莫里森小说《慈悲》的空间表征与身份建构

Representation of Space and Identity Construction in “A Mercy”

非裔美国作家托尼·莫里森在《慈悲》中探索了17世纪美国殖民初期非裔族群的性别和身份建构。《慈悲》以雅各布农场、奴隶主庄园等多个社会空间为背景,揭示了不同强势集团的空间表征,以及空间在身份建构中的重要作用。空间对于身份建构有重要的政治意义,被边缘化的弱势群体要实现性别和族裔身份的建构,必须推翻与其形成对立的强势集团所表征的空间话语体系。

African-American writer Toni Morrison probes into the African＇s gender and identity construction in early colonial periods of 17th century in the United States in ＂A Mercy＂,in which space has a strong orientation in identity formation.With several social space such as Jacob＇s farm,plantation of slave owner,slave-trading ship as its settings,the novel reveals representation of space conducted by different dominant groups,so as to highlight the important role of space in identity formation.As a result,it is quite significant of marginalized vulnerable group to reverse the oppositional mainstream space discourse if they want to construct gender and ethnic identity successfully.