“琼斯皇”和他的前世今生:从《琼斯皇》的跨媒介改编谈起

The Emperor Jones and Its Cross-Media Adaptations

尤金·奥尼尔的《琼斯皇》一直饱受争议,而争议的焦点之一就是种族再现问题以及由此引发的“他者”再现的伦理问题。该剧在20世纪20年代之后,鲜有公演,主要原因也在于此。然而这些争议也为后世对该剧的跨媒介改编留下了空间。事实上,让这部争议不断的戏剧存活下来的恰恰是从20世纪30年代开始的跨媒介改编。其中影响最大的是1933年的电影改编和1993年伍斯特剧团的改编。这些改编的初衷、改编的策略以及影响几乎是美国文化中不可避免的黑与白之间的对立和冲突的缩影。

Eugene ONeill's The Emperor Jones has suffered from disputes even since its natal day,and one of its controversies is the racial representation and the resulting ethical problem of the representation of“Other”,which is also the main reason why The Emperor Jones after its first run in 1920s was rarely performed on the stage.And in some sense it is these controversies that leave enough space for the following cross-media adaptations.In truth it is the cross-media adaptations since the 1930s that ensure the survival of this play,among which the movie adaptation in 1933 and Wooster Group adaptation in 1993 are the most influential.The motivation and strategies of these adaptations and their influences are the epitome of the unavoidable contradiction and conflict between black and white in American culture.