“美国非裔文学传统既不稳定也不完整”——评《劳特里奇美国非裔文学导读》

“The African American Literary Tradition Is Neither Stable Nor Complete”: A Review of The Routledge Companion to African American Literature

米勒的《劳特里奇美国非裔文学导读》以时间为叙述主线,在不到200页篇幅内,用极精炼的语言对美国非裔文学进行概括总结和分阶段评述。作者的目的不单是描绘黑人文学的整体面貌,同时也为了更好地帮助人们把文学作品置入历史语境。在对历经近300年的美国非裔文学进行梳理后,米勒发现几乎不可能准确地回答“什么是美国非裔文学”的问题。他强调美国非裔文学传统既不稳定也不完整,它的形态总是在成长和变化。在所谓的“后种族时代”,“种族”的内涵已经发生改变,有关美国非裔文学史的书写也需要随之做出调整。这正是米勒的这本著作带给我们的最大启示。

The Routledge Companion to African American Literature by Miller produces a 200-page diachronic narrative of the history of the African American literature which is divided into seven periods.Every period is summarized and commented with concision.Not only does the author make a panorama of the African American literature,but also intends to historicize literary texts into their original context.After a general review of the 300 years history of the African American literature,Miller finds it hardly possible to give a definite answer to the question“What is African American literature?”Miller argues that the tradition of African American literature is neither stable nor complete because it is always growing and changing.in the so-called post-racial era,the meaning of race has changed,so the historiography of African American literature should also change accordingly.This is also the most valuable implication in Millers book.