婚姻·爱情·性——小说《觉醒》中艾德娜的“逆觉醒”之路

女作家凯特·肖邦的小说《觉醒》发表于1899年,堪称美国文学史上又一部经典。诚然,小说对女性传统身份的拷问和对女性情欲的直白描写,曾使得《觉醒》自问世之初就如同易卜生的《玩偶之家》一样饱受非议。当时的评论界广泛谴责其"不健康"、"不道德",当地的出版社甚至给它贴上了"毒药"的标签。但是今天,这部小说持久地吸引着读者和评论家的青睐。书中女主人公艾德娜的"觉醒"历来是学者们关注的焦点。然而,通过将书中的三位主要男性串联起来,对比分析他们和艾德娜的关系,笔者发现艾德娜的"觉醒"实质上经历了一个"抛弃婚姻—渴望爱情—沉溺情欲"的逆向过程。

Published in 1899, the novel The Awakening is another classic in the history of American Literature written by the female novelist Kate Chopin. Admittedly, the courageous questioning of the traditional female role and the explicit depiction of female＇s sexual desire in the novel incurred waves of criticism since its debut. Critics at that time condemned its obscenity and immorality; the local publication house even labeled it as ＂poison＂. However, the novel has attracted lasting attention from readers and scholars nowadays. The awakening of the leading role in this novel has long been the focus of researchers. By analyzing relationships between the three males and Edna, the writer finds that Edna＇s awakening actually experiences a retrogressive process--from discarding marriage, to pursuing romance, then to indulging in lust.