Identity in St. John de Crèvecoeur’s ＂Letters from an American Farmer＂

聖約翰‧迪柯威各的《美國農夫的信》中之身份認同

鍾淑華(Shu-Hua Chung)

《SPECTRUM ： NCUE Studies in Language, Literature, Translation》 8期 (2012/01) Pp. 75-90

https://doi.org/10.29601/YYWYLL.201201.0005

摘要

藉由保羅‧黎各在《自己為他人》所詮釋的身份理論一身份認同為自我性或相同性，我想探討聖約翰‧迪柯威各的《美國農夫的信》中的身份問題。在這本小說中，敘述者，從法國移民至美國的農夫詹姆士彷彿已經決定了自己的身份，然而，事實上，其身份依舊是個問題。其未定的身份引發一連串的問題：移民後，歐洲人如何成為美國人？他在美國失去或得到了什麼？他是否實現了美國夢？他在決定身份之際，是否遭受進退兩難之困境？他如何妥協舊世界文他與新世界文化？運用黎各的身份理論於柯威各的《美國農夫的信》，我想證明，因為時間和空間的改變，身份穿梭於自我性與相同性之間。

關鍵字

身份認同 ； 自我性 ； 相同性 ； 未定性 ； 移民

並列摘要

In terms of the theory of identity defined as selfhood or as sameness expounded in ”Oneself as Another” (1992) by Paul Ricoeur (1913-2005), I would like to discuss the problem of identity in St. John de Crèvecoeur's (1735-1813) Letters from an American Farmer (1782). In the fiction, the narrator, the Farmer James who has immigrated into America from France, seems to have determined his identity, but actually, his identity remains in question. His indeterminacy of identity entails a series of questions: How does an European become an American after his immigration? What has he lost or gained in America? Whether or not has he really realized his American dream? Has he encountered any dilemma while determining his identity? How does he compromise the culture of the Old World with that of the New World? Applying Ricoeur's theory of identity to Crèvecoeur's Letters from an American Farmer, I will argue that identity shifts between selfhood and sameness on account of the change of time and space.

並列關鍵字

identity ； selfhood ； sameness ； indeterminacy ； immigration