狄更斯对印度兵变的误读与书写——对《英国囚徒历险记》的互文性分析

Dickens's Misinterpretation and Writing of the Sepoy Mutiny: An Intertextual Study of The Peril of Certain English Prisoners

狄更斯以同情被压迫阶级而著名,但是,在印度兵变发生后,他对被殖民的印度人民却未表现出应有的理解与悲悯,而是发文谴责,呼吁严厉报复,并与科林斯合作了小说《英国囚徒历险记》影射此事。狄更斯愤怒的态度和激烈的言辞其实源于多方面因素:根深蒂固的种族观、对印度的误读、对政府放任政策的不满以及对帝国命运的担忧等。

Dickens is famous for his sympathy for the oppressed.But after the Sepoy Mutiny in India in 1857,he showed no sympathy for the colonized Indian people.Instead,he attacked the Indian soldiers and appealed to the government to repress the mutiny.He even co-authored The Peril of Certain English Prisoners to refer to the event.Dickens's radical attitude and extreme anger came from many factors: his deep-rooted racism,misinterpretation of the Indian affairs,anger over the laissez-faire government policy and anxiety about the future of the empire.