中为洋用:美国华裔画家杨瑾伦图像小说《拳民与圣徒》解析

Chinese Story in American Narrative: An Analysis of Chinese-American Cartoonist Gene Luen Yang’s Graphic Novel Boxers and Saints

美国华裔漫画家杨瑾伦的图像小说《拳民与圣徒》在美国曾获多个重要奖项,引起社会许多关注。那么这部小说是怎么叙述义和团运动的?当代美国人通过义和团运动究竟想认识什么问题?本文认为,杨的小说是在吸收了周锡瑞有关义和团研究成果的基础上,针对美国青少年的观念和偏好,对义和团运动的史实进行了选择和虚构,运用漫画的形式,从独特的视角讲述的一个中国故事。该书出版后不仅成为畅销书,而且被推荐为美国大中学生的课程辅助阅读材料,以期引导美国学生理解中国的历史问题,同时借此启发学生思考美国的现实问题。因此,从一定意义上说,杨瑾伦的这部具有魔幻现实主义风格的作品,是美国学术界和漫画界“中为洋用”的一个案例,值得引起国内同行的重视和思考。

The graphic novel Boxers and Saints produced by Chinese-American cartoonist Gene Luen Yang has won several prominent rewards and drew lot attention from the American society.So how does this work recount the story of the Boxer Movement?What questions do contemporary Americans try to understand through the Boxer Movement?Based on Joseph W.Esherick’s research of the Boxer Movement,Yang’s graphic novel skillfully harmonized historical facts and fabrication together and tell a Chinese story in a unique perspective to suit the preference of American adolescents.After its publication,the book not only became the bestseller but also been recommended as supplementary reading material for high school and university students.The book was expected to guide American students to understand the historical problems of China,in the meantime to think about the practical problems of America.Therefore,in some sense,Yang’s Magical Realistic graphic novel is a good case of“Chinese story in foreign narrative”for American academic and cartoon field,which deserves the attention and consideration of the domestic peers.