"垮掉一代"的原义与误传

"垮掉一代"(Beat)指美国20世纪五六十年代对其社会不满的部分青年,又指一种文学思潮。Beat根植于美国 的超验主义哲学,思想激进,对工业化持怀疑态度,渴望人与自然的最初状态,颂扬平等,礼赞自我。第二次世界大战后, 美国对外推行强硬战争政策,对内实行"麦卡锡主义",结果造就了"沉默的一代"。Beat面对美国的非人格化、道德空虚 和盲从,嚎叫出了个性自由和思想独立的打破沉默的时代最强音。文学上,描写放荡不羁的肉体生活,表达了对社会的 不满和反叛;大量使用内心独白、意识流和象征手段;不进行事后的修改,认为修改意味着伪装和诚实的丧失。生活中, 重精神轻物质,宣扬感官满足来把握自己;不想成为"空心人"和"无脸"的存在。所以,称其为"垮掉一代",似乎有失公 允。Beat有多种译法,但"爵士一代"的译文失去了被社会所不容的含义;"潦倒一代"缺乏"进行挑战"的积极精神;"享 乐一代"丢掉了经历困难痛苦的内涵;"节拍派"、"敲打派"和"躁动一代"过于表面化;"痞子一代"又过于贬义;而"疏离 一代"又多是从文化和形式视角来考虑的。不管怎样,"疏离"和"避世"的译文似乎比"垮掉"更中立。也可按其发音译 成"疲塌"、"必特"、"鄙德",因为"疲塌"可表现其寄生的生活方式,"必特"可表明其必须特殊于他人而与众不同;"鄙 德"可表达其

Original Meaning and Mistranslation of "Beat Generation"

Beat generation refers to a group of young people in the US who showed their dissatisfaction to the society in the fifties and sixties , and it also refers to a branch of literature. Rooted in transcendentalism Beat had radical thinking, held a negative attitude toward industrialization , yearned for harmonious relationship between man and nature , equality between man and praise of self. After the W W II the US carried out a strong foreign policy externally and McCarthyism internally , thus creating the "Silent generation". Facing the impersonality , moral emptiness and the social obedience Beat broke the silence by"howling" for the individual freedom and independence in thinking. In literature they described the dissolute way of life , expressed their revolt to the society by inner monologue , stream of consciousness and symbols , and without afterward revision believing the revision meant dishonesty. They emphasized spiritual rather than material and did not want to be the only empty being in the world and having no face at all. So it seems unfair to translate Beat into Kuadiao which is totally negative in Chinese version. And other Chinese translations of Beat and their virtues are discussed and evaluated in the paper.