亲和力:一种永恒的魔力——纪念歌德逝世190周年

Elective Affinities,the Eternal Demonic:Commemorating the 190th Death Anniversary of Goethe

歌德创作《亲和力》时已将近60岁了,小说出版后毁誉参半,但歌德坚持认为这是自己最好的小说。相对于歌德其他重要作品而言,有关这部小说的关注和研究明显不足,较为薄弱。歌德创作这部小说的动机是什么?小说中的主要形象源自哪里?歌德为什么将他的小说命名为“亲和力”?亲和力对于我们究竟有什么意义和价值?这些都是饶有趣味亦颇有意义的问题。本文将对这些问题进行追根究底地探索和分析。在歌德那里,亲和力是一种永恒的魔力,即便在今天对于我们也具有某种启发和启示意义。

Being as much praised as blamed after its publication,Elective Affinities was claimed by its almost sixty-year-old author Goethe as his best novel.Compared with his other more influential works,there has been relatively insufficient scholarship on this novel.What motivated Goethe to write it?Where did the protagonists originate from?Why did he call it Elective Affinities?What are the significance and value of elective affinities for us?These are interesting and meaningful questions this essay addresses.For Goethe,elective affinities are eternal forces of the demonic,which still provide insights for us today.