威廉·沃尔曼研究
2012-6
厦门大学出版社
钱程
310
《美国后现代小说论丛·威廉·沃尔曼研究：后现代语境中的越界主题》侧重对沃尔曼后现代主义艺术世界里的越界进行研究。迄今为止，沃尔曼已创作20部作品。无论是超现实主义寓言、调查性的新闻报导、探讨人性的小说、记录人生点滴的旅行见闻，还是宏伟的编年史巨作，越界的概念贯穿始终。越界即超越由诫条、法律、习俗或道德准则设定的界限或限度，意即违反或侵犯。由于沃尔曼的作品广泛涉及吸毒、性、暴力、犯罪等禁忌话题，其笔下人物往往采取非常的或非法的途径冲破社会规范，美国评论界将沃尔曼的小说归类为越界小说。因此，对于沃尔曼小说中越界主题的研究将引发我们对中心与边缘、理智与疯癫、美与丑、善与恶等一连串矛盾问题的深刻思考。
钱程，1977年生，厦门大学文学博士。现为南京师范大学外国语学院讲师。主要研究兴趣为当代英美文学。先后在《外语研究》、《四川外语学院学报》、《当代外国文学》及《外国文学动态》等核心刊物发表学术论文多篇，并参与两项国家社科基金项目。
序前言Introduction1. Vollmann's Life and Works2. Critical Responses to Vollmann3. The Theoretical Framework and Structure of the BookChapter One Writmg on the Edge: Transgression in Vollmann's Postmodenist Artistic World1.1 Vollmann and His Transgressive Fiction1.1.1 An Overview of Transressive Fiction1.1.2 The Characteristics of Vollmann's Transgressive Fiction/341.2 Transgressing Literary Genres: The Postmodernist Blendings in the Works of Vollmann1.2.1 The Blending of Journalism with Fiction in The Rainbow Stories1.2.2 The Blencling of Travelogue with Fiction in The Atlas1.2. 3 The Blending of Myth with Fiction in Seven Dreams SeriesChapter Two Beyond Marginality: Transgression over Social Limits in The Rainbow Stories2.1 Towards a Poetics of Marginality2.1.1 An Overview of the Notion of Marginality2.1.2 Vollmann's Perception and Practice of Marginality2.2 Searching for Limits: Transgression among "the Marginalized Selves" in The Rainbow Stories2.2.1 Transgressive Freedom: The Skinheads in "The White Knights"2.2.2 Transgressive Fantasy: The Fetishist in "The Green Dress"2.2.3 Transgressive Hatred: The Psychotic Killer in "The Blue Yonder"Chapter Three Beyond Erotic Desire: Transgression into Disgrace in Vollmann's Prostitute Trilogy3.1 Towards a Theory of Eroticism3.1.1 Defining Eroticism3.1.2 Georges Bataille's Theory of Eroticism3.2 Searching for Love and Salvation: Transgression among 6"the Degraded Selves" in Vollmann's Prostitute Trilogy3.2.1 Between Illusion and Reality: Searching for the Lost Love in Whores for Gloria 3.2.2 Between Passion and Pain: Searching for the True Love in Butterfly Stories3.2.3 Between Beauty and Ugliness: Seeking Salvation Through Love in The Royal FamilyChapter Four Beyond Integrity: Transgression over Moral Principles in Europe Central4.1 Towards an Ethics of Integrity4.1.1 Defining Integrity4.1.2 Contemporary Theories of Integrity4.1.3 Zygmunt Bauman's Postmodern Perspective on Ethics4. 2 Striving for Integrity: Moral Transgression among " the Fragile Selves" in Europe Centra4.2.1 The " Betrayal" of Integrity: Moral Responsibilities of the Generals in"Breakout" and "The Last Field-Marshall"4.2.2 The Quest for Integrity: Moral Dilemmas of a German Soldier in" Clean Hands"4.2.3 Survival with Integrity: Moral Compromises of a Russian Composer in" Opus 110"ConclusionAppendixChronology of William Vollmann沃尔曼部分作品中译文Works CitedAcknowledgments
2. Critical Responses to Vollmann William Vollmann is widely recognized as a major figure in contemporary American literature and one of the most innovative writers of his generation. His approach to writing combines investigative journalism， intensive historical research， and a metafictional technique. Critics praise Vollmann for his distinctive， often beautiful prose andcommend his work for lus insights into neglected areas of modern life. Some critics， however， "note that Vollmann is prone to writing dense， sprawling works that seem to lack structure， and argue that his fondness for prostitutes is either a perverse fetish or a cliched attempt to shock bourgeois sensibilities" （ "William T.Vollmann" ）. Since the publication of You Bright and Risen Angels in 1987， rave reviews were printed in the New Statesman， USA Today， and TheNew York Times Book Review. Gail Pool was among the first to assessthe strength and weakness of the novel. Michael Hemmingson extolled Vollmann's literary technique and ambitions： It is the type of first novel that signifies a writer has left the starting gate of a major career， similar to Pynchon's V. ， Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise， and Mailer's The Naked and the Dead-all， respectfully， lengthy novels by writers under 30 years of age， employing pyrotechnic and acrobatic uses of language and formal innovations of structure. （ qtd.in Hemmingson 18） As an auspicious debut， his first novel earned Vollmann a Whiting Award， the attention of influential people in the publishing community， and the regard of literary critics， and the book is taught in many courses on postmodern literature and science fiction， Vollmann's second title appeared two years after the publication of You Bright and Risen Angels， and the style of narrative journalism in The Rainbow Stories reflects the overall presentation of Vollmann's future work. One of the first established literary critics to acknowledge the importance of Vollmann is Larry McCaffery. In 1990， literary guru Larry McCaffery met Vollmann for the first time to conduct an interview for his Some Other Frequency： Interviews with Innovative American Authors. ……
