家庭、女性与美国早期公民道德建构——以《新英格兰故事》为例

Domesticity,Women and the Construction of the Civil Virtues in Early American Society:A Case Study of A New-England Tale

美国社会注重公民道德的培养,其历史文化渊源在共和国早期的文学中就得到反映。美国文学奠基人之一凯瑟琳·塞齐威克的诸多作品以家庭、女性与公民道德建构为核心,产生了深远的社会影响。其处女作《新英格兰故事》被认为是美国第一部家庭小说。小说表达了新共和国知识女性对家庭、国家、民族身份及公民道德培养等问题的热切关注,对新公民的品格和新人的道德行为及其所受的家庭、宗教、学校教育和周围环境的各种影响做了细致的描述和分析。

The construction of civil virtues is a key issue in the American society with its roots reflected in the early literature of the republic. Catharine Maria Sedgwick, one of the founders of American literature, made domesticity, women and the construction of the civil virtues the core of her numerous works. Sedgwick＇s first novel A New-England Tale is regarded as the first domestic novel in the United States. The novel depicts and analyzes the character of the new citizen and the moral behavior of the new man under various influences of family, religion, education and people around. The moral focus of the novel has a positive influence on the construction of civil society in the United States.