急求Tony Morrison 的《Beloved》最后一节中英对照版,.!!! 20
就是93年诺贝尔文学奖<<宠儿>>的最后一节的英文,.!速求,.!中英对照更好,.要原版啊,.!谢谢了,....
就是93年诺贝尔文学奖<<宠儿>>的最后一节的英文,.!
速求,.!
中英对照更好,.
要原版啊,.!
谢谢了,. 展开
速求,.!
中英对照更好,.
要原版啊,.!
谢谢了,. 展开
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托妮·莫里森《宠儿》（1987），中国文学出版社，潘岳、雷格译
前言
雷格
1989年春天，出于对虚掷光阴的恐惧，而且为作品中叙述文字的敷张扬厉和对话描写的简约生动所吸引，潘岳和我开始尝试合作翻译美国黑人女作家托妮・莫里森刚刚获普利策奖的长篇小说《宠儿》。起初对出版也没抱什么希望，只是凭着青春的热情一次次地进行修改、斟酌、打磨；而这种不期然的相遇竟导致我们沉迷于莫里森的精神世界数载之久，甚至思维方式、情感方式和审美方式也深受影响，却是始料所不及的。1996年《宠儿》正式由中国文一学出版社出版后，某电视台曾为此书做专题节目，请我们介绍故事的梗概；谈着谈着，我们也会像小说中的主人公一样从话题的一侧偏出，纠缠于某个细节而不能自己，就好像我们曾经身临其境，为那些惊心动魄的时刻作见证。1989年秋《宠儿》初稿译毕后，我们曾在讨论中认定，这是一部在艺术质量上堪与古今任何伟大小说相媲美的杰作，它的作者应当能够在十年之内摘得诺贝尔文学奖桂冠；1993年10月托妮・莫里森获奖消息传出，远在大洋彼岸的潘岳便马上打来电话与我分享喜悦；当然，举世称誉和惊叹的众声喧哗中，不可能有人知晓和在意两个中国年轻人的莫名激动。
我国读者对托妮・莫里森应当不陌生。她的《秀拉》、《所罗门之歌》和《宠儿》已出版了中译本，《所罗门之歌》和《宠儿》还有不止一个版本。作家本人也曾在80年代访问过我国。在1999年9月揭晓的“20世纪百部文学经典”调查活动（由外研社与《中华读书报》合办的《国际文化》专刊主办）中，《宠儿》名列第30位。
托妮・莫里森（Toni Morrison），本名克娄・安东妮・沃福德（Chloe Anthony Wofford），1931年2月 18日出生于美国俄亥俄州洛雷恩镇一个造船工人家庭。父母皆自信而富艺术细胞，母亲是教堂唱诗班的领唱，父亲是个讲述黑人民间传说和鬼故事的高手，这都对她产生了潜移默化的影响，她儿时的理想就是做一名芭蕾舞演员。1949年，莫里森以优等生从洛雷恩高中毕业，1953年，从华盛顿市的霍华德大学本科毕业，1955年在康奈尔大学获文学硕士学位，其毕业论文的题目是《论威廉・福克纳和弗吉尼亚・伍尔芙作品中的自杀主题》。莫里森一生从事的职业无非两种，不是教师就是编辑。她先是在德克萨斯南方大学和霍华德大学教英语，然后在兰登书屋下属的辛格出版公司做教科书编辑，1967年任兰登书屋高级编辑。1971年起，她相继在纽约州立大学、耶鲁大学授课；到1984年，她辞去兰登书屋的工作，任纽约州立大学教授；1987年起任普林斯顿大学罗伯特・戈辛教席教授，讲授写作至今。1958年，她与牙买加建筑师哈罗德・莫里森结婚，育有二子。但这桩婚姻仅维持六年便告破裂。此后她一直独身。1993年，托妮・莫里森被瑞典文学院授予诺贝尔文学奖，理由是她“以其富于洞察力和诗情画意的小说把美国现实的一个重要方面写活了”。
按照莫里森本人的说法，她“从来没有准备成为一名作家”。当她的婚姻出现危机时，她积极参加一个写作小组的活动，聊以暂时逃避不幸的婚姻生活。她的一篇匆匆写就的短篇小说得到大家的称许，该小说取材于她的童年生活，写的是她相识的一个黑人小女孩祈求上帝给自己一双蓝眼睛的故事。离婚以后，莫里森独自抚养两个孩子，每天晚上安顿他们睡着后开始写作，并且从中感受到了前所未有的乐趣。她翻检出那个短篇，借助自己非凡的想象力把它敷演扩充成一个篇幅不大的长篇，名为《最蓝的眼睛》（The Bluest Eye，1967）。在小说中，又黑又丑、无人理睬的佩可拉对生活也有非分之求――一双美丽的蓝眼睛，可到头来这奢望只能在疯狂的幻觉中得以实现；她的悲剧就在于她生长在一个名叫美国的国家，这个国家钟爱的仅仅是她金色头发、蓝色眼睛的孩子。这部揭示白人文化和价值观侵蚀和挤压下黑人精神世界的畸变与扭曲的小说几经周折，终于于1970年出版，并获得评论界的好评，而此时莫里森已近40岁了。
