文化研究的想像陷阱——《路得》文学叙事与南丁格尔文化叙事考证研究

The Pitfall Built with Imagination in Cultural Studies:the Literary Narratives of Ruth and the Historical Narratives of Nightingale

以盖斯凯尔小说《路得》结尾处的瘟疫场景作为研究切入点,考证梳理了盖斯凯尔和南丁格尔二人与之相关的原始档案材料,旨在澄清西方文化研究界在阐释《路得》和南丁格尔关系过程中存在的讹误。本文细绎史料,揭示了西方学界将历史进行文本化的阐释行为所造成的想像陷阱,指出《路得》的文学叙事以讹误的力量在客观上促成了"南丁格尔精神"文化叙事的传播与繁衍,但它实际上却并未对南丁格尔的护理事业施加明显影响,《路得》对盖斯凯尔和南丁格尔所起的建设性作用在于它帮助弥合了二人之间日渐疏远的友谊。

This paper investigates the historical archives of Elizabeth Gaskell and Florence Nightingale to shed new light on the plague scene of Gaskell＇ s novel Ruth. It clarifies some misconceptions about the relationship between Ruth and Nightingale. There is a pitfall that is built with the interpreting strategy of textualizing history. The literary narratives of Ruth promote and proliferate the cultural narratives of Nightingale with erroneous messages. Ruth doesn＇ t haye any considerable impact on Nightingale＇ s cause of nursing. It succeeds, however, in mending the rift between these two old friends.