“穷小子白日梦”故事的现代变形——评菲茨杰拉德的小说《夜色温柔》

The Modern Transmutation of “Poor Lad's Daydream”Story——On Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night

20世纪初美国小说家菲茨杰拉德的《夜色温柔》为读者呈现了一个现代版的"穷小子白日梦"故事。作为民间传说中"穷小子白日梦"故事的一种变形,现代版"穷小子白日梦"故事渲染的是"穷小子白日梦"如何破灭而不是美梦如何成真,关注的是"穷小子"在不同层面上所受到的阻挠;其次,在现代版故事中,男性在"婚姻市场"上的"劣势"并未随着故事的进展逐步转为优势,其男性"权力"和男性权威也没有进一步扩大。再次,现代版故事中女性人物也不像民间传说中的女性,自始至终是被动、弱小、需保护的对象,而是一改"第二性""他者"地位,表现出很大的主动性、独立性,在两性关系中获得越来越大的权力;最后,传统的"穷小子白日梦"故事表现了男权的胜利,而现代版"穷小子白日梦"故事则在不同程度上表达了男权的焦虑。古老的"穷小子白日梦"故事之所以在现代叙事中出现这些变形,其背后是女性地位的逐步提升、社会性别角色的再构、社会变迁所带来的婚恋观念的变化,以及男性作家面对社会变革后两性关系和男女角色的改变所产生的困惑甚至焦虑。

The early 20th century American novelist Fitzgerald ＇s Tender Is the Night presents for readers a modem edition of apoor lad^ s daydream Mstory. As the transmutation of the traditional poor lad＇s daydream stoly, in folktale, modem edition focuses on how poor lads daydream becomes disiUusioned,and on the various setbacks he is confronted with,rather than how the fancy dream gets realized. What＇s more, in modem edition, male＇s disadvantageous position in marriage market fails to be improved as the story develops, and the masculine power and authority are not further reinforced. In addition, females in modem edition break away from the embarrassing position of “the second sex” and “the other”. They take more initiative and independence, and gain more and more power in the relationship between two sexes, instead of being passive, fragile and always needing male＇s protection as showed in traditional folktales. In the end, the old folktale displays male＇s victory, while modem edition expresses male, s anxiety. The reason why ancient apoor lad＇s daydeam,, story transforms in modem narration is that female＊ s social status has been improved, social gender has been reconstructed,marriage concepts has developed because of the social change,and male writers become confused and anxious due to the change of male-female relationship and the change of gender roles.