《最蓝的眼睛》为莫里森日后的小说创作定下了一个基准音调，也使她以一个尖锐思想者和种族代言人的姿态堂堂正正地介入美国黑人文学的传统。尽管美国黑人文学随着黑奴们被迫来到“新大陆”便已肇始，但它真正获得自己的声音还是在20年代的“哈莱姆文艺复兴运动”之后。在四五十年代进入成熟期的黑人文学以三部长篇小说作为自己的里程碑：理查德・赖特的“抗议小说”《土生子》（1940），拉尔夫・埃里森以“寻找自我”为主题的《看不见的人》（1952），以及詹姆斯・鲍德温探讨黑白关系的《向苍天粲酢罚?953）。作为后继者，莫里森认真地考察了这些前辈作家的写作并表示了极大的敬意，但她从中辨析出的某种辩解、倾诉和取悦于人的音调也令她深感失望。她后来在一次访谈中说，“他们只是把我们黑人的事讲给你们听，讲给大家，讲给白人，讲给男人听。”也正是在这样的时刻，她清晰地意识到了自己肩上的责任：以现代艺术和人性的光芒实现对诸如黑人妇女这样的双重（多重）弱势群体的观照与关怀，为他（她）们和他（她）们的心灵作史。她坚持自称“黑人女作家”，因为“身为黑人和女性，我能进入到那些非黑人、非女性者所不能进入的情感与感受的广阔领域”。
处女作发表后，莫里森进入稳定的写作状态，每问世一部作品便将思想和艺术的探索推进一步。她迄今问世的长篇小说除《最蓝的眼睛》外共有六部：《秀拉》（Sula，1973），塑造了一个个性鲜明、充满叛逆精神的黑人女性秀拉的悲剧形象，提出种族、性别和阶级压迫下黑人妇女的出路问题。《所罗门之歌》（Song of Solomon，1977，获全国图书评论界奖），写一个内心矛盾、困惑的富裕黑人青年“奶人”无意中踏上寻根之路，结果在先辈们留下的传说、神话和歌谣中，种族意识被唤醒。《柏油娃娃》（Tar Baby，1981），写白人文化的熏陶和浸染下长大的黑人女模特佳丁与黑人逃犯“儿子”的恋情，在表现二人性格冲突的同时，深切关注黑人传统价值观在当代黑人生活中的位置。《宠儿》（Beloved，1987，获普利策小说奖），通过一桩杀婴案及其余波揭示罪恶的奴隶制的无穷贻害，是她的代表作品。《爵士乐》（Jazz，1992），写一对老夫妇以及一个姑娘间奇特的三角关系：53岁的乔爱上了年轻的朵尔卡丝，当后者移情别恋时他向她开了枪；乔的妻子怀奥莱特跑到姑娘的葬礼上，要用刀子去划死者的脸，后来又多方走访，尽力去理解她的内心世界；最后夫妻二人在对共同生活的回顾中达成了奇妙的和解。莫里森以这个故事为切入口，展现了20年代大批黑人为逃避种族迫害和寻找更好的生活从南方乡村进入北方大都市的历史画卷，以爵士乐总领全书，透视一种发生在奴役与解放、灵魂与肉体、城市与乡村、男性与女性间的巨大冲突。《天堂》（Paradise，1998），讲述的是19世纪70年代，一群不为社会所容的自由黑奴李妇将雏结伴西进，在一个名叫鲁比的小城定居下来，创建了一个天堂般的纯粹由黑人构成的社区。到了一百年以后的1976年，外部世界对这个“天堂”的侵蚀和熏染已经使居民们难以忍受，他们把社区的纯洁性受到的威胁归罪于在城外一所修道院避难的一群无家可归的女人，于是，一伙男人袭击了这些“有伤风化”的女人。然而，对底层妇女命运的深切关注仍然是这本书的主题，因为大量的篇幅又被用来描述那不断介入她们当下生活的过去。被袭击的女人中间还有一个白人，但莫里森并没有点明哪一个是，而是留给读者自己去区分。《宠儿》、《爵士乐》和《天堂》构成了一个意在总结和梳理美国黑人百年历史的三部曲，每部作品中都涉及最终诉诸暴力的爱。莫里森还在三部曲中逐步发展了她的抒情史诗艺术，例如，在经纬《爵士乐》的时候借用了黑人音乐布鲁斯（blues）的表现手法，将多种音调相交织、混杂，使得整个文本宛如一部波澜起伏、连绵不绝的爵士乐总谱，从而准确而充分地传达人物内心的饥渴、痛苦和扭曲，并且引入评论家们所谓的“双声叙述”方式以增强层次感。在《天堂》中，莫里森将叙事文体中虚构、梦想和语言的抒情性发挥到近乎无节制的地步，据说这部新作是在一种半谵妄的状态下写成的。除长篇小说外，莫里森还著有剧本《做梦的埃梅特》（Dreaming Emmett，1986）、又论集《在黑暗中弹奏》（Playing in the Dark：Whiteness and the Literary Imagination，1993）、童话诗《大盒子》（The Big Box，1999）等。
