《大街》:美国“进步时代”生态思想的一个样本

辛克莱·刘易斯的《大街》资料翔实,细节可信,逼真地反映了美国小镇社会的风貌。分析小说中流露出来的自然观可以比较准确地把握美国小镇人们在"进步时代"的生态意识。虽然在小说里有时把自然描写为审美对象,让人与自然和谐共处,但对人来说,在大多数情况下自然还是异己因素,是可利用的资源。身处从农业社会走向工业社会的转型期,同时又受到消费主义风尚的影响,人们关注的焦点是人本身,急于满足自己的种种"需求"或是"欲求",极少注意到自然的存在规律,关心自然生态的状况。

Ecological Thinking of Progressive Era in Main Street

With its reliable details,Sinclair Lewis’s Main Street vivifies the American small town life in the Progressive Era.A study of the town people’s ecological awareness may define the ecological mentality of the time.Although there are times when people were in harmonious terms with their environment,they generally paid no attention to nature except as resources to be made use of,and to meet people’s material and psychological need.The focus of the people is still themselves rather than viewing themselves an integrated part of the nature.