《黑暗的心》:从审美到伦理的“恐惑”

Heart of Darkness:The Uncanny from the Aesthetics to the Ethics

康拉德的小说《黑暗的心》在叙述结构上采用了套层式叙述,外层是海员讲述的马洛的故事,内层是马洛讲述的库尔兹的故事,而外层马洛的故事和内层库尔兹的故事之间没有清晰的界线,马洛讲述的库尔兹的故事成为马洛故事的自我反射。在审美形式上,叙述的内外界线被模糊,构成了"恐惑"式叙述;在伦理意义上,作为欧洲文明使者的马洛从库尔兹身上窥到了以文明自居的欧洲人内心深处暗藏的野蛮本性。欧洲文明的神话被颠覆,欧洲与非洲、文明与野蛮之间的界线被模糊,从而构成了弗洛伊德意义上的"恐惑"。《黑暗的心》从审美到伦理,都是一部"恐惑"的小说。

Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness uses the embedded narrative structure.The story of Kurtz narrated by Marlow is imbedded in the story of Marlow narrated by the sailor.The former is the self-reflection of the latter.In aesthetics,the vague dividing line between the narrations of the two stories results in the Freud's uncanny narrative.In ethics,Marlow,the emissary of European civilization,sees in Kurtz the savage nature hidden deep in the heart of the Europeans who claim to be civilized.In conclusion,Heart of Darkness is an uncanny novella aesthetically as well ethically.