《甜牙》——“原谅”的伦理与情感

An Ethical Reading of Ian McEwan's Sweet Tooth

麦克尤恩新作《甜牙》戏仿时下流行的间谍题材,以人物叙述为主导模式,综合运用嵌入叙述、心理叙述、内聚焦以及元小说结尾等书写策略,揶揄和嘲讽了欧美政坛对文化领域的丑陋干涉,代表了作者新时期文学创作的又一非凡成就。本文试图揭示"原谅"这一在作品中不断闪现的词汇所蕴含的伦理价值和情感元素。文章在着力考察塞雷娜·弗罗姆、托尼·坎宁、汤姆·哈雷等小说主要人物的伦理身份的同时,重点探究他们在为守望情感而选择背叛或不忠时的心境与缘由,在此基础上挖掘这类事件以及小说人物请求"原谅"、给予"原谅"的后继行为所潜藏的情感与伦理。文章认为,情感使得小说人物置身无所适从的伦理困境,由于受到伦理意识的约束和指引,小说人物的情感朝着理性的方向发展和升华,并最终促使他们做出了"假背叛,守真情"的伦理选择。无论是托尼和汤姆分别请求"原谅"的致歉书,还是塞雷娜实际做出"原谅"的行为,不仅反映出他们对情感的无畏坚守,而且展现了难能可贵的伦理操守。

Ian McEwan＇s Sweet Tooth,claimed to be a parody of spy fiction,is written in the mode of character narration combined with embedded narration,psychonarration,internal focalization and meta-fictional ending to criticize the British intelligence＇s interference with culture.This paper aims to unpack elements of ethics and emotions implied by the oft-used word ＂forgiveness＂ in the novel.Apart from analyzing the ethical identities of such characters as Serena Frame,Tony Canning,and Tom Haley,the paper also attempts to disclose the factors leading these characters to make their respective ethical choices.It argues that the characters are stranded in an ethical dilemma due to their emotions,which in turn are constrained and governed by their ethical consciousness.Owing to their reasoning power,the characters eventually make proper ethical choices in the name of ＂betrayal＂.The ethical values are typically manifested in both Tony＇s and Tom＇ s letters pleading for forgiveness,and in Serena＇s consequential act of offering forgiveness.