“不真实的现实”:《了不起的盖茨比》中大众传媒的虚幻“进步”话语

"The unreality of reality":The illusory progressive narratives in The Great Gatsby

《了不起的盖茨比》对于"真实性"的探讨一直是评论家关注的焦点。小说创作于美国进步主义时期,也是大众传媒蓬勃发展的时期。在进步主义大背景下,小说展示了大众传媒如何通过传播"成功"话语与都市生活方式发挥"教育"大众的功能。正是媒体传播的扭曲的"进步"话语激发了少年盖茨比的想象力,使他拒绝承认所处现实的真实性。菲茨杰拉德在小说中质疑了大众传媒的真实性,也批判了媒体对美国大众虚幻的身份形塑起到了不可忽视的作用。

The exploration on "truthfulness" in The Great Gatsby has for long been the focus of discussion. The novel was created during the progressive period with the thriving of American mass media. It revealed to readers how mass media "educate" the public through spreading the success narratives and the life styles of the urban celebrities. This article argues that the twisted progressive narratives in the mass media stimulate Gatsby’s imagination, leading him to the belief of "the unreality of reality". By questioning the truthfulness of mass media, Fitzgerald also criticized the illusory reshaping of one’s identity in the urban world.