The human face consists of three dimensions： （1） the visible, static sur-face, （2） the mobile dimension, which communicates thoughts, emotions, and states of mind, and （3） the invisible dimension, the face aspa...The human face consists of three dimensions： （1） the visible, static sur-face, （2） the mobile dimension, which communicates thoughts, emotions, and states of mind, and （3） the invisible dimension, the face aspars-pro-toto for the whole person who owns the face. In this latter sense, the human face is at the center of Emmanuel Levinas＇ theory of ethics： We encounter each other face-to-face, he argues, and it is the other＇s face that calls for my ethical response to the holiness of his/her wholeness and essence. The primary ethical imperative is： ＂Thou shalt not kill.＂ When we encounter a facially disfigured person, we usually fail to respond ethically because we concentrate on the disfigurement. The second dimension, as a result of the disfigurement, is often impaired and thus incapable of communicating in such a way that we can ＂read＂ the face. With our gaze fixed on the disfigured part of the face, we lose sight of the person as a whole. Metaphorically speaking, we could even say that we ＂kill＂ the person. Levinas conceives of the other＇s face not in its plastic manifestation. But the encounter with the other does at first take place as embodiment. According to Merleau-Ponty, this encounter is by definition interactive and dialogical. In Willa Cather＇s short story ＂The Profile,＂ young beautiful Virginia marries a portrait painter after he has finished her portrait in profile. The left side of her face is severely disfigured because of a burn. Her husband is waiting impatiently for her to talk about ＂it＂ and the suffering it must cause her in order to ＂heal＂ her with his love, but she behaves as if it did not exist and even likes to dress extravagantly. In the following analysis of the short story, it will be illustrated how the husband fails to respond to his wife＇s face＇s invitation to interact with it and get in touch with the wholeness of her person that it stands for. Instead, he reduces her to the disfigurement. When he finally names the scar, he metaphorically ＂kills＂ her, as well as their marriage.展开更多
The Oldest Boy Lincoln Center Mitzi E.Newhouse Theatre2014-11-14论一种'假装严肃'的剧作法——《最老的男孩》观后莎拉·鲁尔(Sarah Ruhl)的新剧《最老的男孩》(The Oldest Boy)让我失望,主要原因倒不是剧中在西藏历...The Oldest Boy Lincoln Center Mitzi E.Newhouse Theatre2014-11-14论一种'假装严肃'的剧作法——《最老的男孩》观后莎拉·鲁尔(Sarah Ruhl)的新剧《最老的男孩》(The Oldest Boy)让我失望,主要原因倒不是剧中在西藏历史问题上犯了许多常识性错误,而是这位曾经以《欧律狄刻》(Eurydice)和《干净的房子》(The Clean House)深深打动我的编剧,这一次却走上了我最不希望看到的'假装严肃'的道路。展开更多
文摘The human face consists of three dimensions： （1） the visible, static sur-face, （2） the mobile dimension, which communicates thoughts, emotions, and states of mind, and （3） the invisible dimension, the face aspars-pro-toto for the whole person who owns the face. In this latter sense, the human face is at the center of Emmanuel Levinas＇ theory of ethics： We encounter each other face-to-face, he argues, and it is the other＇s face that calls for my ethical response to the holiness of his/her wholeness and essence. The primary ethical imperative is： ＂Thou shalt not kill.＂ When we encounter a facially disfigured person, we usually fail to respond ethically because we concentrate on the disfigurement. The second dimension, as a result of the disfigurement, is often impaired and thus incapable of communicating in such a way that we can ＂read＂ the face. With our gaze fixed on the disfigured part of the face, we lose sight of the person as a whole. Metaphorically speaking, we could even say that we ＂kill＂ the person. Levinas conceives of the other＇s face not in its plastic manifestation. But the encounter with the other does at first take place as embodiment. According to Merleau-Ponty, this encounter is by definition interactive and dialogical. In Willa Cather＇s short story ＂The Profile,＂ young beautiful Virginia marries a portrait painter after he has finished her portrait in profile. The left side of her face is severely disfigured because of a burn. Her husband is waiting impatiently for her to talk about ＂it＂ and the suffering it must cause her in order to ＂heal＂ her with his love, but she behaves as if it did not exist and even likes to dress extravagantly. In the following analysis of the short story, it will be illustrated how the husband fails to respond to his wife＇s face＇s invitation to interact with it and get in touch with the wholeness of her person that it stands for. Instead, he reduces her to the disfigurement. When he finally names the scar, he metaphorically ＂kills＂ her, as well as their marriage.
文摘The Oldest Boy Lincoln Center Mitzi E.Newhouse Theatre2014-11-14论一种'假装严肃'的剧作法——《最老的男孩》观后莎拉·鲁尔(Sarah Ruhl)的新剧《最老的男孩》(The Oldest Boy)让我失望,主要原因倒不是剧中在西藏历史问题上犯了许多常识性错误,而是这位曾经以《欧律狄刻》(Eurydice)和《干净的房子》(The Clean House)深深打动我的编剧,这一次却走上了我最不希望看到的'假装严肃'的道路。
