论爱默生的自然理性文学观

On Emerson's Poetics of Natural piety

爱默生对美国文学与文化影响重大,被认为"有了爱默生,美国文学才真正诞生",他"标志着美国文化和美国精神的独立",究其原因,国内外研究多于强调其超验主义、个人主义观念影响的论述,较少论及爱默生创作观念中"自然理性"这一更为本质特征的影响。事实上,爱默生继承和改造了基督教对人的神性诉求,发展了理性与神性相结合的近代自然理性思想,强调对传统进行"创造性阅读",将潜在信仰学说从旧文化基础中清除了出去。其倡导的群体性个人主义由心理经验向政治问题转化,为美国现代化奠定了思想基础,给美国人以新的心理平衡和道德归属感。

Emerson,who is considered as ＂the real birth of American literature＂,has great influence on American literature and culture.He represents the independence of American culture and American spirit.When referred to its fundamental reason,domestic and foreign research put too much emphasis on the transcendental doctrine and the concept of individualism,but does not pay much attention to the effect of ＂natural piety＂,which is more essential,on Emerson＇s works.This paper argues that Emerson inherits Christianity＇s divine aspirations,develops modern natural piety with rationality and divinity combined together and emphasizes ＂creative reading＂ on tradition in order to clear the potential faith-based doctrine out of the old culture.Transforming from the psychological experience into a political problem,the group-independent individual identity he advocates,should lay the ideological foundation for American modernization and gives the Americans a new psychological equilibrium and moral sense of belonging.