楊小娜《綠島》與吳明益《單車失竊記》之中的旅行記憶與活鬼幽靈

Abstract

本論文研究楊小娜的《綠島》(2016）和吳明益的《單車失竊記》(2015)，探討以下問題：在不同的背景和世代下，臺灣對於創傷性歷史事件的記憶是如何轉變與發展？文學作品如何協助挑戰和動搖官方的歷史紀錄？文學又是如何處理記憶的？我的研究顯示，透過對記憶的生動描繪，以及多種形式的幽靈纏繞的隱喻，顯現記憶變動軌跡超越了時間、空間、世代和族群的界限。我同時主張這兩部小說，提出了一種關於記憶的倫理和未來導向的觀點。第一章「引言」聚焦我對這兩本小說的閱讀是如何有助於有關台灣歷史暴力爭議性的記憶的議題，著眼於對二二八事件的討論。第二章「綠島¬¬─縈繞的鬼魂與跨太平洋的記憶之旅」，分析活鬼的隱喻以及與跨太平洋連結相互交織的多層記憶。第三章「單車失竊記─亞際間的創傷後記憶」，揭露了在20世紀亞際間記憶的背景下，臺灣創傷性記憶的不同再現。我的分析顯示了這兩部小說如何挑戰傳統的歷史觀念，打破時間順序、受害者-加害者二元對立和國族觀點。我借鑒了記憶研究中的重要概念，包括瑪麗安娜·赫希(Marianne Hirsch)的「後記憶」(postmemory)、邁克爾·羅斯伯格(Michael Rothberg)探索的「牽連主體」(implicated subject)、阿斯特莉特·埃爾(Astrid Erll)的文化記憶和「旅行記憶」 (travelling memory)，以及阮清越(Viet Thanh Nguyen)的「正義記憶」(just memory)。這些概念共同揭示了多種記憶形式，正如我所提及的，為20世紀台灣暴力歷史中具有爭議性的記憶提供了倫理理解。同時，這兩章也分別援引埃絲特·碧倫(Esther Peeren)的幽靈概念，以考察活鬼隱喻的多種表達，是如何為無數被壓迫的聲音發聲，並擾亂了臺灣創傷性記憶的論述。通過這兩部小說帶來的新視角，我得出結論：文學具備描繪記憶和幽靈動態本質的能力，有望緩解圍繞於臺灣暴力歷史記憶中的持續衝突。This thesis studies Shawna Yang Ryan’s Green Island (2016) and Ming-Yi Wu’s The Stolen Bicycle (2015) with the following questions in mind: how do memories of traumatic historical events in Taiwan transform and develop across different contexts and generations?How do these literary works contribute to challenging and destabilizing official historiographical accounts? How do they address memory? My analysis shows that dynamic portrayals of memories and different forms of spectrality reveal shifting trajectories of remembering that transcend the confines of time, space, generations, and ethnic divides. I also argue that the two novels put forth an ethical and future-oriented perspective on remembrance. Chapter One, “Introduction,” focuses on how my reading of the two novels contributes to the discourse on disputed memories of Taiwanese historical violence, with a focus on the 228 Event. Chapter Two, “Green Island––Hauntings and Transpacific Routes of Remembering,” showcases the living ghost metaphor and layered remembrance intertwined with trans-Pacific connections. Chapter Three, “The Stolen Bicycle—InterAsian Postmemory of Traumatic Events,” uncovers various representations of Taiwanese traumatic memories within the context of 20th-century InterAsian memories. My analysis shows how the two novels challenge conventional historical perceptions, disrupting notions of chronology, victim-victimizer binaries, and national viewpoints. I draw on key concepts in memory studies, namely, Marianne Hirsch’s notion of “postmemory,” Michael Rothberg’s exploration of the “implicated subject,” Astrid Erll’s cultural memory and “travelling memory,” and Viet Thanh Nguyen’s “just memory.” These concepts help me uncover multiple forms of remembering, which, as I show, offer an ethical understanding of contested memories within Taiwanese violent history in the 20th century. The two chapters also attend to Esther Peeren’s concept of spectrality to examine how the metaphorical uses of the living ghost articulate numerous voices of oppression and disturb the discourse on Taiwanese traumatic memories. By presenting the new perspectives the two novels put forth, I conclude that literature’s capacity to portray the dynamic essence of memory and spectrality offers the potential to alleviate the ongoing conflict surrounding the remembrance of Taiwan’s violent history.