“新奇的世界”:莎士比亚在19世纪美国的接受与传播

“A Brave New World”: Shakespeare in Nineteenth-Century America

美国独立战争爆发之前,莎士比亚戏剧的阅读和表演乏善可陈。但到19世纪末,莎士比亚却已经成为美国民间和官方文化的重要组成部分。无论是在遥远的边疆小城、乡村农场,还是繁华喧闹的都市剧场,19世纪美国读者、观众常常如饥似渴地阅读和观赏莎士比亚戏剧。演员、教育家、政治家、演说家等形形色色的传播者把莎士比亚带到美国的一个个远方。道德考量、修辞术教育、民族化和通俗化等因素是莎士比亚在19世纪美国得以广泛接受和传播的重要原因。

Shakespeare’s influence was seldom felt in America during the colonial period. However,by the end of the 19 th century,Shakespeare had become an essential part of both American official and folk culture,when he was read and watched both in the west coasts and the northeastern urban centers.Actors,educators,politicians and public speakers alike of the 19 th century all found in Shakespeare an almost inexhaustible source for their own cultural appropriations. As a whole,Americans’ reception of Shakespeare in this century was characterized by its considerations of moral teaching, rhetorical exercises,nationalization,and popularization.