內容簡介
破碎的美國夢與移民的血淚史
意外促成美國隊食品安全法的通過
《屠場》（The Jungle）是美國社會記者與作家厄普頓・辛克萊（Upton Sinclair）於1906年發表的社會寫實小說，以大膽揭密的筆觸，揭露20世紀初美國芝加哥肉品加工業的黑暗面。
故事以立陶宛移民尤爾吉斯一家為主角，描寫他們懷抱美國夢前來尋找更好生活，卻在工業化與資本主義體制下飽受剝削、貧窮與絕望的打擊。
小說細膩描繪工廠工人糟糕的勞動環境、特別令人髮指的衛生條件，和無良企業對勞工生命與尊嚴的踐踏。作者辛克萊原意是呼籲社會主義改革，改善勞工處境，但這本小說出版後旋即在美國各地引發喧然大波，甚至連羅斯福總統都讀過，甚至命令相關單位展開調查，此舉意外引發全美對食品安全的關注，最終還促成《純食品與藥品法》的通過，儘管辛克萊對此表示不以為然，改善勞工的工作環境與安全仍未受到重視，但這部小說確實已為社會帶來實質的進步，這本書也是二戰時期納粹焚燒的重點書之一。
結合真實調查與文學敘事，本書是一部震撼人心的揭弊小說，也是對美國夢幻滅的有力批判，喚起人們對社會正義、公平與人道價值的深刻反思。
Part of the Norton Library series
The Norton Library edition of The Jungle features the complete text of the first (1906) edition. An introduction by Kenneth W. Warren discusses the novel’s biographical and historical contexts, its literary merits, and its successes (and shortcomings) in affecting social change.
The Norton Library is a growing collection of high-quality texts and translations―influential works of literature and philosophy―introduced and edited by leading scholars. Norton Library editions prepare readers for their first encounter with the works that they’ll re-read over a lifetime.
- Inviting introductions highlight the work’s significance and influence, providing the historical and literary context students need to dive in with confidence.
- Endnotes and an easy-to-read design deliver an uninterrupted reading experience, encouraging students to read the text first and refer to endnotes for more information as needed.
- An affordable price (most $10 or less) encourages students to buy the book and to come to class with the assigned edition.
作者介紹
Upton Sinclair was born on September 20, 1878, in Baltimore, Maryland, the only child of a poor liquor salesman and his wife. He attended both the College of the City of New York and Columbia University. In 1906, Sinclair published The Jungle, a muckraking exposé of Chicago’s meatpacking district. An immediate bestseller, it prompted widespread public outrage and led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906. An ardent socialist and political activist, Sinclair ran for office several times. His large body of work includes the novels King Coal (1917), The Brass Check (1919), and the Pulitzer Prize–winning Dragon’s Teeth (1942). He died on November 25, 1968, in Bound Brook, New Jersey.
Kenneth W. Warren is Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of English at the University of Chicago. He is the author of Black and White Strangers: Race and American Literary Realism?(1993), So Black and Blue: Ralph Ellison and the Occasion of Criticism?(2003), and What Was African American Literature??(2011).
