奠基之作的睿智:巴特兰《游记》的意蕴

巴特兰的《游记》是美国自然散文的奠基之作,其意蕴既超前又辩证。超前性体现在:该作品重视大自然的审美价值,主张人对大自然的利用或改造应保持在能维持人最基本生存的限度;强调自然万物之间的相似、统一与和谐,认为人类是大自然的一部分,在其中要有所不为;肯定印第安人及其生活方式,倡导白人与印第安人和谐、平等地相处。辩证性则表现在:该作品没有否认大自然的实用价值,不反对人类利用大自然;没有否认自然万物之间的差异、对立或冲突,以及人的理性和认识自然的能力,不反对人在自然中要有所为;没有掩饰印第安人的缺点及其个别成员的道德瑕疵。这些意蕴对我国当前的社会实践具有启发意义。

The Wisdom of a Pioneering Work: The Concepts in William Bartram's Travels

The concepts embodied in William Bartram's Travels through North & South Carolina,Georgia,East & West Florida,the pioneeringwork of American non-fiction nature prose,are dialectical as well as foresighted.The work attaches importance to nature's aesthetic value,holding that the utilization or alternation of nature by man should be confined to the limit able to maintain the essential human existence.It lays emphasis upon the similarities,unity or harmony among all things of creation,and argues that man is part of nature,in which they should not do anything more than necessary.It approves Indians and their life styles,and advocates that the Whites and Indians should live together harmoniously and treat each other equally.Those concepts are evidentlyforesighted,Meanwhile,the work does not deny nature's actual utility,not objecting to the utilization of nature by man.It neither negates the differences,opposition or conflicts among all things of creation,nor ignores human reason and human ability to know nature,while maintaining that in nature it is necessary for man to be active attimes.It does not conceal the demerits of Indians as a whole and the ethical flaws of very few Indians.All the above indicates that the concepts embodied are dialectical.Travels' concepts are very suggestive to Chinese current social practice.