美国当代文明的一面镜子：《洪堡的礼物》

摘要

While material highest doctrine and mental degeneration are criticized in Humboldt’s Gift,life value and friend-ship emotion are also considered rationally in the novel.As a human spiritual product,Humboldt’s Gift by Saul Bellow presents to us a whole gallery of fame and fortune seeking.Bellow created heroes who,in anxiety,hoard their spiritual val-uables.On the one hand,it lets us realize the dreadful reality of civilization;on the other hand,it shows us the way of life on which we can not only reconcile ourselves with the reality,but we can also maintain our dignity.With a realistic touch and contemporary civilized eyesight,Bellow has excellently produced a real life of America in the 20th century.%小说《洪堡的礼物》在批判当代物质至上和精神堕落的同时，也对人生价值、友谊情感等作了富于哲理性的思考。作为人类精神文明的产品，索尔·贝娄的这一代表作成功地把一群追逐名利者典型展现在了读者的面前，他笔下的主人公们，在焦虑中都能把精神的宝贵处囤积在各自的心中。这一扛鼎之作一方面让人们看到了文明现实的可怕，一方面又给人们指明了一条既与现实和解，又保持个人尊严的生活道路。作者以现实主义的手法，以一种带有当代文明的目光，完美再现了美国20世纪的生活图画。