【作者】 杨保林；

【导师】 王腊宝；

【作者基本信息】 苏州大学 ， 英语语言文学， 2011， 博士

【摘要】 二十世纪中叶以降,旅行文学及其研究受到了越来越多的文学评论家的重视,澳大利亚旅亚小说作为世界旅行文学研究的一部分,也引起了研究者的关注。越南战争结束之后,澳大利亚开始积极“转向亚洲”,作为这一转向的一部分,澳大利亚文坛开始兴起书写亚洲的文学浪潮,许多澳大利亚主流作家纷纷加入这一潮流,先后创作了一大批以亚洲为背景或者以亚洲旅行为主题的小说。与早期澳大利亚旅亚小说相比,当代澳大利亚旅亚小说对亚洲的表征在内容和形式上各有不同,主旨也各有差异,较全面地反映了当代澳大利亚人对近在咫尺的亚洲国家和人民的新看法,读者从这些旅亚小说中也不难看出当代澳大利亚人对于自身的民族身份定位。当代澳大利亚旅亚小说从总体上可分为两个阶段,六、七十年代(“转向亚洲”阶段)的澳大利亚旅亚小说展示了澳大利亚主流社会刚刚把目光转向亚洲时对亚洲既热衷又恐惧的复杂情感,八、九十年代(“拥抱亚洲”阶段)的澳大利亚旅亚小说反映了澳大利亚人一方面日益希望拥抱亚洲的愿望,另一方面却对亚洲文化怀有深层次疑忌。本论文选取了克里斯托弗·考什、罗伯特·德鲁、尼古拉斯·周思、阿历克斯·米勒等当代澳大利亚文坛四位主流(英裔白人男性)作家的四部旅亚小说进行研究,讨论其亚洲表征的特点,考察当代澳大利亚旅亚小说在亚洲表征以及自我身份定位方面经历的变化。本论文共分为六章:第一章“绪论”首先概述了当代澳大利亚旅亚小说的创作背景,然后论述了旅行文学及其批评的发生与发展、旅行文学对异域的想象性建构、旅行文学与民族文化身份定位之间的关系,在对当代澳大利亚旅亚小说及其批评进行梳理的基础上,指出相应研究的贡献与局限,最后说明本论文的研究目的、方法及内容。第二章以克里斯托弗·考什的小说《危险年代》(1978)为例讨论当代澳大利亚人在邂逅“近北”的过程中对亚洲表现出来的肯定态度。《危险年代》的主题意蕴与二十世纪六、七十年代澳大利亚的时代精神相一致,体现了澳大利亚人在“转向亚洲”的过程中对亚洲持有的热情与迷恋态度。《危险年代》虽然对印度尼西亚的现实生活环境给予了相当负面的描写,但对亚洲的文化艺术充满着好奇和兴趣,表明澳大利亚人可以从亚洲文化艺术中汲取灵感从而丰富澳大利亚文化。小说在结构设置、情节构思和人物刻画等方面借鉴了印度尼西亚哇扬皮影的相关元素,而且以哇扬皮影蕴含的双重性主题为灵感反思后殖民语境中的澳大利亚民族身份,体现了小说家本人对于上述态度的认可。《危险年代》将印度尼西亚描写成一个充满文化魅力和诱惑的亚洲国家,但在这种想象的背后,读者不难看出传统东方主义对亚洲的欲望和幻想。第三章以罗伯特·德鲁的小说《丛林酒吧里的呐喊》(1979)为例讨论二十世纪六、七十年代澳大利亚人在“转向亚洲”的过程中表现出来的焦虑与迟疑。在这部小说里,澳大利亚人体验中的菲律宾等亚洲国家自然气候炎热、公共道德沦丧、社会秩序混乱,这样的环境对澳大利亚人而言构成了一种莫大的生存威胁。《丛林酒吧里的呐喊》如此浓墨重彩地描写亚洲上述种种的不堪现实,塑造了一个在亚洲国家历尽挫折的澳大利亚人物形象,突出表现了亚洲的不堪现实给澳大利亚人造成的恐惧。《丛林酒吧里的呐喊》所表现的恐惧与《危险年代》中的东方欲望一样似乎更多地建构在幻想之上,反映出传统东方主义话语在当代澳大利亚旅亚文学中的顽固残留。第四章以尼古拉斯·周思的小说《长安街》(1989)为例探讨二十世纪八、九十年代澳大利亚人在“拥抱亚洲”的过程中对亚洲社会和文化流露出的保留和疑虑。在二十世纪八、九十年代,澳大利亚对亚洲的开放和融入程度日益加深,这一时期的旅亚小说对亚洲国家和人民的表征较之以前显得更为全面和深入。《长安街》刻画了一个克服重重障碍来中国寻求东方智慧的澳大利亚医学工作者,并通过他的视角呈现了一个活泼泼的当代中国社会,小说在表现一个对中国传统文化充满热忱和期待的澳大利亚人的同时,对当今中国进行了深入的刻画。不过,小说对中国人的描写虽然不一定囿于“滞定型”形象,但是,在小说的情节深处,读者不难察觉澳大利亚人对中国文化所持的一种偏见。《长安街》表明,在澳大利亚人进一步“拥抱亚洲”的过程中,中国人和中国文化中所特有的神秘主义构成了澳亚融合进程中难以逾越的障碍。第五章以阿历克斯·米勒的小说《祖先游戏》(1992)为例探讨二十世纪八、九十年代澳大利亚人的亚洲观。二十世纪八、九十年代是澳大利亚积极推行多元文化主义政策并进一步“拥抱亚洲”的时代,《祖先游戏》讲述了分别来自英国、德国和中国的移民在澳大利亚共同生活的故事,并结合小说人物的回忆叙述了他们各自的家庭和民族渊源。通过上述故事,《祖先游戏》中呈现了一个多元文化共生的当代澳大利亚社会,在这个多元文化主义社会中,或许小说中的所有人物都保留着对自己家庭谱系的记忆,但是,来自中国的华裔澳大利亚人物的祖先情结显得尤其深厚,这使其很难像来自其它国家的移民那样真正认同澳大利亚并充分地融入到这个和谐的社会中来。《祖先游戏》中的澳大利亚和亚洲(中国)比任何时候都靠得更近,但是,小说暗示,只要亚洲(中国)人一天不放弃他们的“祖先游戏”,澳大利亚的多元文化社会就难以真正实现。第六章是本论文的结论。笔者认为,历史上的澳大利亚作家在建构自我民族身份的过程中主要采取两种策略:一是对内创造出诸如“丛林人”和“澳大利亚士兵”这样的具有澳大利亚特色的典型性人物以便树立澳大利亚民族身份的标尺,二是对外创造出一些“他者”形象以便比照独特的澳大利亚民族身份。当代澳大利亚旅亚小说属于后者,这些小说深刻地反映了当代澳大利亚社会对自我民族身份的认定。当代澳大利亚旅亚小说虽然从时间上看可以分为两个时期,但这两个时期的澳大利亚旅亚小说充分体现了当代澳大利亚人对亚洲态度的两个关键特点,一方面,当代澳大利亚人在转向亚洲的过程中始终表现出一种既充满热情又满怀疑惑的矛盾心理,另一方面,当代澳大利亚旅亚小说在表征亚洲的过程中虽然没有了从前的种族主义话语,但澳大利亚作家对亚洲文化所流露出来的质疑仍然暴露出明显的东方主义的特征。显然,当代澳大利亚作家在表征亚洲的过程中或许还在不断地重新审视自我民族身份,但是,他们对亚洲的态度至今尚未实现对于其东方主义传统的彻底超越。更多还原

