作为“他者”的文化形象——解读毛姆《面纱》里的中国

Culture Figure as Others——The Reading of China in The Painted Veil

中国在西方文学中一直作为被想象和描写的对象,它所承载的意义是随着西方社会发展、西方文化自身需要和全球化的发展不断变化的。20世纪,英国文学家威廉·萨默塞特·毛姆踏上了中国的土地,创作出了《面纱》这篇具有中国文化背景的小说。《面纱》中的中国形象是矛盾的,它既是神秘的、充满异域色彩的、曾经辉煌的古老文明,又是被压迫的、充满黑暗和肮脏的殖民地,还是理想化的、宁静平和的东方乌托邦。在本文中,笔者试分析《面纱》中作者塑造的中国形象,探讨这种形象的特征及其产生的社会背景和文化机制。

China is always treated as the object of being imagined and described. The meaning it takes is constantly changed with the development of western society,culture needs and globalization. In the 20 th century,the English litterateur,W. Somerset Maugham,stepped on the Chinese land,and created the Chinese characterized novel The Painted Veil. The Chinese figure in the novel is contradictory,not only obtains mysterious,foreign color and prosperous ancient culture,but also the oppressive,dark and dirty colony,still it is the ideal and peaceful oriental utopia. This paper analyzes the Chinese figure in The Painted Veil,as well as the characteristics,background and mechanism.