论巴特勒《播种者寓言》中的“超共感”及其批判意蕴

Understanding"Hyperempathy"and Its Critical Implications in Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower

奥克塔维娅·巴特勒在《播种者寓言》中通过构建“超共感”这一病理性情感现象,从情感维度揭示了新自由主义的弊病。作为一种疾病隐喻,黑人女孩劳伦的“超共感”指向了新自由主义情境下日益加剧的结构性不平等、种族差异和情感匮乏等现实问题。作为批判情感操控路径的工具,“超共感”揭露了新自由主义的移情陷阱和新型治理手段,暗示其派生的羞耻感等是社会宣扬的价值观的产物。从末世城市到乡村的逃离路径可见,孤立且单向的移情不足以加强对话。只有当个体将情感投向集体和民族身份以寻求意义时,情感共同体才得以形塑。巴特勒以科幻文学为媒介,强调了跨越社会界限的情感对于塑造社会结构组织以及凝聚革命性力量方面的潜在价值。

In Parable of the Sower,Octavia Butler examines the detrimental effects of neoliberalism by constructing a pathological emotional phenomenon termed"hyperempathy."As a metaphorical ailment,black girl Lauren's hyperempathy syndrome points to issues such as structural inequality,racial disparity,and emotional deprivation within the neoliberal context.Functioning as a tool to critique mechanisms of emotion-al manipulation,"hyperempathy"exposes how neoliberal policies engender empathic entrapment and propagate a new form of governmentality.The syndrome's byproducts,including feelings of shame,are manifestations of neoliberal societal values.The escape route from a collapsing urban setting to rural areas illustrates that isolated and unidirectional empathy inadequately fosters meaningful dialogue.It is only when individuals reorient their emotional investments towards collective and national identities in pursuit of significance and self-esteem that the community of empathy can take shape.Within the genre of science fiction,Butler underscores the latent value of empathy that transcends social boundaries in reconfiguring organizational structures and uniting revolutionary forces.