当代西方乔治·爱略特研究述评

A Critical Survey of Contemporary Western Studies on George Eliot

乔治·爱略特在当代西方受到评论界的持续关注,研究态势主要反映在以下三个方面:首先爱略特生平研究的重心已从对作家个人生活的求真描述转向对其思想源流、人际关系、创作过程的探讨,体现出文化和政治转向;其次多元的理论视角为作品阐释赋予新意,从伦理学、马克思主义和文化研究立场出发的文本阐释尤其令人瞩目;最后以往为人诟病的爱略特诗歌开始受到重新评价,被认为是对作家思想的有力呈现。由此可见,对经典作家的深入探讨,历史语境与当代理论视角的有机结合很有必要,而梳理当代西方爱略特研究成果,对我们开阔视野、把握国外研究的总体趋势也不无裨益。

Great importance has always been attached to George Eliot in contemporary western scholarship. Three orientations demand attention： first, there has appeared a cultural and political turn in the biographical studies of George Eliot, with emphasis on the philosophical thoughts, interpersonal relationship and creative process; secondly, different theoretical perspectives, most notably moral, Marxist and cultural ones, lend fresh ideas to textual interpretations; thirdly, the often neglected poetry of George Eliot has been reevaluated as vigorous representations of its author＇s thoughts. Therefore, it is of vital importance to integrate historical contexts with contemporary literary theories in canonical interpretations. It is also hoped that this critical survey can crystallize the future studies.