不釣り合いな結婚の生態(5) : 「リールのバイオリン弾き」の場合 : 共感の通路を求めて

Thomas Hardy wrote 'The Fiddler of the Reels' for the special issue, 'Exhibition Number' of Scribner's Magazine, commemorating Chicago World's Fair in 1893. As a tale-teller, Hardy shows his sure technique and talent in this tale, making the first World Fair in London as the background for the story. A world fair brings 'ancient and modern into absolute contrast,' as 'in a geological fault' in Time. This image is important in this tale for interpreting a strange psychological tendency in Car'line Aspent who is infatuated with Mop Ollamoor's fiddling of the reels. The weird and mysterious Mop has a thorough control over her with a result of their child. The heart-broken Ned Hipcroft, her honest and respectable wooer, leaves his native village and goes up to London at the time of the World Fair. The forsaken Car'line by Mop becomes repentant and asks for forgiveness from Ned, to be united as a couple. After the close of the Fair they find their life hard, and decide to go back to their native place, only to encounter with Mop, reviving their forgotten past. Overcome with the strange infatuation as old, Car'line keeps dancing and finally falls down completely fatigued. Mop takes away Carry, their daughter, into the depth of the nearby wood, which symbolizes his 'weird and wizardly' aspect. Ned becomes frantic when he finds Carry is taken away, to the villagers' surprise. His strong attachment to Carry who is not his own daughter is very ironic, considering 'a Congenial Channel' which once seemed to be established between Car'line and him. This paper is intended to give a new perspective in 'The Fiddler of the Reels' from the viewpoint of 'a Congenial Channel' and an image of 'a geological fault' in Time.

公開日:2010年1月24日で登録したコンテンツは、国立情報学研究所において電子化したものです。