尼尔·西蒙喜剧的米南德传统

Menander’s Influence on Neil Simon’s Comedy

尼尔·西蒙是美国戏剧史上最负盛名的喜剧家之一,被誉为“百老汇喜剧之王”,M.H.艾布拉姆斯称其作品标志着20世纪下半叶风俗喜剧的复兴。西蒙的喜剧创作在题材选取、人物塑造、情节架构和喜剧意识四个层面承袭米南德开创的新喜剧传统。题材上倾向都市中产阶级家庭的生活日常,尤其是家庭成员关系;人物刻画上独爱以性格为中心塑造癖性人物,凸显由性格差异而造成的喜剧冲突;情节上沿袭“男女邂逅”的基本程式,钟情中年“夫妻情侣分离又和好”的情节架构;作品在处理个体欲望与社会环境的关系上恪守克制和妥协的中庸之道,强调个体对共同体需求和社会规范的遵守。因此,西蒙的喜剧艺术体现了一种复归世俗生活和重视社会秩序的喜剧精神,与米南德新喜剧传统一脉相承。

Neil Simon is one of the most popular dramatists in the history of American drama.His comedy was praised by M.H.Abrams to signify a revival of comedy of manners in the second half of the 20th century.Simon inherited New Comedy tradition which initiated by Menander in terms of the topic selection,characters portray,plot configuration,and the comic spirit.He focuses on the domestic life,especially on the relationship between family members in topic selection.In terms of character portray,he preferred characters with personal idiosyncrasies;in terms of plot configuration,he followed the basic Menander storyline of boymeets-girl;in terms of the comic spirit,he followed a middle course in dealing with personal desires and social environment with emphasis on the individual person’s observance to the community and the social norm.Therefore,we can see that Simon’s comic art displayed the spirit of returning to secular life and valuing social order,which shows Simon’s inheritance of Menander.