| 摘要: | 奈波爾於1932年出生於千里達的印度家庭，十八歲遠赴英國就讀牛津大學。由於具有三種不同的文化背景，奈氏不斷地追求其自我定位，而其一連串的尋家過程透露出奈氏不穩定的、流動的及多元的身分。其中，印度尋根之旅對奈氏追求自我定位是非常重要的。
本文旨在探討印度三部曲《幽黯國度》、《印度：受傷的文明》及《印度：百萬叛亂的今天》中有關奈波爾在印度尋根之旅，探究奈波爾近三十年對祖國印度的心路歷程，描述奈波爾對印度的態度從厭惡、失望及悲觀而至接受、希望及樂觀的態度，從黑暗迎向光明。在第三部印度之旅中，讀者可看出奈波爾以客觀及「超越東方主義」的角度來俯視他的祖國印度，有別於他在第一部及第二部印度之旅中以「東方主義」視角來檢視印度。最重要的是，在書寫及觀察印度的過程中也讓奈波爾更加了解印度並能客觀地檢視印度及其自我之間的關係，學會珍惜其印度的傳統及其複雜的多元文化背景。
This paper aims at exploring Naipaul's journeys to India from darkness to light demonstrated in his India Trilogy-"An Area of Darkness", "India: A Wounded Civilization and India: A Million Mutinies Now", presenting the process of his changing attitude toward his land and his cultural heritage, and the larger process of his own development over a span of nearly thirty years. Naipaul's attitude toward India changes from one of hatred, disappointment, and pessimism to one of real acceptance and even optimistic hope.
In the first two works, "An Area of Darkness and India: A Wounded Civilization", Naipaul manifests what he sees and knows about India from a somewhat Eurocentric, "Orientalist" perspective. But he moves beyond Orientalism in "India: A Million Mutinies Now", a representation of the "other" which no longer reduces and essentializes, views it condescendingly, makes it seem inferior. In this book Naipaul allows real Indians to speak in their everyday language, often in dialogues; each speaker has his own voice with which to articulate his own view. Through this heterogeneity of voices, this heteroglossia, the objective reality of India is directly expressed. By observing and writing about India, Naipaul has gained a much deeper understanding of India and of his own Indian-ness, learned to cherish his Indian traditions and, by extension, his own extremely complex, multi-cultural background. |
