“河湾”深处的黑暗——《河湾》与《黑暗的心》的对比研究

Darkness Around the Riverband——A Comparative Study of Heart of Darkness and A Bend in the River

《黑暗的心》和《河湾》的作者都拥有多元文化实践、丰富的个人阅历和对文化身份的追求。两部小说在主题、叙述角度、文学意象、悲戚风格的运用上体现出惊人的相似。读者对小说主旨截然不同的理解展现作者身份带来的尴尬。苍白无力的女性角色和略显族裔特色的语言是小说令人遗憾之处。尽管两位作家探讨的是不同阶段的帝国主义,奈保尔对第三世界展现的不仅是同情,更有批评。简言之,《河湾》的写作体现康拉德的深刻影响,而奈保尔继承康氏特色并有所发展。

Conrad＇ s Heart of Darkness was published eighty years earlier than Naipaul＇ s A Bend in the River. The authors share the same muhicultural practice, rich personal experiences and the pursuit of cultural identity. There are striking similarities in the choice of the subject, the narrative perspective, the profound symbols, and the gloomy tone in both novels. The readers＇ contra- dictory understandings of the purpose of the novels indicate the embarrassment caused by the distinctive identity of the authors. The pale women characters and the unauthentic language of the two novels are also alike. The authors dealt with different periods of imperialism, but Naipaul showed sympathy as well as criticism to the Third World. In a word, Naipaul＇ s writing had not only been influenced by Conradian writing but also succeeded and developed it.