重塑还是误读——毛姆与《在中国屏风上》的中国人

Rebuilding or Misunderstanding——W.Somerset Maugham and the Chinese People in On a Chinese Screen

《在中国屏风上》是毛姆在1919年游历中国后所创作的一本游记。除了关于中国湖光山色的描写,毛姆还生动形象地刻画了途中所遇见的形形色色中国人形象,成为该书的特色。毛姆对中国普通贫苦百姓的把握是准确的,但他对一些个体中国人,如,两位中国文人以及两位中国官员的形象描写失真。这反映了毛姆自身阅历以及同时代英国作家集体无意识对毛姆创作的影响,体现了毛姆及同时代作家来华的真实目的和欲望诉求。

On a Chinese Screen is a travelog,written by Maugham in 1919,after a four-month journey in China.Besides the intriguing description of Chinese landscape,this book features vivid characterization of various Chinese people,whom Maugham met during his journey.Maugham was accurate while characterizing the poor ordinary Chinese groups,but he misunderstood most of the Chinese individuals,for example,two Chinese intellectuals and two Chinese officials,which is the result of both his own life experience and of the influence of the collective unconsciousness of the English writers,reflecting the true purpose and desire of Maugham and his contemporary writers’journey to China.