“现实主义是相对的”——从《刀锋》看毛姆创作思想的变化

毛姆历来被归类在现实主义的门下。然而,在时代大背景的影响下,毛姆开始对自己所信守的现实主义进行了或多或少的修正,《刀锋》的问世也许能说明这一点。两次世界大战带给人们的幻灭感,激发了毛姆对于现实的再思考。与此同时,在欧洲文艺领域盛行的表现主义,强调的是创作者的主观感受,这就暗合了毛姆对于现实的重新认识。所以,《刀锋》在一定程度上重新阐发了毛姆的文学创作观:绝对的真实是触摸不到的,绝对的现实也是不存在的,现实主义都是相对的。

"Realism Is Relative"--A Change of Maugham's Creative Idea in The Razor's Edge

William Somerset Maugham has always been attributed to one of the realistic writers.However,influenced by the growing trend,he began to revise his realistic style.One reflection of this change was the publication of his work The(Razor's) Edge,which was a try for him to go beyond the realism.Although the try was not complete,from it we can get a new congnition about Maugham' s realism which had been influenced by the expressionism prevailing in Europe at that time.The change also showed his creative idea that the realism is not absolute but relative.