权力话语视野下的《瑞普·凡·温克尔》解读

A Feminist Analysis of Rip Van Winkle from the Perspective of the Theory of Power and Discourse

文章从权力和话语的角度分析华盛顿·欧文的《瑞普·凡·温克尔》,认为小说从自然景观、男主人公瑞普和政治权力等方面体现了男权的存在。男权为了维护其话语的稳定性、去除话语中的不可预测性和偶然因素,会动用禁律、区别和歧视以及真理和谬误之分对话语进行控制。话语还会通过内部程序自行控制。由于男权及其话语的限制与控制程序,小说中试图进行女性言说的温克尔太太发不出自己的声音,并且被妖魔化成为一个疯人,被男权话语下的法庭判决为罪犯,背负着男权话语强加的罪名无奈地死去。

This paper analyzes Washington Irving＇s Rip Van Winkle from the perspective of the theory of power and discourse. Patriarchal power finds expression in natural landscape, Rip the hero and po- litical power. In order to secure the discourse of man and avoid the unpredictability and accidental fac- tors in the discourse, patriarchal power may control the discourse by using prohibition, discrimina- tion, differentiation between truth and fallacy as well as inner controlling mechanism. Consequently, the rebelling voice of Dame Van Winkle is silenced, and she is demonized as a mad woman and crimi- nal, who eventually dies helplessly.