菲利斯·惠特利的“尼俄柏”与奥维德的《变形记》

Wheatley's Niobe and Ovid's Metamorphoses

以美国黑人女诗人菲利斯·惠特利的短篇史诗《悲痛中的尼俄柏》为例,探讨诗人如何在奥维德《变形记》的基础上改写希腊神话。惠特利的古典改写呈现出古典异教信仰与基督教精神相结合的特点,并且注入美国大革命前夕的"自由"、"美德"等时代话语。多种元素的结合令惠特利的古典诗歌呈现出丰富的文学和政治隐喻内涵。

Taking Afro - American poetess Phyllis Wheatley＇ s short epic ＂ Niobe in Distress Jor her Children slain by Apollo＂ as an example, this paper discusses how the poetess rewrite the story of Niobe in Ovid＇ s Metamorphoses. Wheatley＇ s classical rewriting shows the combination of the classical paganism and the Christian spirit, which also be filled with the discourses of ＂freedom＂ and ＂virtue＂ on the eve of the American Revolution. The combination of various elements makes Wheatley＇s classical poetry rich in literary and political metaphorical connotations.