土著人的回归——美国西部印第安人小说中的人物身份探讨

不论在东部,还是在西部,印第安人在美国史话中都是富于传奇色彩的重要角色。对于早期的历史学家来说,土著人在西进运动中的角色要么是恶棍,要么是帮凶。但在弗雷德里克.杰克逊.特纳1893年的“边疆论文”中,印第安人的身份有了改观,他们甚至被说成在打造这个国家的民族性格中起到了至关重要的作用。特纳的这种观点对今天公众的想像力仍然适用。从超市的小说到好莱坞的影片,印第安人看来与西部连到了一起。如何从文学中的形象来探讨美国西部印第安人小说中的人物身份,以还土著人的本来面目是值得我们关注的。

Return of the Native--An Exploration into the Identity in American Indian Fiction of the West

Whether in East or in West, the Indian is the romantic role in the story of America. For early historians, the native could choose between the scoundrel or the accomplice in the spectacle of Westward Progress. But in Frederic Jackson Turner's "frontier thesis"of 1893, the Indian identity was improved and they were even said to have played a critical role in forging the nation's character. Such an idea of Turner still has a hold on the public imagination of today. From supermarket fiction to Hollywood westerns, Indian people seem tied to the West. This paper tries, from the images in literature, to make an exploration into the identity in American Indian fiction of the West in order to restore their true features.