“反理论”语境下重建文学理论新形式——兼谈伊格尔顿新作《文学阅读指南》

Reconstruction of the New Form of Literary Theory in the Context of “Anti-theory”——A Review of How to Read Literature by Terry Eagleton

伊格尔顿新作《文学阅读指南》不是一部传统意义上的文学理论著作,而是一种基于反本质主义理念的理论尝试。它没有预设一个单一的评价标准及完整的理论体系,各章内容围绕标题展开,通过应用英美新批评、叙事学、西方马克思主义等理论解释文学作品,这是一种以形式主义批评为主同时杂糅其他批评方法的开放式评价方式,我们姑且把这种理论的形式称为反本质主义的文学形式批评。伊格尔顿试图化解本质主义与反本质主义的对立,将各种理论资源转化为具体可行的批评方法,为文学回归理论的中心而努力调整批评策略,他不是为了演绎理论而将文学作为注脚,而是为了更好地阐释作品而将理论实践化。

Terry Eagleton , s new textbook How to Read Literature has not a single evaluation standard and complete theoretical system. It isn , t a traditional book,but a kind of theory experiment which we can regard as anti-essentialism criticism of literary form. Eagleton focuses on a combination of formalism criticism and other criticism methods, such as the New Criticism, Narratology, Western Marxism, and tries to dissolve the contradiction between essentialism and anti-essentialism by adjusting his criticism strategy.