·莫迪的日记》和《别名格雷斯》中分别"再现"了这些历史人物和事件。本文探讨了阿特伍德选取这些历史素材进行文学创作的缘由、两部作品之间的联系和两书"再现"历史时的不同侧重点。在《苏珊娜·莫迪的日记》中,作者突出了莫迪对新家园加拿大又爱又恨的矛盾心态,并将它上升为加拿大人的集体无意识;而在近三十年后创作的《别名格雷斯》中,阿特伍德却为自己早年轻信莫迪作品中对"格雷斯·马克斯案件"一面之词的记述和阐释进行了反省,并通过重新"讲述"这个"故事",对莫迪记忆和叙述中的讹误和偏差进行了揭示;同时,作者借助巧妙的叙事手法,通过融合心理分析、女性主义、后现代主义等批评理论和文学手法,表现了"历史真相"的多元性、不确定性以及"终极历史真相"的不可企及性等当代历史观念。

The 19th century Canadian immigrant woman writer Susanna Moodie relates and interprets in her writings once and again a historic event of her time — the sensational 'Grace Marks Case'. Margaret Atwood represents these historical figures and events respectively in The Journals of Susanna Moodie and Alias Grace. This thesis probes for the reason why Atwood chose these historical materials for literary creation,the connection between the two books,and their different emphases in representing history. In The Journals,Atwood highlights Moodie's ambivalence towards her new homeland Canada,which is made a symbol of the collective unconsciousness of Canadian people; while in Alias Grace,Atwood reflects over her early credulity of Moodie's 'story' about the 'Grace Marks Case' ,and by 're-telling' the 'story' ,Atwood exposes the errors and partiality of Moodie's account. Meanwhile,through employing ingenious narrative methods and fusing the critical theories of psychoanalysis,feminism,postmodernism,etc.,Atwood demonstrates an up-to-date sense of history which contains the ideas of multiplicity and ambiguity of 'the historical fact' ,and un-attainability of 'the final historical fact'.