1987年，莫里森发表了不朽杰作《宠儿》。该书的主要情节取材于一个真实的历史事件：19世纪50年代，一个名叫玛格丽特・加纳的女黑奴携子女从肯塔基的奴隶庄园逃到俄亥俄的辛辛那提，奴隶主循踪追至，为了使儿女不再重复自已做奴隶的悲惨命运，她抄起一把斧子，毅然决定为他们选择死亡，但只是杀死了一个女儿。莫里森在为兰登书屋编辑反映黑人长达三百年争取平等自由的斗争史的文献汇编《黑人之书》（1974）时接触到了这个故事，当时便产生了强烈的创作冲动，极想通过小说的艺术形式探究当事人的心理状态，从而为深受罪恶的奴隶制精神残害的黑奴们写一部心灵史。足以证明此书在莫里森心目中的分量的是，经历了十年的酝酿和三年的写作，《宠儿》才终于问世，在小说中女主人公的名字叫塞丝，而那昭示绝望、疯狂、极端的爱的凶器也变成了一把更危险的手锯。小说发表后在美国文学界、文化界引起强烈震动，各大报刊纷纷刊文给予最高规格的赞语，认为它是美国黑人历史的一座纪念碑。但是该书嗣后落选全国图书奖，人们普遍认为是由于书中对种族主义的无情伐挞引得评委会中某些大人老爷心生不快，17名黑人作家、艺术家因此联名发表公开信以示抗议。在这样的背景下，1988年度的普利策奖被授予《宠儿》。进入 90年代以后，《宠儿》已经跻身现代文学经典之列，西方许多大学文学系的现代派文学、意识流小说、黑人文学、女性主义文学等课程均将其选入必读书目；心理分析、结构主义、女性主义、西方马克思主义、叙述学等学派纷纷从中找到证明自己理论的材料。1998年，《宠儿》被搬上银幕，著名电视主持人奥普拉・温芙蕾饰演塞丝。
莫里森为《宠儿》一书所选取的场景是辛辛那提城郊的蓝石路124号凶宅，现在时是1873年，蓄奴制已废除10年。1855年，美丽而高傲的女黑奴塞丝只身从肯塔基州的“甜蜜之家”农庄逃亡至此，投奔婆母贝比・萨格斯（她的二子一女已先期送来，路上又产下一女）；28天之后，奴隶主“学校老师”带人追来，塞丝锯断了年仅一岁左右的女儿的喉咙，下葬时为她取名“宠儿”。尽管逃亡和杀女已是18年前的往事，但往事的梦魇一刻也不曾停止过对塞丝的纠缠，小说起首即开宗明义写道，124号“充斥着一个婴儿的怨毒”，但到了1873年，“塞丝和女儿丹芙成了它仅存的受害者”（《宠儿》，Plume版3页，中文版3页，下同）。“宠儿”的冤魂多年来一直在家中肆虐，导致她的两个儿子离家出走，加速婆婆贝比・萨格斯的精神崩溃和死亡，使小女儿丹芙养成了孤僻、幽闭的性格。这一天，前“甜蜜之家”农庄最后一个男性黑奴保罗・D的来访，打破了塞丝与世隔绝的生活表面上的平静：他在房子里乱砸一气，赶走了小鬼魂，取代了它的位置，与塞丝同居并向她许诺“一种生活”；随后“宠儿”以20岁少女的肉身还魂，进入这个家庭讨还爱债；为占有塞丝全部的爱，宠儿甚至不惜诱奸保罗・D，以将他赶出家门。然而一个鬼魂对爱的追索是水难餍足的，塞丝终于走到了精神崩溃的边缘……最后，是成长起来的丹芙和黑人民众一起帮助她摆脱了宠儿，开始面对新生活。
Plot summary
The book follows the story of blacks Sethe (pronounced "Seth-uh") and her daughter Denver as they try to rebuild their lives after having escaped from slavery. One day, a young lady shows up at their house, saying that her name is "Beloved." Sethe comes to believe that the girl is another of her daughters, whom Sethe murdered by slitting her throat with a handsaw when she was only two years old to save her from a life of slavery, and whose tombstone reads "Beloved." It was thought, at first, that Beloved's real name was Liz Granacher, but that is shown to be false later. Beloved's return consumes Sethe to the point where she ignores her other daughter and even her own needs, while Beloved becomes more and more demanding. Paul D. and Charlie McKnight know that Beloved is evil, but do nothing out of fear.
