ABSTRACT

That it’s hard to distinguish anything clearly in ‘Benito Cereno’ is well known; the hazy mists and fogs of Melville’s story blur boundaries, contributing to its indictment of complacency and certainty. This article extends the operation of these fogs to include the relationship between enslavement and tyranny, arguing that Melville’s interest in the latter should be read as part of his interest in, and concerns about, American democracy.

中文翻译：

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“Benito Cereno”中的暴政迷雾

摘要

众所周知，很难在“Benito Cereno”中清楚地区分任何东西；梅尔维尔故事的朦胧迷雾模糊了界限，助长了它对自满和确定性的控诉。本文将这些迷雾的作用扩展到包括奴役和暴政之间的关系，认为梅尔维尔对后者的兴趣应该被理解为他对美国民主的兴趣和担忧的一部分。