Journal of Literary Writing and Evaluation

JLWE, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2025, pp.225-233.

Print ISSN: 3078-8129; Online ISSN: 3104-5073

Journal homepage: https://www.lwejournal.com

DOI: Https://doi.org/10.64058/JLWE.25.2.05

符号·行动者·本体：辛西娅·欧芝克《大披巾》中的物叙事

卢虹宇（Lu Hongyu），方  英（Fang Ying）

摘要：《大披巾》是美国当代作家辛西娅·欧芝克关于奥斯维辛幸存者创伤记忆与战后生活的故事集，是欧兹克最出名的“大屠杀”题材作品，获“欧·亨利短篇小说奖”。现有的研究主要聚焦于历史与记忆、创伤书写、身份建构、伦理解读、空间叙事等问题，但小说中“物”的叙事功能被严重低估。本文探讨“物”在小说中的文化表征、能动性和本体性。首先，“物”作为文化符号，折射出大屠杀的历史与文化属性。其次，“物”有其自身活力，具有操控和影响人物的灵性和力量，能发挥“行动者”的叙事功能，从而影响了小说的情节发展。最后，“物”作为独立存在的实体，显示出深不可测的本性，从而实现了制造恐怖效果的叙事意图。通过深入剖析“物”的三重叙事功能，本文指出《大披巾》中的“物”强化了大屠杀的历史性，揭示了犹太人个体和集体的巨大心理创伤，促使人们重新审视二战，并肩负起历史责任。

关键词：辛西娅·欧芝克；《大披巾》；物叙事；大屠杀；创伤

作者简介：卢虹宇，浙江工商大学研究生，研究方向：英美文学。电邮：2237340254@qq.com。方  英（通信作者），浙江工业大学人文学院教授，文化地理学研究中心副主任，研究方向：英美文学、叙事学、文学空间批评。电邮：ttbetty@126.com。

Title: Thing Narrative in Cynthia Ozick’s The Shawl

Abstract: The Shawl, a collection of stories by contemporary American writer Cynthia Ozick, delves into the recollections of Holocaust survivor Rosa, chronicling her traumatic memories in the Auschwitz concentration camp and her post-war life in the United States. As Ozick’s most renowned work centered on the Holocaust, it has received the O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction. Existing research mainly focuses on such issues as history and memory, trauma writing, identity construction, ethical interpretation, and spatial narrative. However, the narrative function of “things” is severely underestimated in the collection. This article explores the cultural representation, agency and ontology of “things” in The Shawl. Firstly, as cultural symbols, “things” reflect specific historical and cultural attributes of the Holocaust. Secondly, vibrant “things” with spirituality and power manipulate and influence the characters, and play the narrative function of “actor”, thereby having a bearing on the plot development of the story. Finally, as independent substances, “things” reveal their unfathomable nature, thereby achieving the narrative intention of creating terrifying effects. By delving into the triple narrative functions of “things” in The Shawl, this article argues that the “things” in the work reinforce the sense of the Holocaust history and unveil the immense psychological trauma of Jews both individually and collectively, promoting a re-examination of World War II and urging people to take up their historical responsibility.

Keywords: Cynthia Ozick; The Shawl ; thing-narrative; the Holocaust; trauma

Author Biography: Hongyu Lu is a graduate student at Zhejiang Gongshang University. Her research interest focuses on British and American literature. Email: 2237340254@qq.com.

Ying Fang (Corresponding Author) is a Professor at the School of Humanities, Zhejiang University of Technology, and Deputy Director of the Cultural Geography Research Center. Her research interests include British and American literature, narratology, and spatial literary criticism. Email: ttbetty@126.com.

   Received: 1 Apr 2025 / Revised: 15 Apr 2025 / Accepted: 1 Nov 2025 / Published online: 30 Nov 2025 / Print published: 30 Dec 2025.