The novel follows in the tradition of slave narratives, but also confronts the more painful and taboo aspects of slavery, such as sexual abuse and violence. Morrison feels these issues were avoided in the traditional slave narratives. In the novel, she explores the effects on the characters, Paul D and Sethe, of trying to repress - and then come to terms with - the painful memories of their past.
[edit] Major themes
Beloved is a novel based on the impact of slavery and of the emancipation of slaves on individual black people. There are several themes that remain central to the novel:
[edit] Motherhood
The concept of motherhood within Beloved is as an overarching and overwhelming love that can conquer all, strongly typified within the novel by the character Sethe, whose very name is the feminine of "Seth"- the Biblical 'father of the world'. This can also be seen within Morrison's other works and has led to her sometimes being cited as a feminist writer. The feminine capacity for love is maximal: "It hurt her when mosquitoes bit her baby". Further, Sethe's escape from the slave plantation (ironically named 'Sweet Home') stems from her desire to keep the "mother of her children alive" and not from any personal survival instinct. Sethe's maternal instincts almost lead to her own destruction. We can here assume the interpretation that Beloved is a wrathful character looking to wreak revenge on Sethe for killing her, despite the fact that the murder was, in Sethe's mind, an entirely loving act. Sethe's guilt at Beloved's death means that she is willing to "give up her life, every minute, hour and second of it, to take back just one of Beloved's tears". Further, toward the end of the novel, "Beloved didn't move, said, 'Do it', and Sethe complied". The strength of her love leads her almost to the point of death as she allows Beloved to take her revenge.---
[edit] History
Toni Morrison wrote Beloved on a foundation of historical events. The most significant event within the novel--the "Misery", or Sethe's murder of Beloved--is based on an actual historical event. In 1856, Margaret Garner murdered her children to prevent them from being recaptured and taken back into slavery with the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Morrison admits to "an obsession" with this account after she discovered it while helping edit a scrapbook on black history. The novel itself can be seen as the reworking of fact into something with a very emotional central message. History is woven throughout the novel. The Middle Passage is referenced along with the Underground Railway in many parts of the novel; the 'Sixty Million and More' to whom Morrison dedicates the novel may refer to the many who died during the Middle Passage. The entire concept of the slavery described in the novel: Paul D's confinement in Georgia, ideas such as the "bit" and the legislature described are all based on history. This gives the novel a powerful impact.
Beloved's appearance reawakens memories of slavery among the other characters, and they are forced to deal with their past instead of trying to repress their memories. Reincarnation and rebirth are also themes in this novel.
[edit] Manhood
Again, the concept of manhood is important within Beloved. Paul D is the only developed example of a male character, and is "the kind of man who could walk into a house and make the women cry. Because with him, in his presence, they could cry and tell him things they only told each other". He is, however, emotionally crippled and is forced to keep his emotions locked inside a "tobacco tin"- a box "rusted shut." This is a metaphor for the way in which he must control his feelings to survive. During the chain-gang period, his hands uncontrollably shake until he can learn to trap his emotions and effectively lock them away. It takes Beloved to release him, shown by the uncontrolled repetition of "Red Heart. Red Heart..." Within the novel, the male is significantly weaker than the female, one reason being there is no other developed male character other than Paul D to test the strength of women in the novel against, all others being the past oppressors of Sethe and other former slaves. Paul D cannot cope with the extreme demonstration of love exemplified by Sethe's murder of Beloved and leaves. Still, the book ends with Paul D coming back "to put his story next to hers", a display of his courage and mature love, if crippled by his slavery ordeal. Leaving the readers without ultimate answers, Toni Morrison concludes on a hopeful note, with Paul D trying to explain troubled and past-obsessed Sethe that "[she is her] best thing."
The most strongly ambiguous character within the novel is Beloved. The first interpretation of her character is that she is a supernatural, incarnate form of Sethe's murdered daughter. The second is of her as, as Stamp Paid puts it, "a girl locked up by a white man over by Deer Creek. Found him dead last summer and the girl gone. Maybe that's her". Both are supportable by the text. The concept that Beloved is the re-incarnated child is supported by her knowledge of the song that "nobody knows but me and my children" and her knowledge of Sethe's earrings, but it is also true that the characters have a psychological need for Beloved- Sethe can assuage her guilt over the death of her child, and Denver gains a playmate, or even more. The reader is forced to be active rather than passive and is made to work to discover what is going on. The emphasis is on interpretation rather than on what the author says.
