The Multicultural Bildungsroman: Stereotypes in Monica Ali's Brick Lane
The Multicultural Bildungsroman: Stereotypes in Monica Ali's Brick Lane
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多元文化成长小说：莫妮卡·阿里《砖巷》中的刻板印象
DOI：
10.1177/0021989408095241
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发表时间：
2008
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Michael Perfect
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Michael Perfect
莫妮卡·阿里的处女作《砖巷》广受欢迎，她经常被指责强化而不是挑战关于文化差异的刻板印象。有趣的是，支持这部小说的文学评论家并没有试图否认它使用了刻板印象，而是在这样做的过程中强调了它的反讽意识。这篇文章批判性地分析了那些试图断言Brick Lane要么是在宣传文化刻板印象，要么是在讽刺地颠覆文化刻板印象的争论，并仔细审视了迄今为止盛行的对这部小说的各种“后现代”解读的有效性。我认为，这部小说的主要关注点不是破坏刻板印象的稳定，而是庆祝个人和社会的适应潜力。我认为，阿里使用刻板印象作为对立面，以进一步强调她的主人公最终融入当代英国社会，这部小说可能会被有效地理解为一部“多元文化成长小说”。
Monica Ali's phenomenally popular debut novel Brick Lane has often been accused of reinforcing rather than challenging stereotypes of cultural otherness. Interestingly, literary critics who have championed the novel have not sought to deny that it employs stereotypes, but rather to emphasize its sense of knowing irony in doing so. Critically analysing debates which have attempted to assert that Brick Lane either propagates or ironically subverts cultural stereotypes, this article scrutinizes the valency of the kinds of “postmodern” readings of the novel which have thus far prevailed. I argue that the major concern of the novel is not the destabilization of stereotypes but the celebration of the potential for adaptation in both individuals and societies. I argue that Ali employs stereotypes as counterpoints in order to further emphasize her protagonist's final integration into contemporary British society, and that the novel might usefully be understood as a “multicultural Bildungsroman”.