《地之国》的城市书写与身份认同

Urban writing and Identity in Joseph O'Neill's Netherland

约瑟夫·奥尼尔2008年创作的小说《地之国》立足美国本土,放眼世界,关注“9·11”后不同种族移民者在纽约的遭遇,以反思全球化进程中的美国性与移民者的身份认同。本文认为小说通过城市书写和空间表征两个维度展现了“9·11”后纽约的失乐园城市景观:失去归属感的移民一方面试图通过空间流动来突破自我认知的边界,另一方面又意识到在资本主义权力和政治权力的控制下实现不了“美国梦”,体现了奥尼尔深刻的政治考量和全球化反思,既批判了后“9·11”时代小布什政府对全球化的态度和政策,又暗示只有通过全球化的视角,才能更深入地理解美国性。

Grounded in the United States while casting a global perspective,Joseph O’Neill’s 2008 novel Netherland focuses on the experiences of various ethnic immigrant communities in New York after 9/11,aiming to reflect on the Americanness and the question of identity of immigrants in the context of globalization.Through urban writing and spatial representations,this novel portrays New York City as a post-9/11 landscape of paradise lost,where immigrant communities,losing the sense of belonging,not only attempt to transcend the boundaries of self-awareness through spatial mobility but also find it impossible to achieve their“American Dream”under the control of capitalist and political powers,voicing O’Neill’s profound political considerations as well as reflections on globalization.It critiques the Bush administration’s attitudes and policies toward globalization in post-9/11 era,implying that a comprehensive understanding of American identity can only be achieved through a global perspective.