借力与打力——也谈《诺桑觉寺》对哥特小说的模仿与揶揄

Parody and Imitation:Northanger Abbey and Gothic Fiction

简·奥斯汀的《诺桑觉寺》与哥特小说的关系为许多评论家所关注。模仿说与讽刺说各有理据。一方面奥斯汀模仿哥特小说某些人物及其情节上的套路,发展她自己的哥特版本,推进故事情节;另一方面她在借鉴哥特框架的同时给予其嘲弄与调侃,达到期待中的反讽效果。小说《诺桑觉寺》正是这两种合力共同作用的结果。

Many critics have studied the relation between Jane Austen＇ s Northanger Abbey and Gothic fiction. There has been a dispute of whether the novel was an imitation or a parody of Gothic fiction. The author of this essay regards the novel as a combi- nation of both techniques. On one hand, Austen imitated some of the Gothic formulas to develop her own stimulating Gothic mode. On the other hand, she parodied and mocked the Gothic cliche in order to achieve the expected comic effect. The brilliance of the novel stems from these two forces.