前言
雷格
1989年春天，出于对虚掷光阴的恐惧，而且为作品中叙述文字的敷张扬厉和对话描写的简约生动所吸引，潘岳和我开始尝试合作翻译美国黑人女作家托妮・莫里森刚刚获普利策奖的长篇小说《宠儿》。起初对出版也没抱什么希望，只是凭着青春的热情一次次地进行修改、斟酌、打磨；而这种不期然的相遇竟导致我们沉迷于莫里森的精神世界数载之久，甚至思维方式、情感方式和审美方式也深受影响，却是始料所不及的。1996年《宠儿》正式由中国文一学出版社出版后，某电视台曾为此书做专题节目，请我们介绍故事的梗概；谈着谈着，我们也会像小说中的主人公一样从话题的一侧偏出，纠缠于某个细节而不能自己，就好像我们曾经身临其境，为那些惊心动魄的时刻作见证。1989年秋《宠儿》初稿译毕后，我们曾在讨论中认定，这是一部在艺术质量上堪与古今任何伟大小说相媲美的杰作，它的作者应当能够在十年之内摘得诺贝尔文学奖桂冠；1993年10月托妮・莫里森获奖消息传出，远在大洋彼岸的潘岳便马上打来电话与我分享喜悦；当然，举世称誉和惊叹的众声喧哗中，不可能有人知晓和在意两个中国年轻人的莫名激动。
我国读者对托妮・莫里森应当不陌生。她的《秀拉》、《所罗门之歌》和《宠儿》已出版了中译本，《所罗门之歌》和《宠儿》还有不止一个版本。作家本人也曾在80年代访问过我国。在1999年9月揭晓的“20世纪百部文学经典”调查活动（由外研社与《中华读书报》合办的《国际文化》专刊主办）中，《宠儿》名列第30位。
托妮・莫里森（Toni Morrison），本名克娄・安东妮・沃福德（Chloe Anthony Wofford），1931年2月 18日出生于美国俄亥俄州洛雷恩镇一个造船工人家庭。父母皆自信而富艺术细胞，母亲是教堂唱诗班的领唱，父亲是个讲述黑人民间传说和鬼故事的高手，这都对她产生了潜移默化的影响，她儿时的理想就是做一名芭蕾舞演员。1949年，莫里森以优等生从洛雷恩高中毕业，1953年，从华盛顿市的霍华德大学本科毕业，1955年在康奈尔大学获文学硕士学位，其毕业论文的题目是《论威廉・福克纳和弗吉尼亚・伍尔芙作品中的自杀主题》。莫里森一生从事的职业无非两种，不是教师就是编辑。她先是在德克萨斯南方大学和霍华德大学教英语，然后在兰登书屋下属的辛格出版公司做教科书编辑，1967年任兰登书屋高级编辑。1971年起，她相继在纽约州立大学、耶鲁大学授课；到1984年，她辞去兰登书屋的工作，任纽约州立大学教授；1987年起任普林斯顿大学罗伯特・戈辛教席教授，讲授写作至今。1958年，她与牙买加建筑师哈罗德・莫里森结婚，育有二子。但这桩婚姻仅维持六年便告破裂。此后她一直独身。1993年，托妮・莫里森被瑞典文学院授予诺贝尔文学奖，理由是她“以其富于洞察力和诗情画意的小说把美国现实的一个重要方面写活了”。
按照莫里森本人的说法，她“从来没有准备成为一名作家”。当她的婚姻出现危机时，她积极参加一个写作小组的活动，聊以暂时逃避不幸的婚姻生活。她的一篇匆匆写就的短篇小说得到大家的称许，该小说取材于她的童年生活，写的是她相识的一个黑人小女孩祈求上帝给自己一双蓝眼睛的故事。离婚以后，莫里森独自抚养两个孩子，每天晚上安顿他们睡着后开始写作，并且从中感受到了前所未有的乐趣。她翻检出那个短篇，借助自己非凡的想象力把它敷演扩充成一个篇幅不大的长篇，名为《最蓝的眼睛》（The Bluest Eye，1967）。在小说中，又黑又丑、无人理睬的佩可拉对生活也有非分之求――一双美丽的蓝眼睛，可到头来这奢望只能在疯狂的幻觉中得以实现；她的悲剧就在于她生长在一个名叫美国的国家，这个国家钟爱的仅仅是她金色头发、蓝色眼睛的孩子。这部揭示白人文化和价值观侵蚀和挤压下黑人精神世界的畸变与扭曲的小说几经周折，终于于1970年出版，并获得评论界的好评，而此时莫里森已近40岁了。
