天亮之前的凝望――論《花甲男孩》對鄉土的回歸與再創

Abstract

「鄉土」一詞的討論自1920迄今已邁入百年，每個世代對鄉土都有不同的定義。1990年後臺灣的本土意識逐漸復甦，隨著地方文學獎的興起，鄉土書寫重返舞臺；千禧年後，七年級作家楊富閔利用躍動的筆觸、鮮活的敘事，再現鄉土小鎮的溫厚和純樸，他將傳統的鄉土精神披上新潮的外衣，帶給讀者不一樣的文學思維，也寫出當代青年的心靈成長史。 本文以「天亮之前的凝望──論《花甲男孩》對鄉土的回歸與再創」為題，由寫作內容、人物形象、敘事手法三個面向梳理，試著揭示《花甲男孩》的書寫脈絡，並彙整出該作對前期鄉土小說的承繼與拓展。全文分作五章，在第二章中首先回溯鄉土小說的發展，為各階段鄉土定義作了一概略性整理，並整理《花甲男孩》和傳統鄉土諸作的互動關係。第三章以人物作為觀察要點，將核心角色分作少年、父輩、祖輩三種主要類型，由人物關係所建構出的家庭圖像能進一步顯示楊富閔的鄉土觀。第四章以「行動元」模式拆解小說結構，提取故事中的衰敗與希望訊息，釐清其敘事脈絡。千禧年後的《花甲男孩》蘊含回歸及再創，楊富閔以坦誠而真摯的筆，回應臺灣當代的鄉土發展景況，道出現代青年的憂懼不安，在小說中讀者看見各自的問題與掙扎，提供我們反思觀照的可能。

In Taiwan, the definition of the term “indigenousness,” or, “nativeness” has been put into discussion for a hundred year since the 1920s, and each generation has their own interpretations. With the rise of local literary awards, native literatures have come back to the stage. In the 2000s, Yang, Fu-Min, a young writer, revives old Taiwanese towns through his expressive words and vivid descriptions. He coats “indigenousness” with modernity, which brings the concept to life. His work not only introduces a different approach to understand native literature but records the growth and struggles of the Z generation. This thesis explores the role A Boy Named Flora A plays in the restoration and reconstruction of Taiwan’s native literature from the following three aspects, that is, the content of writing, the portrayal of characters, and the narrative techniques in the novel. This thesis is divided into five chapters. In the second chapter, I review the historical development of native literature in Taiwan. The definitions of “indigenousness” in different eras are also discussed. In addition, I explore the influences these definitions have on Yang’s work. The third chapter surrounds the analysis of the main characters in the novel, in which three categories are put forward, that is, teens, parents, and the land mothers. The family image, constructed by the relationships of the roles, further displays Yang’s viewpoints of “indigenousness”. The fourth chapter employs actant structure analysis to extract the messages of decay and hope conveyed in the story. These messages are then used as means to analyze the narrative techniques of the story.

A Boy Named Flora A, composed in the 2000s, is a restoration and reconstruction of Taiwan’s native literature. It is also a response to the contemporary native literature. The author uses his work as a vehicle to carry the multifaceted problems as well as confusions that not only the characters in the book, but also all the readers may encounter; he, again, uses his work to give opportunities for the readers to reflect upon.