惠特曼在21世纪的地位与使命——《重写惠特曼》述评及其它

本文考察了21世纪以来惠特曼研究的成果与主流发展趋势,侧重评述了几部有影响的专著,包括《重写惠特曼》。文章首先概述了20世纪70年代后惠特曼研究的发展状况,解读对惠特曼的研究与社会历史和文化的关联,并着重阐释了美国的惠特曼研究者缘何坚持不懈努力研究这位诗人,将其推崇为民族诗人,希望通过他来展现美国的民族个性与想象力。本文认为:除了惠特曼的诗歌及其具有远见卓识思想自身所拥有的价值和意义,美国惠特曼研究中的意识形态因素也促使惠特曼在21世纪的地位与使命不断得以重视。

Walt Whitman Reconsidered: His Position and Mission in the 21st Century

The paper is intended to trace the trend of Whitman studies since the debut of the 21st century,with a focus on reviewing a couple of recent monographs such as Re-Scripting Walt Whitman: An Introduction to His Life and Workco-authored by Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. By a critical survey of the growth of Whitman studies in the last quarter of the 20th century,the paper first looks into the historical and cultural linkage with Whitman studies,with a view of explicating the continued efforts of Whitman scholars to study and canonize him as the national poet who is expected to represent the national identity and vision. The conclusion is that apart from the value and significance of Whitman's poetry and vision,the ideological concerns of Whitman studies help contribute to the increasingly enhanced position and mission of Whitman in the 21st century.