《最蓝的眼睛》为莫里森日后的小说创作定下了一个基准音调，也使她以一个尖锐思想者和种族代言人的姿态堂堂正正地介入美国黑人文学的传统。尽管美国黑人文学随着黑奴们被迫来到“新大陆”便已肇始，但它真正获得自己的声音还是在20年代的“哈莱姆文艺复兴运动”之后。在四五十年代进入成熟期的黑人文学以三部长篇小说作为自己的里程碑：理查德・赖特的“抗议小说”《土生子》（1940），拉尔夫・埃里森以“寻找自我”为主题的《看不见的人》（1952），以及詹姆斯・鲍德温探讨黑白关系的《向苍天粲酢罚?953）。作为后继者，莫里森认真地考察了这些前辈作家的写作并表示了极大的敬意，但她从中辨析出的某种辩解、倾诉和取悦于人的音调也令她深感失望。她后来在一次访谈中说，“他们只是把我们黑人的事讲给你们听，讲给大家，讲给白人，讲给男人听。”也正是在这样的时刻，她清晰地意识到了自己肩上的责任：以现代艺术和人性的光芒实现对诸如黑人妇女这样的双重（多重）弱势群体的观照与关怀，为他（她）们和他（她）们的心灵作史。她坚持自称“黑人女作家”，因为“身为黑人和女性，我能进入到那些非黑人、非女性者所不能进入的情感与感受的广阔领域”。
处女作发表后，莫里森进入稳定的写作状态，每问世一部作品便将思想和艺术的探索推进一步。她迄今问世的长篇小说除《最蓝的眼睛》外共有六部：《秀拉》（Sula，1973），塑造了一个个性鲜明、充满叛逆精神的黑人女性秀拉的悲剧形象，提出种族、性别和阶级压迫下黑人妇女的出路问题。《所罗门之歌》（Song of Solomon，1977，获全国图书评论界奖），写一个内心矛盾、困惑的富裕黑人青年“奶人”无意中踏上寻根之路，结果在先辈们留下的传说、神话和歌谣中，种族意识被唤醒。《柏油娃娃》（Tar Baby，1981），写白人文化的熏陶和浸染下长大的黑人女模特佳丁与黑人逃犯“儿子”的恋情，在表现二人性格冲突的同时，深切关注黑人传统价值观在当代黑人生活中的位置。《宠儿》（Beloved，1987，获普利策小说奖），通过一桩杀婴案及其余波揭示罪恶的奴隶制的无穷贻害，是她的代表作品。《爵士乐》（Jazz，1992），写一对老夫妇以及一个姑娘间奇特的三角关系：53岁的乔爱上了年轻的朵尔卡丝，当后者移情别恋时他向她开了枪；乔的妻子怀奥莱特跑到姑娘的葬礼上，要用刀子去划死者的脸，后来又多方走访，尽力去理解她的内心世界；最后夫妻二人在对共同生活的回顾中达成了奇妙的和解。莫里森以这个故事为切入口，展现了20年代大批黑人为逃避种族迫害和寻找更好的生活从南方乡村进入北方大都市的历史画卷，以爵士乐总领全书，透视一种发生在奴役与解放、灵魂与肉体、城市与乡村、男性与女性间的巨大冲突。《天堂》（Paradise，1998），讲述的是19世纪70年代，一群不为社会所容的自由黑奴李妇将雏结伴西进，在一个名叫鲁比的小城定居下来，创建了一个天堂般的纯粹由黑人构成的社区。到了一百年以后的1976年，外部世界对这个“天堂”的侵蚀和熏染已经使居民们难以忍受，他们把社区的纯洁性受到的威胁归罪于在城外一所修道院避难的一群无家可归的女人，于是，一伙男人袭击了这些“有伤风化”的女人。然而，对底层妇女命运的深切关注仍然是这本书的主题，因为大量的篇幅又被用来描述那不断介入她们当下生活的过去。被袭击的女人中间还有一个白人，但莫里森并没有点明哪一个是，而是留给读者自己去区分。《宠儿》、《爵士乐》和《天堂》构成了一个意在总结和梳理美国黑人百年历史的三部曲，每部作品中都涉及最终诉诸暴力的爱。莫里森还在三部曲中逐步发展了她的抒情史诗艺术，例如，在经纬《爵士乐》的时候借用了黑人音乐布鲁斯（blues）的表现手法，将多种音调相交织、混杂，使得整个文本宛如一部波澜起伏、连绵不绝的爵士乐总谱，从而准确而充分地传达人物内心的饥渴、痛苦和扭曲，并且引入评论家们所谓的“双声叙述”方式以增强层次感。在《天堂》中，莫里森将叙事文体中虚构、梦想和语言的抒情性发挥到近乎无节制的地步，据说这部新作是在一种半谵妄的状态下写成的。除长篇小说外，莫里森还著有剧本《做梦的埃梅特》（Dreaming Emmett，1986）、又论集《在黑暗中弹奏》（Playing in the Dark：Whiteness and the Literary Imagination，1993）、童话诗《大盒子》（The Big Box，1999）等。
