后殖民主义和精神分析视角下对《简爱》的解读

后殖民主义和精神分析视角下对《简爱》的解读

王蕾蕾1时静2

（1.枣庄学院山东枣庄277160；2.上海应用技术学院上海200235）

【摘要】《简·爱》，英国文学史上最重要的文学作品之一，自一问世就吸引了许多学者的关注。许多年来，这部作品也因其展现的女权主义思想而备受批评家们钟爱。近来，许多学者尝试从不同的角度对其进行研究并取得了一些新发现。本文主要从后殖民主义和精神分析这两个不同的视角对这部作品进行分析。

【关键词】映像；后殖民主义；精神分析

【中图分类号】I3.4

【文献标识码】A

【文章编号】1671-1270（2009)2-0006-02

JaneEyrehasbeenregardedasoneofthegreatestliteraryworksinthehistoryofEnglishliteraturesinceitsfirstappearance.JaneEyre,theheroine,anordinarygirl,hasalreadybeenidentifiedasasignofcourageouswomanfightingforherowndream,whiletheauthor,CharlotteBrontehasbecomeanoutstandingandrevolutionaryfigure,andwastogetherwithDickensonandThackerayconsideredbyMarxasoneofthemostexcellentBritishwriters.Foryearsthisnovelbelongstothefavoritetextsamongthecriticsforitsloftythemeoffeminism.Recently,manyscholarshaveemployedsomeotherapproachesandhavegotmanynewdiscoveries.ThisarticleattemptstoanalyzeJaneEyrefromtwodifferentperspectives:post-coloniststudiesandFreudianpsychoanalyticalcriticism.

Inthe19thcentury,BritainunderwentanumberofchangesandgrewtobetheGreatBritishEmpire.In1832,thesocialorderofbourgeoisiewassetafterthereformofparliament.Fiveyearslater,QueenVictoriacametothethroneanddedicatedherlifetoestablishingapowerfulBritain.IndustrialRevolutionalsotookplaceinthisperiodandU.K.fromthenon,wasrememberedasthefirstindustrialcountryintheworld.Allofthesecontributedtothestrengtheningofthiscountryandcolonialexpansionaswell.

Thenever-sun-setempirewasfoundednotonlyonthebasisofmilitaryandeconomicpower,butalsoonthatoftext.Thecolonizersneededto,bymeansofpersifiedtexts,getsomeknowledgeofthecolonies,setrulesforthem,reproducetheprocessofcolonizationandintroducetheoutsideworldtotheirownpeople.However,intheseimperialtexts,theplacessuchasIndia,WestIndiesandAfricaalwaysappearedtobeprimitiveandpeoplethereunenlightened,barbarian,dissolute,indulginginsexualpleasures,shortofreason.“SomeVictorianwritersandthinkers…intheirarticles,reportsandlongnovelsdescribedthedevelopmentoftheempire.Mostofthemadoptedataking-it-for-grantedattitudewhenparticipatinginthereproductionoftheirempireinletters”(Boehmer26).ThisreflectsthenationalsuperiorityandconfidenceoftheBritishpeopleandatthesametime,theimperialhegemony.

InJaneEyre,BerthaMason,aminorfigurefromWestIndies,suffersfromtheimperialhegemony.Sheisdepictedasadevilandbeastanddoesnotgetavoicefromherfirstappearancetoherlastone.AsaCreolefromaSpanishTownofWestIndies—thecolonyoftheU.K.,sheisinthemarginalpositionintheBritishEmpire—thesuzerain.Intheworldofcolonialdiscourses,MasonbecomesasilentOther.AlltheknowledgeweknowabouthercomesfromRochester,herBritishhusband.Inthiscase,“sheisinthemarginofamarginalposition”(Gu).Sheisafemalefromthecolony.Inthesuzeraincountry,asocietyofpatriarchy,sheisunderdoubleoppression.Rochester,asamale,feelssuperiortoMason;asacitizenoftheempire,hehasthecontroloverthecolonizedCreole.Bronte,whilecreatingJane,musthaveignoredthesituationofBertha,andputherintotheatticprison.JaneEyredoesnotpayanysympathytoBerthaandonlystandsonRochester’sside.ShebelievesRochester’swordsaboutBerthanotonlybecausesheloveshim,butalsoinhermindthecolonialshouldbelikethat,whichmeansthatBerthaMasonisalsointhemarginalsocialpositionoftheWesternwomendiscourse.

Mr.Mason,anothercharacterfromWestIndies,isalsodescribedasanunpleasantfigure.AmongallthewordsmodifyingMr.Mason’sfeatures,besidestheneutralonesusedforthedelineationofappearance,therestareallnegative.Ifnotinfluencedbythenegativeones,wecanfindamild,easy-goingandgood-lookingman.Here,JanejustputsMr.MasonintheoppositesidetoRochester,herloveandthespokesmanonbehalfofthecolonists,andregardsallMr.Mason’sgoodqualitiesasbadones.Jane’spowerofdiscoursecompletelycompelsMasonoutofthecenterofdiscourse.Imperialdiscoursecanbeusedtodescribenotonlythecolonizedbutalsoothersuzerains.“Theearly‘imperialism’didnotrefertotherelationshipbetweenthecoloniesandtheirsuzerains,butthefightsbetweendifferentnationswhichhaddifferentimperialsystemsandweresuzerains”(Zhang5).Fromthisperspective,weshouldsumupthatWestIndiesinthestoryisdistorted.BerthaMason—themadwomanandMr.Mason—thetroublemakerintheheroandheroine’sweddingceremonyallturnouttobethevictimsofthecolonialdiscourse.Theydeserveourattentionandsympathy.

