《鸟鸣》的空间叙事与伦理选择

Spatial Narrative and Ethical Choice in Birdsong

小说《鸟鸣》以第一次世界大战为历史背景,跨越60多年的时间维度,以其独特的文本空间设置重构了一战战时历史,再现了一战战场的残酷和战时人们艰难的生存状态,主人公伊丽莎白对自己伦理身份的探寻也映射出战争的记忆在军人后代中的代际传递。在左伦的空间叙事理论和文学伦理学批评的理论视域下,小说呈现的空间模式与人物的伦理选择之间存在着对应关系。“地形空间”以隐喻形式呈现了主要人物对自身伦理身份的困惑与矛盾;“时空体空间”通过主要人物对伦理身份的探寻,剖析了不同时代不同背景下战争和历史对人物命运的影响;“文本空间”则探讨了不同的空间叙事策略对人物伦理身份构建起到的作用。

Sebastian Faulks' s Birdsong takes World War I as its historical background, spanning over 60 years, and reproduces the history of World War I through the unique textual space settings. It reproduces the cruelty of the battlefield and the difficult living conditions of people during the war. The protagonist Elizabeth's exploration of her ethical identity also reflects the intergenerational transmission of war to the military descendants. From the perspective of Gabriel Zoran's spatial narrative theory and the ethical literary criticism, there is a corresponding relationship between the spatial patterns presented in the novel and the ethical choices of characters. “The topographical space” metaphorically presents the confusion and contradiction of the main characters about their own ethical identity;“The chronotopic space” showcases the impact of war and history on the fate of characters in different eras and backgrounds through the exploration of ethical identities by the main characters;“The textual space” explores the role of different spatial narrative strategies in constructing the ethical identity of characters.