1987年，莫里森发表了不朽杰作《宠儿》。该书的主要情节取材于一个真实的历史事件：19世纪50年代，一个名叫玛格丽特・加纳的女黑奴携子女从肯塔基的奴隶庄园逃到俄亥俄的辛辛那提，奴隶主循踪追至，为了使儿女不再重复自已做奴隶的悲惨命运，她抄起一把斧子，毅然决定为他们选择死亡，但只是杀死了一个女儿。莫里森在为兰登书屋编辑反映黑人长达三百年争取平等自由的斗争史的文献汇编《黑人之书》（1974）时接触到了这个故事，当时便产生了强烈的创作冲动，极想通过小说的艺术形式探究当事人的心理状态，从而为深受罪恶的奴隶制精神残害的黑奴们写一部心灵史。足以证明此书在莫里森心目中的分量的是，经历了十年的酝酿和三年的写作，《宠儿》才终于问世，在小说中女主人公的名字叫塞丝，而那昭示绝望、疯狂、极端的爱的凶器也变成了一把更危险的手锯。小说发表后在美国文学界、文化界引起强烈震动，各大报刊纷纷刊文给予最高规格的赞语，认为它是美国黑人历史的一座纪念碑。但是该书嗣后落选全国图书奖，人们普遍认为是由于书中对种族主义的无情伐挞引得评委会中某些大人老爷心生不快，17名黑人作家、艺术家因此联名发表公开信以示抗议。在这样的背景下，1988年度的普利策奖被授予《宠儿》。进入 90年代以后，《宠儿》已经跻身现代文学经典之列，西方许多大学文学系的现代派文学、意识流小说、黑人文学、女性主义文学等课程均将其选入必读书目；心理分析、结构主义、女性主义、西方马克思主义、叙述学等学派纷纷从中找到证明自己理论的材料。1998年，《宠儿》被搬上银幕，著名电视主持人奥普拉・温芙蕾饰演塞丝。
莫里森为《宠儿》一书所选取的场景是辛辛那提城郊的蓝石路124号凶宅，现在时是1873年，蓄奴制已废除10年。1855年，美丽而高傲的女黑奴塞丝只身从肯塔基州的“甜蜜之家”农庄逃亡至此，投奔婆母贝比・萨格斯（她的二子一女已先期送来，路上又产下一女）；28天之后，奴隶主“学校老师”带人追来，塞丝锯断了年仅一岁左右的女儿的喉咙，下葬时为她取名“宠儿”。尽管逃亡和杀女已是18年前的往事，但往事的梦魇一刻也不曾停止过对塞丝的纠缠，小说起首即开宗明义写道，124号“充斥着一个婴儿的怨毒”，但到了1873年，“塞丝和女儿丹芙成了它仅存的受害者”（《宠儿》，Plume版3页，中文版3页，下同）。“宠儿”的冤魂多年来一直在家中肆虐，导致她的两个儿子离家出走，加速婆婆贝比・萨格斯的精神崩溃和死亡，使小女儿丹芙养成了孤僻、幽闭的性格。这一天，前“甜蜜之家”农庄最后一个男性黑奴保罗・D的来访，打破了塞丝与世隔绝的生活表面上的平静：他在房子里乱砸一气，赶走了小鬼魂，取代了它的位置，与塞丝同居并向她许诺“一种生活”；随后“宠儿”以20岁少女的肉身还魂，进入这个家庭讨还爱债；为占有塞丝全部的爱，宠儿甚至不惜诱奸保罗・D，以将他赶出家门。然而一个鬼魂对爱的追索是水难餍足的，塞丝终于走到了精神崩溃的边缘……最后，是成长起来的丹芙和黑人民众一起帮助她摆脱了宠儿，开始面对新生活。
Plot summary
The book follows the story of blacks Sethe (pronounced "Seth-uh") and her daughter Denver as they try to rebuild their lives after having escaped from slavery. One day, a young lady shows up at their house, saying that her name is "Beloved." Sethe comes to believe that the girl is another of her daughters, whom Sethe murdered by slitting her throat with a handsaw when she was only two years old to save her from a life of slavery, and whose tombstone reads "Beloved." It was thought, at first, that Beloved's real name was Liz Granacher, but that is shown to be false later. Beloved's return consumes Sethe to the point where she ignores her other daughter and even her own needs, while Beloved becomes more and more demanding. Paul D. and Charlie McKnight know that Beloved is evil, but do nothing out of fear.
