Technology, Capital, and Pastoral Ideal in Loon Lake

doi:10.12002/j.bisu.641

Abstract

Abstract:

From the early 20th century to the eve of World War II, the United States witnessed a rapid expansion of industry and capital, where the pastoral ideal gradually declined under the dual pressure of technological logic and pragmatism. Adopting the perspectives of the philosophy of technology and cultural criticism, this paper conducts a close reading of E. L. Doctorow’s novel Loon Lake, focusing on the conflicts and interactions between “the natural world” and “industrial civilization”, “idealism” and “reality”, as well as “poetic sensibility” and “the machine”. The study finds that technology is not a neutral tool but is deeply integrated with capital, becoming an ethical practice that reshapes nature, individuals, and social relations. In the course of modern American industrialization, the pastoral ideal characterized by harmony, innocence, and spiritual redemption was gradually replaced by pragmatic values that prioritize efficiency, control, and profit, leading to a fundamental transformation of American national identity. This research not only expands the techno-cultural research dimension of Doctorow’s works but also offers a new perspective for understanding the pragmatic tendency and its spiritual predicaments in contemporary American society.

Keywords: Loon Lake; pastoral ideal; technology; capital; pragmatism; Ameriean contemporary novel; American literature

摘要：

在20世纪初至第二次世界大战前，美国经历了工业与资本的迅猛扩张，田园理想在技术逻辑与实用主义的双重挤压下日渐式微。本文从技术哲学与文化批评视角出发，对E·L·多克托罗的小说《鱼鹰湖》进行文本细读，主要探讨了“自然世界”与“工业文明”、“理想”与“现实”以及“诗性”与“机器”之间的冲突与博弈。研究发现，技术并非中立工具，而是与资本深度结合，成为重塑自然、个体与社会关系的伦理实践。在美国近代工业化进程中，田园理想所代表的和谐、纯真与精神救赎，逐步让位于强调效率、控制与利益至上的实用主义价值观，导致了国家身份认同的根本性嬗变。本研究不仅拓展了多克托罗作品的技术文化研究维度，也为理解当代美国社会的实用主义倾向及其精神困境提供了新视野。

关键词: 《鱼鹰湖》, 田园理想, 技术, 资本, 实用主义, 美国当代小说, 美国文学

CLC Number:

I106/H31

Tang Yao. Technology, Capital, and Pastoral Ideal in Loon Lake[J]. Journal of Beijing International Studies University, 2026, 48(2): 106-118.

汤瑶. 《鱼鹰湖》中的技术、资本与田园理想[J]. 北京第二外国语学院学报, 2026, 48(2): 106-118.

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