城市历史与空间政治——《天使之河》中的洛杉矶

Urban History and Space Politics:Los Angeles in River of Angels

城市的形成和发展与空间的再生产密不可分,是空间政治的集中体现。南加州墨西哥裔作家阿里汉德罗·莫拉利斯的小说《天使之河》以洛杉矶河和洛杉矶城的历史变迁为主线,采用家族小说的叙事方式,讲述墨西哥裔里奥斯家庭和白人凯勒斯家庭的悲情故事。小说人物从农民到城市居民的身份转变同洛杉矶的都市化进程相平行,不同文化群体的冲突整合和相互适应在物理空间的规划与分割中展开。历史书写和空间政治之间的张力凸显出历史小说的社会历史价值,文化差异和种族政治的表达在当今奇卡诺文学中具有现实意义。

The formation and evolution of a city is connected with the reproduction of space, representing the power relations of various factors involved. River of Angels, by Chicano writer Alejandro Morales from South California, unfolds the tragic stories of two families, the Rivers with Mexican/Indian origin and the Kellers with Anglo-Saxon American descent, with the change of the River of Los Angeles and the City of Angeles as the background. Parallel to the urbanization of Los Angeles and people＇ s transformation from farmers to city-residents, the novel reflects the cultural reconciliation of various ethnic groups in the plan- ning and compartmentalization of space. The tension between historical writing and space politics renders the novel socio-historically significant. The representation of cultural differences and ethnical politics is practically outstanding in contemporary Chicano literature.