“美国的鲸油照亮世界”:《白鲸》与自由资本主义经济书写

“American Whale Oil Lighting up the World”:Moby Dick and the Writing of Laissez-Faire Capitalist Economy

《白鲸》是梅尔维尔的代表作,作品再现了19世纪自由资本主义时期巅峰状态的捕鲸业,而美国之所以在该行业中成为最大的获益者,是与其在世界经济体系中所扮演的角色和其扩张属性分不开的。文章以自由资本主义视角切入,拟从生产资料的掠夺和占有、生产与资本集中以及商品输出三方面讨论小说中美国捕鲸业对美国和世界经济的影响。在自由资本主义经济阶段,美国通过远洋捕鲸完成资本原始积累,港口城市新贝德福德成为“照亮世界的城市”,从而将美国推向世界经济领导者的地位。然而,在这过程中美国作为资本主义国家妄图征服全球的野心也昭然若揭。

Moby Dick,Melville’s masterpiece,represents the pinnacle of whaling during the period of laissez-faire capitalism of the 19th century and the reason why America became the largest profit-winner in whaling is inseparable from its role in the world economic system and its expansionist nature.Based on free capitalism,the article intends to discuss the impact of American whaling on American and the world economy through three aspects:the plunder and possession of production materials,concentration of production and capital and commodity output.At the stage of laissez-faire economy,America accomplished by pelagic whaling the original accumulation of capital and its port city New Bedford became“the city lighting up the world”,thus America got promoted to be the leader of the world economy.But the ambition of America as a capitalist country to conquer the world is also revealed during its development.