走向“后批判”:西方文学研究的未来之辩

Towards “Post-Critique”:A Debate Over the Future of Western Literary Studies

"理论之后"的西方文学研究"该往何处去",一直是学术界讨论的热点。近年来,菲尔斯基与诺斯对文学研究如何走出方法论和学科建制上的困局都提出了自己的反思。菲尔斯基在深入厘清当代文学批评的缺陷之后,提出摆脱"怀疑的阐释学"并走向"后批判",以拉图尔所倡导的"行动者网络理论"来重组文学批评的未来版图;诺斯则以新的文学史分期法为出发点,批判了新自由主义主导下文学批评的"学者转向",并在检视了新世纪各种新式文学批评潮流的基础上为批评范式的转换提出预言。两人看似立场迥异,但对"理论"危机的反思具有对话性,为我们思考西方文学研究的未来道路提供了有益参考。

In the era of "after theory", it is always a heated scholarly issue to debate over the future of Western literary studies. Recently, Rita Felski and Joseph North respectively advance their arguments as to how literary studies as a discipline can overcome its methodological and disciplinary impasse. After a scrutiny of the inherent flaws of contemporary criticism, Felski suggests that we choose to practice "post-critique" so as to avoid the restraints of the "hermeneutics of suspicion". She is much in favor of Latour’s "Actor Network Theory", which in her view is a significant new tool to reorganize literary criticism. North’s study starts with a new periodization of literary theory, followed by a poignant critique of the so-called "scholarly turn" in literary criticism dominated by neo-liberalism. He concludes with a prediction about the possible paradigm shift of criticism, after reviewing all sorts of new trends in the twenty-first century literary studies. The two scholars, in spite of their obviously incongruent positions, offer some insightful observations regarding the future of Western literary studies, and in doing so they might unwittingly hold an interesting dialogue.