【Abstract】 Travel literature and its study have been given increasing attention since mid-twentieth century. As an integral part of travel literature, the travel novels in Australian literature have also interested many Australian critics. After Vietnam War, Australians began to turn to Asia. Correspondingly, many Australian writers have published numerous Asia novels during the past few decades. Different from previous works in both content and styles with regard to the representation of Asia, contemporary Asia novels demonstrate Australians’new perceptions of Asia and of themselves. Asia novels in contemporary Australian literature generally fall into two phases. Asia novels in the 1960s and 1970s demonstrate Australians’temptation towards and fear of Asia when they initially turned to Asia, while those published in the 1980s and 1990s demonstrate Australians’increasing desire to embrace Asia and their deep-rooted doubt toward Asian cultures. Choosing four Asia novels respectively written by Christopher Koch, Robert Drewe, Nicholas Jose and Alex Miller, this dissertation researches into the unique characteristics of White Anglo-Celtic Male writers’representation of Asia. Through a close examination of these writers’attitudes in writing about Asia, it also probes into the adjustments and changes of contemporary Australians’perceptions of Asia and themselves as a nation.This dissertation consists of six chapters:Chapter One is the Introduction. It begins with a brief review of Asia novels in Australian literature, and then examines the contemporary critical theorizing about travel literature as the imaginative construction of exotic places, and the role travel literature plays in the construction of national identity. This chapter also offers an overview of the studies on contemporary Australian travel novels set in Asia done at home and abroad. Finally, this chapter explains the research purpose, methodology, theoretical framework and significance of the dissertation.Chapter Two focuses on Christopher Koch’s novel The Year of Living Dangerously (1978) and analyzes contemporary Australians’overwhelmingly positive attitudes toward Asia that emerged as a result of the country’s turn to Asia. While presenting Australians in love with Asia in the 1960s, The Year of Living Dangerously bespeaks the zeitgeist of Australia while the country just began to open itself to Asia. Though the social reality of Indonesia is negatively depicted in the novel, The Year of Living Dangerously mainly demonstrates Australians’fascination of Asian cultures. On one hand, there is an attraction to Indonesian art (wayang kulit). On the other, the Australian characters see in Indonesia a clear confirmation of the inevitability of duality and double aspect in Australian national identity. The Year of Living Dangerously represents Asia as a country full of cultural temptations. However, this kind of representation of Asia exposes the Orientalism in Australians’perception of Asia as an imaginative place.Chapter Three offers a comment on Robert Drewe’s novel A Cry in the Jungle Bar (1979) and analyzes Australians’anxiety and fear of Asia in their Asia encounter. A Cry in the Jungle Bar represents Asia as a place of hot weather, immoral sex and chaotic situation, which poses a threat to Australians in Asia. The novel goes to great length in describing the negative reality of Asia, and features an Australian character who