献身神职,救赎自我——评《死神来迎接大主教》中的精神生态建设

Pursuing the Priesthood and Redeeming the Self:On the Construction of Spiritual Ecology in Death Comes for the Archbishop

在薇拉·凯瑟创作后期的巅峰之作《死神来迎接大主教》中，凯瑟把宗教和文化传统作为拯救人类异化的精神世界的工具，成功塑造了19世纪被派到美国新墨西哥州来传教的两位法国天主教神父的形象，描写了一种精神拓荒。凯瑟在热情地讴歌了两位神父对神圣事业的虔诚、追求与献身精神的同时，也为人类示范了一个在地球上“诗意栖居”的理想精神家园。

Willa Cather is one of the most influential novelists in the early part of the 20th century in the U.S. In her best seller,Death Comes for the Archbishop,which treats religion and cultural tradition as a necessary tool to save the alienation spirit of humanity,Cather successfully portrays two French priests who were sent to New Mexico to preach Christianity inthe 19th century,aiming at describing a specific kind of spiritual exploration.Cather enthusiastically praises the two French priests for their piety and their devotion to the sacred task,and for setting a good example for the humanityin achieving poetic habitation in an ideal spiritual homeland.