Journal of Maritime Literature and Culture
JMLC, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.117-126.
Print ISSN: 3107-1821; Online ISSN: 3107-183X
Journal homepage: https://www.mlcjournal.com
DOI： https://doi.org/10.64058/JMLC.26.1.10
李长亭（Li Changting）
摘要：罗伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森于1883年创作的《金银岛》，并非单纯的少年冒险小说，而是18世纪英帝国海洋霸权崛起、全球殖民掠夺与地缘权力博弈的文学缩影。小说以虚构的加勒比金银岛为叙事中心，以寻宝冒险为主线，将海权争夺、“边缘—中心”权力结构、殖民暴力与财富掠夺的逻辑，浓缩于不同群体的利益博弈之中。本文以地缘政治理论为支撑，结合18世纪大西洋殖民体系的时代背景，从空间地缘、主体权力、利益博弈三个维度剖析小说中蕴含的地缘政治内涵，揭示作品对海盗帝国殖民扩张合法性的隐喻与反思，探讨殖民时代全球资源流动与权力分配的本质。
关键词：《金银岛》；地缘政治；海盗；海盗帝国；财富掠夺
作者简介：李长亭，博士，广西大学外国语学院教授，研究方向：英美文学、中西文化比较。电子邮箱：lct66385@163.com。
Title: “Pirate Empire”: Geopolitical Metaphor in Treasure Island
Abstract: Written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1883, Treasure Island is far more than a simple juvenile adventure novel. It stands as a literary microcosm of the rise of Britain’s maritime hegemony, global colonial plunder, and geopolitical power struggles in the 18th century. Centered on the fictional Caribbean Treasure Island and structured around a quest for treasure, the novel condenses contests for maritime supremacy, the “periphery‑center” power structure, colonial violence, and the logic of wealth plunder into the interest conflicts among different groups. Grounded in geopolitical theory and set against the historical context of the 18th‑century Atlantic colonial system, this paper analyzes the geopolitical implications of the novel from three dimensions: spatial geography, subjective power, and interest game. It reveals the work’s metaphor and reflection on the legitimacy of colonial expansion of the pirate empire, and explores the essence of global resource flow and power distribution in the colonial era.
Keywords: Treasure Island; geopolitics; pirate; pirate empire; wealth plunder
Author Biography: Li Changting, Ph.D., Professor at the School of Foreign Languages, Guangxi University, mainly engaged in British and American literature, as well as the comparison of Chinese and Western cultures. E-mail: lct66385@163.com.
Received: 8 Mar 2026 / Revised: 1 Apr 2026 / Accepted: 8 Apr 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.
