走出历史的阴影 寻找迷失的自我——论爱德华·P·琼斯的《迷失城中》

Eliminating Historical Shadow and Looking for Lost Self——On Lost in the City of Edward P. Jones

当代美国非裔作家爱德华·P·琼斯在其短篇小说集《迷失城中》里从人与社会关系的异化、家庭关系的破裂及个体的孤独感等方面再现了20世纪在华盛顿生活的黑人们迷失的种种表现。作品揭示了导致他们成为"迷失一代"的根本原因是奴隶制阴影带来的一种延续性的创伤和焦虑。在表现手法上,作家采用丰富的象征艺术使"迷失"主题得到彰显,也使文本具有独特的艺术感染力。通过"迷失"主题的书写,反映了作家对黑人生存现状的深切同情与关怀,也透露了作家对黑人穿过迷失的黑暗后寻找自我的希望。

In the fourteen stories that comprise Lost in the City, Edward P. Jones discloses his characters＇ alienation from the society, rupture of family relations and individual solitude among the black people in Washington, D, C. The fundamental reason for their lostness lies in the lasting trauma and anxiety as consequences of slavery. The affluent symbols work together to attain an emotional and spiritual sense of the work＇s motif--lostness. By revealing the characters＇ lostness, Jones expresses his strong concern and compassion for the present situation of the black and his confidence in their discovery of their true self.