suffers through all these and more in his Asia encounter. Similar to Australians’fascination with a romanticized Asia in The Year of Living Dangerously, the fear of Asia as depicted in A Cry in the Jungle Bar is also based on the Australian orientalization of Asia.Chapter Four analyzes Nicholas Jose’s novel Avenue of Eternal Peace (1989) and explores the contemporary Australians’cultural reservations and doubt toward Asia in the 1980s. Australians began to“embrace”Asia from the 1980s. The representation of Asia since then has tended to be more positive. Avenue of Eternal Peace features an Australian doctor who aims at learning the Chinese medical treatment of cancer. The novel represents China as a country of cultural diversity and social complexity. However, contemporary Australians’cultural biases toward China are hidden in the deep structure of the novel. Avenue of Eternal Peace suggests that the mystic culture of Chinese people remains an obstacle to Australians’attempt at embracing Asia.Chapter Five focuses on Alex Miller’s Miles Franklin Award winning novel The Ancestor Game (1992) and further explores Australians’attitudes toward Asia after the 1980s, when Australia further implements the policy of multiculturalism within the country and continues“embracing Asia”outside of the country. The Ancestor Game presents a picture of a multiculturalist Australia made up of varied ethnicities and diverse cultures. All characters in multiculturalist Australia in the novel seem to keep a memory of their familial genealogy. However, the Chinese ancestor complex leads to their unwillingness to integrate into Australian society. The Ancestor Game suggests that Australia is closer to Asia\China in the period of embracing Asia. But multiculturalist Australia would never live up to that name if the Asians\Chinese don’t give up playing“the ancestor game”.Chapter Six is the Conclusion. It points out that Australian writers have mainly adopted two strategies in the process of constructing Australian national identity, namely, constructing the typical Australian“Bushmen”or“Diggers”as a yardstick for the typical Australians or, constructing an“Other”with Asians, Aborigines and women to offset White Anglo-Celtic Male identity. The four Asia novels discussed in this dissertation belong to the latter. It is also argued that Asia novels in contemporary Australian literature share at least two features in common with regard to their representation of Asia. On one hand, contemporary Australians have mixed feelings of desire and doubt in their Asia encounter. On the other, though the representation of Asia shows no racialist prejudice in these works, contemporary Australian writers’deep-rooted biases toward Asian cultures point unmistakably to their Orientalist nature. Obviously, contemporary Australian writers are reorienting themselves in perception of Australian national identity in the Asia encounter. However, their representation of Asia hasn’t completely gone beyond traditional Orientalism.更多还原