论《迷失城中》的时空叙事特征

Temporal and Spatial Narrative in Edward P. Jones's Lost in the City

当代美国非裔作家爱德华·P·琼斯在他的第一部小说集《迷失城中》里按"童年、青少年、成年和老年"的人生阶段进行叙事,运用时间与空间之魔力探寻人类生存的境遇。琼斯充分运用第一人称回顾性叙事、倒叙、循环时间叙事等多种时间叙事艺术再现人生所处的各个阶段所面临的精神困境。当代非裔美国人虽然生活在都市,却又游离于都市。而作为他们最亲近的"家"—却因为关系的紧张或破裂无法提供精神的补给,以至于他们迷失于都市中。

In the fourteen stories that comprise Lost in the City, contemporary African American writer Edward P. Jones takes advantage of temporal and spatial narra- tive strategy to explore the plight of human survival. He makes full use of the first person retrospective narration, flashback, time cycle narration to represent the spiritual predicament of each stage in human life. Contemporary African Americans live in cities, but they are unable to integrate into cities spiritually. ＂House＂ or ＂Home＂ as the warmest place fails to provide spiritual replenishment because of tensions or rapture of family relationship. By means of temporal and spatial narrative, the author manages to reveal the sense of lostness of contemporary African Americans in the city.