寻找英伦的神话:《霍华德庄园》中的“英国问题”和国民性

To Search for the English Mythology: Howards End, National Character, and the “Condition-of-England” Novel

本文通过对福斯特小说《霍华德庄园》文本和相关历史材料的细读,仔细梳理了该小说与维多利亚时期反映劳资矛盾的"英国问题小说"这一文学传统的继承和区别。《霍华德庄园》继承了"英国问题小说"所具有的强烈社会关怀,同时又引入了对国民性的讨论。联系福斯特在他本人其他作品中对意大利和东方的想象,本文认为福斯特对"国家"和国民性的分析是他为"英国问题"这一概念所引入的新的内涵。福斯特借德国思想家施莱格尔兄弟之名,塑造了具有理想主义情怀的施莱格尔姐妹,特别是姐姐玛格丽特这个人物,从而含蓄地指出,受经验主义和拜金主义影响的英国中产阶级需要放开心胸,借鉴德国思想中对至真至善理念的追求。从这一角度来看,福斯特拓宽了"英国问题小说"的外延。

This essay examines Forster＇s novel and the related historical documents, thereby establishing Howards End in the tradition of the ＂condition-of-England＂ novel. The essay first places the novel in the historical context provided especially by such works as the Independent Review and C. F. G. Masterman＇s Condition of England and seeks to know what the ＂condition＂ in the turn-of-the-century England exactly was. The house Howards End, in this light, is a symbol of the link between the nomadic urban culture and the culture based on land. The essay therefore focuses on the historical significance of the house and its inheritance. Finally the essay interprets Margaret as the rightful inheritor by associating her with some key ideas of her German Romantic namesake, the thinker Friedrich Schlegel. By invoking Schlegel＇s conception of mythology, Forster incorporates the discussion of the English national character--a persistent concern throughout Forster＇s career--into the ＂condition-of-England＂ novel.