英国一战文学与英雄观嬗变——以《英雄之死》为例

British First World War Literature and the Evolution of Heroics:A Case Study of The Death of a Hero

英国文学拥有悠久的英雄塑造传统,从古老的英雄传说《贝奥武夫》,到维多利亚时代历险小说中的征服者英雄,其英雄观并未发生根本性变化:为了荣耀、正义而冒险征战,充满浪漫、崇高而神圣的意味。一战文学改变了英国的英雄书写,传统的爱国—英雄式书写模式虽未销声匿迹,却被抗议—反英雄式书写所遮蔽、解构。诸多一战叙事确实质疑、改变了传统的英雄概念,但也同时重新界定、建构了一种新英雄观:在现代战争中,浪漫的个人化英雄主义几无用武之地,坚忍、尽责、忠诚等品质更为可贵,奥尔丁顿的《英雄之死》便见证了英雄观之嬗变。

The heroics in the tradition of English literature had remained basically unchanged in principle:romantic and individual honor,loyal and noble patriotism.However,the outbreak of the First World War changed many people’s concept of the hero.A new protest-antiheroic mode emerged.Aldington’s The Death of a Hero is taken as an example to demonstrate that even though some First World War narratives undertook to subvert and deconstruct the traditional patriotic-heroic mode to a large extent,they are redefining and reconstructing a new set of heroics at the same time,with duty and comradeship serving as the basis.