“康复意味着自我毁灭”:论《重生》中的规训与反抗

“Recovery Means Self-destruction”:Discipline and Resistance in Regeneration

小说《重生》中存在一个“康复”与“毁灭”的悖论:患病军人一旦康复就被送回制造创伤和死亡的战场。以福柯权力理论观之,可以发现这一悖论蕴含规训与反抗两个相反的权力维度:从规训角度看,空间权力规训塑造了患病军人驯顺的肉体,男性气质规训建构了他们臣服的主体,因此在战时英国社会的监狱式规训下,他们无处可逃,只能重返战场,接受“毁灭”;从反抗角度看,萨松与军方当局展开三次话语权博弈,最终以个人的慷慨赴死解构规训权力,同时激起帝国体制服务者对体制与战争的反思,在大英帝国行将就木之际留下民族日后重生的火种。

In Pat Barker's Regeneration exists a paradox—the shell-shocked soldiers who are cured will be sent back to the Front,the place that caused their shell shock in the first place.By drawing upon Foucault's theory of power,it is argued that this paradox embodies two contrasting power dimensions,i.e.,discipline and resistance.On the one hand,the discipline of spatial power converts the soldiers into docile bodies while the discipline of masculinity constructs their submissive subjects,leaving them no choice but to perform their duties.On the other hand,Sassoon is engaged in three discourse power confrontations with the British military authorities and deconstructs the disciplinary power with his death.His self-sacrifice awakens the conscience of those who work for the wartime state apparatus,thus metaphorically giving hope for national restoration and regeneration in the wake of the fall of the British Empire.