麥凱恩的《舞者》以當代偉大舞蹈家紐瑞耶夫的故事為藍本,在突破小說和傳記的界線中寫就"虛構的傳記",就歷史話語的真實性等問題展開探討。作品通過副文本對正文本的呼應和對話,揭示歷史的虛構性;通過不同人物的多視角講述,實現小寫歷史對于宏大歷史敘事的解構,凸顯歷史的多元性;通過對包括日記、書信、雜志等多種文本形式的運用,體現歷史的開放性。多重歷史敘事策略的運用體現了麥凱恩所倡導的"講故事的民主",及其后現代主義歷史觀。

Building on the experiences of Rudolf Nureyev,a Soviet dancer of ballet and modern dance as well as one of the most celebrated figares of the 20 th century,Column McCann’s Dancer schemes a historical/biographical narrative in fiction that integrates fiction and biography,offering a different perspective into what is true of a historical narrative.It explores the fictionality of history including noted historical figures by framing out a dialogue between a text and its additional epitext/peritext.Here McCann deftly handles multiple points of view to not only subvert the traditional grand narrative of history but also unveil the multiplicity of history in construction.In so doing,McCann sets a good example in opening up a new venue for rewriting history in fiction.