“介入的文学”:政治、政治小说和美国政治书写

“Engaged Literature”:Politics,the Political Novel and American Political Writing

在当代西方文化研究的语境中,涉及阶级、性别、移民身份和弱势群体等方面的文学作品在某种程度上都具有一定的政治性。相对于"政治小说"而言,政治书写是个更为宽泛的概念。在对"政治"的定义和论述进行梳理的基础上,本文着重探讨政治小说的特点,政治书写在美国文学史上的地位以及文学与政治之间的关系。政治小说的独特之处主要体现在它"内在的张力",政治书写可以说是美国文学史上一条贯穿始终的主线,而两者实为两个既重合又不同的概念。在理想的状态下,文学和政治之间应该是一种对话和互动的关系。

In the context of contemporary Western cultural studies,all literary works concerning class,gender,ethnicity,immigration,and underprivileged groups are,to some extent,political.Compared with"the political novel"—a term difficult to define,"political writing"is a much broader term.Based on a careful review of the definitions of and discussions on"politics,"this paper intends to examine the characteristics of the political novel,the role that political writings play in American literary history,and the relationship between literature and politics.The peculiarity of the political novel lies in its"internal tensions."Political writing is a persistent and preeminent strain in the history of American literature,and it is not quite the same as the political novel,though there is some overlap between the two.Ideally,the relationship between literature and politics should be dialogic and reciprocal.