Carnival and Dialogue: A Multicultural Interpretation of Moby-Dick

Journal of Publishing and Criticism

JPC, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.97-106

Print ISSN: 3107-0892; Online ISSN: 3107-0906

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

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64058/jpc260110cdmim

狂欢与对话：《白鲸》的多元文化阐释

黄永亮（Huang Yongliang）

摘要：19世纪美国兴起了民族文化独创的热潮，处在社会转型时期的美国在文化上更具有多元对话的特点。梅尔维尔的作品体现了时代的多元文化特征。以《白鲸》为例，结合巴赫金的狂欢诗学理论，本文指出它对人物形象的加冕和脱冕蕴含了狂欢文化自由平等的精神，强调了社会地位和权势具有相对性；小说中有色人种的文化和其它边缘化的事物瓦解了白人文化的中心地位，呈现了多元异质文化平等共存的格局；不同人物思想意识的交锋对话突出了个体意识的差异性和多样性。

关键词：赫尔曼·梅尔维尔；多元文化；狂欢；《白鲸》

作者简介：黄永亮，韩山师范学院讲师，研究方向：英美文学，电邮：604413567@qq.com。

Title: Carnival and Dialogue: A Multicultural Interpretation of Moby-Dick

Abstract: The 19^th-century wave of creating national culture with originality made America more culturally diversified and dialogic in a period of social transformation. Such a multicultural stage is reflected in Melville’s works. Based on a reading of Moby-Dick through Bakhtin’s theory of carnivalization, this paper points out that by crowning and decrowning characters, the novel displays the carnivalistic spirit of freedom and equality, and the relativity of social privilege and status. The non-white cultures and other marginalized aspects dismantle the centrality of white culture, presenting a landscape where diverse heterogeneous cultures coexist as equals. The clash and dialogue of characters’ thoughts highlight the heterogeneity and diversity of individual consciousness.

Keywords: Herman Melville; Moby-Dick; multiculturalism; carnival

Author Biography: Huang Yongliang, Lecturer at Hanshan Normal University. Research Area: British and American Literature. E-mail: 604413567@qq.com.

Received: 01 Jan 2026 / Revised: 06 Apr 2026 / Accepted: 26 Apr 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.