反叛背后的真实——从《再见,哥伦布》和《波特诺伊的怨诉》看罗斯的叛逆

Philip Roth's Revolt in Goodbye,Columbus and Portnoy's Complaint

菲利普.罗斯的早期重要作品《再见,哥伦布》和《波特诺伊的怨诉》不仅预示了罗斯后来的创作主题和多变的叙述手法,而且因其对犹太生活的真实刻画在犹太读者和评论界中引发了巨大争议,从而影响到罗斯后十年的创作。本文试图从小说人物刻画、读者阅读和作者叙述的角度来分析这两部作品,旨在说明,罗斯对文化融合过程中一批背离传统的犹太人的刻画,及其对"不应叙述之事"的叙述,是缘自从内向外的叛逆性认知。他的叛逆性写作从道德伦理上触痛了犹太禁忌,但却是从根本上帮助犹太人摆脱固守传统带来的人性压抑,是对犹太生存问题的逆向性思考。

Philip Roth＇s early works Goodbye, Columbus and Portnoy＇s Complaint are significant not only in that they anticipated the subject matters and variable narrative strategies of the writer＇s later works, but also in that their truthful depiction of Jewish life aroused controversy among Jewish readers and critics. This paper analyzes the characterization and point of view in both works, and examines the readers＇ response to them. It argues that Roth＇s portrayal of unconventional Jews experiencing cultural integra- tion and his revelation of the unnarratable aspects in Jewish life are based on his subver- sive perception. Breaking the traditional Jewish moral stricture, Roth＇s subversive writing helps free the Jews from their bondage to rigid conventions that hamper human nature and expresses his reflections on the issue of Jewish existence.