《反生活》:后大屠杀时代犹太人身份的建构

Counterlife: The Construction of Jewish Identity in the Post-Holocaust Era

犹太身份的建构是犹太性的核心问题,关乎犹太民族的血脉联系和犹太文化的延续传承。菲利普·罗斯在小说《反生活》中以后现代文学手法多地域、广视角、全景式观照了世界范围内犹太人的生存问题。本文剖析了《反生活》在看似荒诞不经的元小说构架下实则有着严肃的现实能指:后大屠杀时代犹太人在精神危机、身份归属以及反犹主义等方面遭遇生存困境,在身份建构的历程中备尝艰辛。天地之大,何以为家?罗斯在深刻反思的同时,表现了其独特的犹太身份观:真正的犹太人应该是一个精神独立、自由选择、自我塑造的全新犹太人。

The construction of Jewish identity is at the heart of Jewishness because it is vital to sustain the bond between Jewish people and transmit Jewish culture. In Counterlife, Philip Roth focuses on the theme of Jewish identity construction and represents the panorama of Jewish life in the post-holocaust era using postmodern literary techniques. This article reveals how the theme of identity underlies the seemingly absurd structure of this metafiction novel. Struggling with their construction of identity, Jewish people are caught up in spiritual crises, identity crises and anti-Semitism. Where is the promised land? Roth ponders the issue and then expounds how he perceives Jewish identity, namely that anauthentic Jew is a person with spiritual independence, free will and adaptability.