The Stereoscope and Popular Fiction: Imagination and Narrative in the Victorian Home

The stereoscope was a popular parlour toy that provided a powerful psychological viewing experience in the heart of the domestic space. In this article, I consider the stereoscope’s position as an instrument that was experienced, and often represented, in relation to the imaginative narrative processes of memory and fantasy. By reading the stereoscope’s position within popular fiction, the article seeks to uncover the way in which the stereoscope was consumed. The article shows that for many in the mid-Victorian period, the stereoscope operated as an everyday narrative-forming experience with a strong relation to the popular periodical fiction that was read alongside it in the domestic space. The first section of this article considers the cultural and psychological position of the stereoscope within the home, reading this alongside a number of short stories published in the popular periodic press. The second section consists of an analysis of the stereoscope’s involvement with psychological dualism and self-doubling, issues which stem, in particular, from the device’s reliance on photography. These aspects of the device are explored in relation to a nineteenth-century short story which draws a problematic relation between one’s self and one’s portrait. Finally, the article draws these issues together to show the importance of imaginative narratives within the stereoscopic experience. The viewing conditions of the stereoscope encouraged viewers to engage in an anticipatory, open-ended, and imaginative fantasy narrative. It is this unique narrative character of stereoscopic viewing experiences which most prominently distinguishes the device from other visual media.     

宏大叙事的缺失与复归--当代美国史学的曲折反映

史学“碎化”是美国史学重建中面临的一大难题。史学“综合”是大多数美国史学家的心愿,但也有史学家提出,关键并不在于史学“综合”,而在于重建史学的宏大叙事。关于宏大叙事的各种解读有助于我们理解史学中的“宏大叙事”。美国史学中的宏大叙事在不同的历史阶段有着不同的曲折反映。由于各种因素的影响,二战后的美国史学出现疏离宏大叙事的趋势。史学家们惊叹宏大叙事的缺失,呼吁和设计宏大叙事的重建与复归。当代美国史学宏大叙事的重建面临种种难题。这些难题从理论上讲是由于宏观社会理论的缺失与后现代理论的瓦解作用造成的,这是当代西方史学乃至整个世界史学需要直面的问题。而宏观社会理论的缺失、后现代理论的产生与宏大叙事的缺失一样都可以追溯到更深层的社会历史根源。关于美国历史的宏大叙事的前景如何,只有将来的美国史学家能够回答。     

美国早期史研究中的自我探索与历史叙事 --评《透过一块晦暗的玻璃》

《透过一块晦暗的玻璃》体现了美国早期史研究领域的较新的发展趋势。这本论文集从小历史的角度来论述了早期美国史研究中关于个人认同的自我探索与边缘化状态的问题,并较好地弥补了大历史的缺陷,使人们从历史叙述、文本细读和语言学转向这三个方面更新了对小历史长处的认识。     

Historical Archaeology and the Slave Ship

This introduction explores the relationship between maritime archaeology and the historical archaeology of the African Diaspora, and discusses the structure and content of this special issue of IJHA, which marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade in 2007.