Classicalworks,withtheirdeepmeaning,arealwaysimpossibletobethoroughlyinterpretedthroughoneapproachofliterarycriticism.Besidesfeminismandpostcolonialism,psychoanalysishasalsobeenappliedtothestudiesonJaneEyre.Inlate1970s,theAmericanfeministsGilbertandGubar,forthefirsttime,putforwardinTheMadwomanintheAtticthatthemadwoman,BerthaMason,isactuallyanotherdepressiveandangryJane.InChina,manyscholarsalsoholdsimilaridea.InWangWenhui’s“TheTripartitePersonalityAnalysisofJaneEyre”,shearguesthatthemadwomanisid,JaneegoandSt.Johnsuperego.FanWenbin,anotherscholarpointsoutthat“JaneEyrerepresentsthebightsideoftheauthorwhilethemadwomanthedarkside”(Fan).

Ifwepidethestoryintotwoparts(beforeJaneknewRochesterandaftersheknewhim)andanalyzeitwithFreud’s“tripartitemodel”--human’spersonalityconsistsofthreeparts:theid,theegoandthesuperego,wewillhavenewdiscoveries.Inpartone,beforeJaneEyreknewRochester,shewasmostofthetimedominatedbytheidjusttoescapefromthecrossMrs.ReedandcruelMr.Brocklehurst.And,fortunately,shegothelpandcomfortfromBessie,HelenandMissTemple,whoactedliketheego.AfterJaneenteredThornfieldHall,shebecameamixtureofreasonandpassioninfaceofhermaster’sloveandwasherselfidandegoinintervals.However,thehardrealitycompelledherfromherlovetoweaselfromthesuperego—Mr.MasonandBerthaMason.Butfinally,thesuperegosatisfiedtheid.JanereunitedwithMr.Rochester.Thisisacomplicatedprocessoftheid,theegoandthesuperego’scompetingforone’srespectiveplace.Inthisprocess,theheroineherselfmaturesandbecomesacompletecharacter.

Theidandthesuperegocanbesaidtobeenemiesontheoppositesides,whiletheegoisthecoordinatortomaintainthepeaceandharmony.WheninGateshead,JanesufferedfromilltreatmentfromMrs.Reed,herguardian,therepresentativeofauthority,whocanberegardedasthesuperego.Asasmallchild,Janejustlistenedtotheinnervoiceandbehavedonlyfollowingherdesires.Shewas,atthattime,thespokesmanoftheid.Whenpunished,shecouldonlyturntoBessieforwarmthtocalmdownthefuryinside.Inthispoint,Bessie’swordsandactioncangiveprotectiontotheidandkeepitfromirritatingthesuperego,whichmeansthatBessiewasaperfectego.Inthesecondpart,thesceneistransferredtoThornfieldHall,whereourheroinecannotfindanotherBessie,HelenorMissTemple,whichindicatesthatshehastoassumetheidandtheegoherself.Inthispartwecanseethattheheroineherselfbecomestheembodimentofboththeidandtheego.Whenfacingthepowerfulsuperego,theegohastheidundercontrol;whendrivenbytheirresistibleforceoftheid,theegohelpsitgetreleased.Thisis,infact,howthemodelworks.

Reviewingthestoryfromthefirstscenetothelastone,wecancometotheconclusionthatineveryscenethethreepartsofthetripartitemodelareallpresentandtheyallfullydisplaythemselvesasthestorydevelops.Onthewhole,theidplaysamoresignificantroleintheheroine’spersonalitythantheothertwo.ThestoryitselfisactuallyaprocessofJaneEyre’sfightingforrights,liberty,andhappiness,aswhatthefeministsbelieve.

【参考文献】

[1]Bronte,Charlotte.JaneEyre[M].Stockholm/London:theContinentalBookCompany,1946.

[2]爱德华·傅克斯.赵永穆、许宏治译《欧洲风化史》（资产阶级时代）[M].沈阳：辽宁教育出版社，2000.

[3]艾勒克·博埃默.韩敏中译《殖民与后殖民文学》[M].沈阳：辽宁教育出版社，1998.

[4]范文彬.《简爱》中疯女人的艺术形象[J].外国文学评论，1990（4）.

[5]谷红丽.《〈简爱〉和〈沧海茫茫〉中的殖民主义话语》[J].解放军外国语学院学报，2003(26)(1).

[6]张京媛.《后殖民理论与文化批评》[M]北京：北京大学出版社，1991.

【作者简介】王蕾蕾（1981-），女，汉族，山东枣庄人，现工作于山东省枣庄学院外国语系，助教，学士。

时静（1981-）女，汉族，山东枣庄人，现工作于上海应用技术学院外语系讲师，硕士英美文学方向。