在诗情与史实之间——英国诗人历史学家约翰·阿丁顿·西蒙兹评介

Introduction and Critique on the British Poet and Historian John Addington Symonds

在英国诗人历史学家约翰·阿丁顿·西蒙兹所生活的维多利亚时代,人们正陶醉在理性、科学的实证力量之中。在这种乐观气氛流行的同时,西蒙兹与西方其他具有超前时代意识的文化人已经敏锐地分析出理性的局限性,并强调人的非理性成分包括诗性的因素正是创造力的源泉,正是一个完整的人之象征。作为历史主体的人用其积极向上的精神创造出丰富、多面的文化。历史学家的重要任务之一是将历史上那些追求真切人性和富有创造力的活生生个体形象呈现出来,让读者去感悟人生,升华境界。由此观点出发,西蒙兹对意大利文艺复兴时期的历史内容等做了诗性的和历史的双重解读。其中的许多观点对21世纪的历史研究者和阅读者仍有启示意义。

British poet and historian John Addington Symonds lived in the Victorian age,a time when people were intoxicated with the positive force of reason and science.At the time of overflowing with the optimistic atmosphere,Symonds and the other western men of letters had the shrewd observation ahead of their time,and analyzed the limitation of reason.Meanwhile they emphasized the irrational factors,including the poetic factors,which are the source of creativity and the symbol of the comprehensive man.The mankind,who played as the historical subject,creates the abundant and multi dimension culture using the positive spirit One of the important tasks of the historians is to present the vivid life of people who pursued real human nature and had creative power in history,therefore letting the readers share the life and sublimating the intellect.From the views above,Symonds made the double interpretation poetically and historically to the contents in the age of the Italian Renaissance.Many views Symonds described still have the inspiration to the historians and readers in the 21 st century.