《在中国屏风上》的三种中国形象

Three Images of China in On a Chinese Screen

毛姆是一位对中国文化颇感兴趣的作家,《在中国屏风上》是1919年他在中国旅游时所见所闻所感的记录,他以深邃的观察力和优美而犀利的文笔,描写了在中国接触到的人物、风景和某些偶然事件,构筑了一个别样的中国形象。毛姆在《中国屏风上》描绘了三种美学意义上的中国形象:古老、辉煌和华美的中国;黯淡、破败和落后的中国;宁静、平和与恬淡的中国。毛姆笔下的中国形象是他在中国现实的基础上对中国文化做出的认同与否定,体现了他所属群体的社会、文化和意识形态范式,同时也是他内心世界与外部世界撞击的结果。

Maugham is an author who is interested in Chinese culture. The travelogue of On a Chinese Screen recorded his tour in China in 1920. By his profound insight and his elegant, sharp pen, he depicted the characters, the sceneries and some incidents he met in China, which shaped a particular image of China. In On a Chinese Screen, Maugham paints three aesthetic images of China, antique and glorious China, dilapidated and uncultured China, as well as serene and placid China. The images of China by Maugham are his recognition and negation based on the reality of China, which exemplifies the social, cultural and ideological normal form of the community he belongs to. It is also the result of the impact between his inner world and the outside world.