《道连·葛雷的画像》:王尔德对语言的反思

探讨语言自身的叙事性以及语言所构筑的世界与现实世界的关系,一般被认为是具有实验性质的现代、后现代小说的一大特征,但19世纪英国作家王尔德创作的唯一一部长篇小说《道连·葛雷的画像》,也同样具备现代小说的＂元语言＂＂元叙事＂性质。以妙语连珠闻名世界的语言大师王尔德在这部小说中不仅讲述了关于道连·葛雷的奇异故事,同时还反思了语言自身的叙事功能、叙事特性,特别是语言如何成就现实、语言与世界的关系、语言怎样在人的认知活动中起作用等问题。

It is generally considered to be a major feature of the experimental modern and postmodern novels to explore the narrativity of language itself and to probe into the relationship between the real world and the world created by language. However, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the only novel written by the 19th century British writer Oscar Wilde, possesses this modern novels＇ ＂meta-language＂ or ＂meta- narrative＂ characteristic. In his novel, Oscar Wilde, the language master, famous for his eloquence, not only tells the fantastic story of Dorian Gray but also reflects the characteristics of the language itself, the relationship between language and the world, especially how language creates reality and how it plays the role in human cognitive activity.