The novel follows in the tradition of slave narratives, but also confronts the more painful and taboo aspects of slavery, such as sexual abuse and violence. Morrison feels these issues were avoided in the traditional slave narratives. In the novel, she explores the effects on the characters, Paul D and Sethe, of trying to repress - and then come to terms with - the painful memories of their past.
[edit] Major themes
Beloved is a novel based on the impact of slavery and of the emancipation of slaves on individual black people. There are several themes that remain central to the novel:
[edit] Motherhood
The concept of motherhood within Beloved is as an overarching and overwhelming love that can conquer all, strongly typified within the novel by the character Sethe, whose very name is the feminine of "Seth"- the Biblical 'father of the world'. This can also be seen within Morrison's other works and has led to her sometimes being cited as a feminist writer. The feminine capacity for love is maximal: "It hurt her when mosquitoes bit her baby". Further, Sethe's escape from the slave plantation (ironically named 'Sweet Home') stems from her desire to keep the "mother of her children alive" and not from any personal survival instinct. Sethe's maternal instincts almost lead to her own destruction. We can here assume the interpretation that Beloved is a wrathful character looking to wreak revenge on Sethe for killing her, despite the fact that the murder was, in Sethe's mind, an entirely loving act. Sethe's guilt at Beloved's death means that she is willing to "give up her life, every minute, hour and second of it, to take back just one of Beloved's tears". Further, toward the end of the novel, "Beloved didn't move, said, 'Do it', and Sethe complied". The strength of her love leads her almost to the point of death as she allows Beloved to take her revenge.---
[edit] History
Toni Morrison wrote Beloved on a foundation of historical events. The most significant event within the novel--the "Misery", or Sethe's murder of Beloved--is based on an actual historical event. In 1856, Margaret Garner murdered her children to prevent them from being recaptured and taken back into slavery with the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Morrison admits to "an obsession" with this account after she discovered it while helping edit a scrapbook on black history. The novel itself can be seen as the reworking of fact into something with a very emotional central message. History is woven throughout the novel. The Middle Passage is referenced along with the Underground Railway in many parts of the novel; the 'Sixty Million and More' to whom Morrison dedicates the novel may refer to the many who died during the Middle Passage. The entire concept of the slavery described in the novel: Paul D's confinement in Georgia, ideas such as the "bit" and the legislature described are all based on history. This gives the novel a powerful impact.
Beloved's appearance reawakens memories of slavery among the other characters, and they are forced to deal with their past instead of trying to repress their memories. Reincarnation and rebirth are also themes in this novel.
[edit] Manhood
Again, the concept of manhood is important within Beloved. Paul D is the only developed example of a male character, and is "the kind of man who could walk into a house and make the women cry. Because with him, in his presence, they could cry and tell him things they only told each other". He is, however, emotionally crippled and is forced to keep his emotions locked inside a "tobacco tin"- a box "rusted shut." This is a metaphor for the way in which he must control his feelings to survive. During the chain-gang period, his hands uncontrollably shake until he can learn to trap his emotions and effectively lock them away. It takes Beloved to release him, shown by the uncontrolled repetition of "Red Heart. Red Heart..." Within the novel, the male is significantly weaker than the female, one reason being there is no other developed male character other than Paul D to test the strength of women in the novel against, all others being the past oppressors of Sethe and other former slaves. Paul D cannot cope with the extreme demonstration of love exemplified by Sethe's murder of Beloved and leaves. Still, the book ends with Paul D coming back "to put his story next to hers", a display of his courage and mature love, if crippled by his slavery ordeal. Leaving the readers without ultimate answers, Toni Morrison concludes on a hopeful note, with Paul D trying to explain troubled and past-obsessed Sethe that "[she is her] best thing."
The most strongly ambiguous character within the novel is Beloved. The first interpretation of her character is that she is a supernatural, incarnate form of Sethe's murdered daughter. The second is of her as, as Stamp Paid puts it, "a girl locked up by a white man over by Deer Creek. Found him dead last summer and the girl gone. Maybe that's her". Both are supportable by the text. The concept that Beloved is the re-incarnated child is supported by her knowledge of the song that "nobody knows but me and my children" and her knowledge of Sethe's earrings, but it is also true that the characters have a psychological need for Beloved- Sethe can assuage her guilt over the death of her child, and Denver gains a playmate, or even more. The reader is forced to be active rather than passive and is made to work to discover what is going on. The emphasis is on interpretation rather than on what the author says.
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