西方文论关键词 奴隶叙事

Slave Narrative: A Keyword in Critical Theory

作为一种文学体裁,奴隶叙事指的是前黑奴在逃离奴隶制之后关于自己生平的自传式叙述。奴隶叙事具有很强的政治色彩,它揭露了奴隶制的罪恶以及奴隶对于自由的向往与追求,曾在反对奴隶制的斗争中扮演了重要角色。即使在奴隶制被废除之后,奴隶叙事也在保存奴隶制记忆、维护黑人尊严、记录黑人种族进步方面继续发挥着作用。这一体裁在20世纪后半叶发展成为回顾奴隶制的虚构作品,展现了人们对于奴隶制的持续的历史反思。奴隶叙事作为非裔美国文学的滥觞,更是对后者的发展具有不可忽视的重要影响。

As a literary genre,the slave narrative refers to a written account of a fugitive or former slave about his/her life under and after slavery.Politically oriented,the slave narrative revealed the evil of slavery,expressed slaves'strong desire for freedom,and played an important role in the abolitionist movement.The slave narrative after the abolition of the slavery served the purposes of preserving the memory of the slavery,safeguarding the dignity of the black people,and recording the progress of the black race.The slave narrative developed into retrospective fictional works during the latter half of the twentieth century,showing the contemporaries’sustained historical reflection on the slavery.As the source of the African American literature,the slave narrative has exerted significant influence on its development.