“想象的共同体”视域下北美早期印第安书写的叙事建构

The Analysis of Narratives in Early Native American Writing from the Perspective of the Imagined Communities

本尼迪克特·安德森的著作《想象的共同体:民族主义的起源与散布》阐释了印刷语言的效应以及话语同时性,引发了对文学文本研究的再思考。本文以安德森“想象的共同体”为视角,对北美早期印第安书写的叙事建构展开探讨。首先,从早期印第安书写的重要作家库柏的小说入手,解析“想象的共同体”在凝聚情感方面的作用,这一概念隐射出北美印第安书写在两个维度上的基本特征——文学作品内容所表达的情感具有影响力,空间上的历史在场证明进而为这种情感提供了支撑。由此,面对因种族差异性而导致的冲突,复杂的身份建构成为可能。此外,通过对其他作者有关印第安叙事的分析,揭示了早期印第安书写中身份建构的演变过程,从而阐释了北美早期印第安书写所体现的印第安精神及民族性内涵。在北美洲这片新大陆上,各类新的身份认同形成了一种矛盾但共存的张力,早期印第安书写的叙事建构透射出印刷语言及话语同时性对凝结“想象的共同体”的作用。

This paper analyzes the narratives in early Native American writing,based on the concept of imagined communities which acts as an emotional catalyst,fusing conflicts caused by ethnic disparities to examine the potential of complex identities.By identifying two dimensions of early Native American writing—the emotion expressed in the literary works and the historical presence in space which strengthens this emotional effect—the members of the community complete the construction of identity.This process of identification forms a contradictory but coexisting tension in the new continent of North America.The narratives reveal the role of print-languages and simultaneity-along-time in founding the imagined community.