摘要

荒岛作为英国文学中的一个文学隐喻既象征人间理想乐园、美好新生活和自由，也象征危险与绝望。荒岛意象的二元性反映在众多的英国文学作品中。从莎士比亚到笛福到戈尔丁，历代英国作家都对这一意象有过不同形式的演绎。从浪漫虚幻的假想到现实主义的描述，荒岛已发展成为激发灵感，表述作者理想和忧虑的源泉。早期英国文学作家从中获取灵感，将荒岛设想为人类社会的伊甸园，表现出对人性及社会理想化发展的乐观自信。但战争和独裁又使人们体验了现实的噩梦。荒岛成为上演罪恶和绝望的舞台，表现出作者对人性的堕落和人类发展的忧虑。戈尔丁在小说《蝇王》中揭示了人性中的邪恶和兽性，打破了“荒岛神话”的传统，赋予荒岛意象以新的内容。本文结合荒岛文学的发展，探讨了英国文学中意象的意义，认为荒岛演绎着人类对人性和理想社会的探索历程。从对人性和社会的浪漫主义幻想和乐观主义信念转向对人性缺陷和社会弊端的批判和质问，荒岛意象的二元性揭示了人性本身的二元性。

关键字： 威廉•戈尔丁，蝇王，荒岛意象

ABSTRACT

The desert island has been functioning as a literary metaphor in English literature symbolizing both an earthly paradise, which also suggests the possibilities of new life and freedom, and the locus of dangers and despair. There are varied presentations of the image in the literary works of generations of English writers including William Shakespeare, Daniel Defoe, and William Golding. In spite of different emphases, which result from varied understanding of man and the universe, the desert island tends to be source of inspirations of many English literary works in presenting these author’s ideals and worries. It is the Garden of Eden on earth in early desert island stories and utopia literature, representing the optimism and faith in human nature and future. The rosy dream, however, is substituted by the nightmare of wars and dictatorship. The desert island is depicted as a location of crimes and destruction, embodying the worries and the defects in man and society. William Golding discloses the destructive nature in man in his Lord of The Flies, which breaks up the “desert island myth” in English literature and makes his contribution to the desert island image. This paper discusses the significance of the desert island image in English literature and argues that this image has been picturing the development of man’s search for the nature of man and society. There has been a shift of focus from a romantic vision of or faith in man and his world to the critical thinking and questioning of the defects of man and his society. The duality of the desert island image reflects the duality of human nature.

Key words: William Golding，Lord of The Flies，the Desert Island Imagery