[CPS世界文学]寓意陷阱与农夫皮尔斯的不确定性.pdfVIP

寓意陷阱与《农夫皮尔斯 》的不确定性 肖明翰 内容提要:寓意模式通常意味着意义的确定性。这种倾向造成了阅读寓意文学的“陷阱 ”, 它诱使读者把文学作品简单化为宣传品。然而寓意作品里表层结构与深层结构之间必然存 在的距离使两个层面不可能等同 ,从而总是在颠覆着寓意模式在意义上的确定性。英国中 世纪文学中最杰出的寓意作品《农夫皮尔斯 》在人物、事件、场景、意象等几乎所有方面都突 出运用寓意的形式和手法 ,但同时又总是在不断地超越寓意模式的局限。兰格伦那种包容 矛盾与冲突的对话式想象力使他能客观地表达各种思想而不强行把它们统一在一种超级话 语之下 ,从而深刻地反映了现实社会的丰富性和精神探索本质上的不确定性。 关键词 :威廉 ·兰格伦 　《农夫皮尔斯 》　寓意 　不确定性 作者简介 : 肖明翰, 四川师范大学外语学院和湖南师范大学外语学院教授 ,主要从事英国中 世纪文学研究 ,本文为国家社科课题“乔叟与英国诗歌传统形成之研究 ”的阶段性成果。 T itle : A llegorical Trap and the Uncertainty of P iers P lowm an Abstract: The allegoricalmode usually imp lies certainty in meaning. This tendency creates a trap for the reader who reads allegorical works and regards them as merely didactic. However, the in evitable distance between the surface and deep structures of the work determ ines that these two meaning structures cannotmatch, which therefore alwaysworks to subvert the certainty of meaning in an allegorical work. P iers P lowm an , the best work in this mode in medieval English literature, systematically uses the allegorical form but at the same time transcends its lim itation. Langland ’s dialogical imagination, which embraces contradictions and conflicts, enables him to p resent differ ent views without imposing a super discourse to unify them. The work thereby reflects the richness of reality and the essential uncertainty of sp iritual exp loration. Key words: W illiam Langland　P iers P lowm an 　allegory　uncertainty Author: X iao M inghan is p rofessor of English at Sichuan Normal University and Hunan Normal ( ) University, currently working on medieval English literature Chengdu 610068, China . This es say is part of a current p roject sponsored by the National Fund for Social Sciences and Philosophy. Email: m inghxiao@ yahoo. com. cn 《农夫皮尔斯 》自诞生之时起,就得到广泛流传并受到普遍重视 ,甚至当时的农民起义 领袖和后来的宗教改革运动家都对它赞赏有加。但人们对它的理解却大为不同 ,见