Whitman's Homotextuality, Homopolitics, and Homonationalism: A Case for Historicist Parallel Reading

惠特曼的同性文本、同性政治與同性國族主義：一個歷史主義式平行閱讀的主張

10.7015/JEAS.202209_52(3).0002

朱偉誠(Wei-cheng Chu)

male friendship ； open/secret ； cruising strangers ； ancient Greek model ； American literary canon ； 男性友誼 ； 公開／秘密 ； 陌生釣人 ； 古希臘模式 ； 美國文學典律

歐美研究

52卷3期（2022 / 09 / 01）

413 - 461

英文

This essay puts forth historicist parallel reading as a solution to the particular quandary facing anyone engaged in Walt Whitman studies, namely that almost antipodal views, rather than proximate agreements, still arise on any topic concerning the poet and his oeuvre. This essay seeks to demonstrate the efficacy of this reading strategy by focusing on three of Whitman's interrelated core thematics. First, the homotextuality of Leaves of Grass is examined critically to show how it was generally misrecognized and, instead of being totally dismissed, should be relocated in the existence of a coded (and thereby hidden) level paralleling the open one-which hereby suggests the poet's possible self-awareness of his (sexual) minority status, best described as para-homosexual. The essay then considers more closely the specific contents of Whitman's homopolitics (the hidden level of his openly promoted democratic comradeship) by working through critical theorizations addressing squarely the ＂homosexual＂ dimensions of his political propositions. Finally, Whitman's subscription to US national ideology and hence endorsement of white supremacy and glorification of imperialism, which may arguably have contributed to his canonization as well as the transmission of his homotextual messages and homopolitical ideals, are raised for a homonationalist critique. However, his more widespread reputation as a democratic internationalist and pro-immigration multiculturalist has provided more affirmative views on the matter and thus complicates it from a historical perspective.

本文提出歷史主義式平行閱讀的策略，以更具突破性地處理惠特曼研究至今仍不時出現的南轅北轍狀況。文章透過其作品的三個核心主題論證此點。首先，《草葉集》的同性文本性是如何被誤認且應重置於秘密編碼之平行文本中。其次，透過批評辨析那些正視其同性面向的政治詮釋，以逼近平行於公開宣揚底下的同性政治的具體內容。最後則直面惠特曼多元種族主義與國際主義名聲之外對於美國國族主義乃至帝國擴張的認同，指出正因其符合了美國國家意識形態故而確保了典律地位與同性傳承，這在今日雖會引發同志國族主義的爭議，但在歷史上則曾發揮過重要的進步解放作用。

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