罗杰·阿斯克姆的忧虑

Roger Ascham’s Apprehensions

英国16世纪亨利八世时代是英国人赴意旅行的升温期,预示了日后18世纪等历史阶段所特有的"大旅行"这个文化现象。16世纪中叶前后,英国已经有文人和作家审视这个现象,其中有的人表现出不安的情绪或批判的态度。罗杰·阿斯克姆是这种不安情绪的代表人物,他的著作《教师》是其有关思想的生动体现,后来的一些作家在不同程度上受到该书的影响或启发。本文聚焦于阿斯克姆的一些典型观点,也借此挑选几位后辈作家著名作品中的文学表述案例,对其类似的思想成分略作串并,另简单提及英国文坛后来的历史时期中所出现的相对视角,以便我们重温英国现代化进程中曾经出现的文化争议。

The number of English travelers to Italy was on the rise in the age of HenryⅧin the 16th century,anticipating the so-called Grand Tour,a cultural phenomenon the long 18th century is especially noted for.In mid-16th century,there were already English men of letters undertaking to examine the traveling trend,some of them expressing worries or a critical attitude.Among the criticizers Roger Ascham stood out as a leading voice,and much of his thinking in this regard was vividly represented by his book The Schoolmaster,echoed in different ways by some later authors.The present article focuses on some of Ascham’s typical views.It then chooses a few cases of literary representation of similar views as found in some well-known works by later authors,so that the links between the views may be somewhat felt.Contrasting views happening in later ages will also be enlisted briefly,with a view to allowing us to warm up again toward the cultural controversies and tensions informing England’s modernizing process.