对英格兰民族主义历史的重新书写——论《艾凡赫》民族身份构建语境下对“改宗”的批判

The Rewriting of English Nationalist History: Critique of Conversion in the Construction of National Identity in Ivanhoe

《艾凡赫》是司各特第一部关于英格兰题材的历史小说。在对萨克逊族、诺曼族、犹太族共存于中世纪英格兰的历史叙述中,司各特艺术化地批判了宗教和民族间的"改宗"行为,从而创造了不同于传统的强调连续性和纯粹性的英格兰民族历史书写的新模式。这种新模式主张英格兰民族身份建立在萨克逊族和诺曼族融合的基础之上,并肯定了犹太历史是英格兰民族历史的重要组成部分。司各特对英格兰民族历史的重新书写对今日全球化环境下如何保持民族身份具有极大的启发意义。

Ivanhoe is Scott's first historical novel about England. While narrating past coexistence of Saxons, Normans and Jews in Medieval England,Scott artistically critiques conversion between religions and races, thereby creating new mode of English historical writing. Different from conventional English nationalist historiography stressing continuity and purity, this new mode insists the basis of English national identity lies in the mixture of Saxons and Normans, and Jewish history forms an important part of English history. Scott's rewriting of English nationalist history will inspire the thinking about how to maintain national identity in today's globalization.