面对文化研究的挑战：比较文学的未来

Confronting the Challenge of Cultural Studies: The Future of Comparative Literature

正如我们所知,文化研究的特征体现在与传统的精英文学研究的对立,因为它所指向的是大众的非精英文学和文化现象,而这些现象通常并不为文学研究者,或具体说来,比较文学学者所关注,同时也因为文化研究对比较文学学科构成了严峻的挑战。但是另一方面,文化研究与文学研究又不无一定的互补性和对话性,具体体现在它对于重新建构一门新的比较文学学科做出了重要的贡献。传统的文学研究者过去不屑于去研究的东西现在却成了同时进行比较文学和文化研究的学者们研究的对象。在这个意义上说来,我们应该认识到,并非是文化研究占领了比较文学研究的领地,而恰恰是文化研究拓展了文学研究固有的领地并为之增添了一些文化因素,因为文化研究的重要一支就来自文学研究。本文作者将揭示英美一些具有代表性的比较文学学者是如何在致力于文学研究的同时也进行文化研究或文化批评的。在作者看来,他们的跨学科写作为文学研究与文化研究之间的交流和对话铺平了道路。文化研究在消解并颠覆有着鲜明欧洲中心色彩的比较文学学科的同时,也对一门新的比较文学和世界文学学科的重建产生了积极的影响。同时,它也通过给既定的经典增添一些非经典取向的东方文学作品而使得世界文学的重新构图成为可能。

As we all know, cultural studies is characterized by its opposition to （elite） literary studies not only because it points to popular or non - elite literature which is usually not dealt with by literary scholars or more specifically, comparatists, but also because it severely challenges the discipline of comparative literature. But on the other hand, cultural studies complements liter- ary studies with its significant contribution to the reconstruction of a sort of new comparative literature. What were not touched up- on by traditional literary scholars are now studied by cultural studies scholars who are at the same time doing comparative studies. In this sense, we should realize that it is not cultural studies that has occupied the domain of comparative literature studies, but rather, it has expanded its traditional domain and inserted some new cultural elements. This paper illustrates how some of the representative Anglo - American comparatists are also doing cultural studies or cultural criticism while engaged in comparative lit- erature studies. The author observes that their interdisciplinary writings have paved the way for effective dialogues between literary studies and cultural studies. Therefore, cultural studies, in deconstructing and subverting the old established discipline of Enro- centric comparative literature, has made positive impact on the reconstruction of a new discipline of comparative literature and world literature. It has also made it possible for the remapping of world literature by inserting in the canon some non - canonical oriental literary works.