作为言说者的黑奴——解读《奈特·特纳的自白》中历史人物的重塑

Nigger,the Speaker:An Interpretation of the Re-creation of the Historical Figure in The Confessions of Nat Turner

在美国蓄奴制社会中,黑奴只是一个符号,被当成没有思想,没有情感,没有独立人格,只配用于装点白人生活门面的非人。美国当代小说家斯泰伦认为这是非人道的做法,创作了以特纳奴隶起义事件为题材的小说《奈特·特纳的自白》,旨在重新塑造那个印象已经模糊的奴隶起义领袖。小说使用类自传体第一人称叙事,让黑奴奈特讲述自己的故事。作为叙述者的奈特通过采用操纵叙述故事的方式、发表评论、以及在叙事层面确立叙述者与被述者间的交互关系等三种叙事方式来建构叙述者身份,彰显自己的在场。于是,被曲解、被当成非人的奴隶成为自己历史的言说者,历史人物的形象得以重塑。

Slavery in the United States reduced slaves to ciphers or nonbeings,who were simply regarded as part of the décor of white life uncredited with human thought or sensibilities,or with the possession of a private self.William Styron,believing it inhumane to do so,writes The Confessions of Nat Turner with the historical event of Nat Turner’s Rebellion as its subject matter so as to re-create and bring alive that black man.The novel unfolds in quasi-autobiographical first-person narration with Nat Turner the nigger telling his life story.In the process of narration,Nat Turner mainly makes use of alternating modes of narration,commentary,and interactional positioning to construct his narrative identity,and his existence is thus manifested.Hence,'nigger'as the misrepresented nonbeing has secured his subjectivity,and transformed into'nigger'the speaker,fulfilling the re-creation of the historical figure.