後世紀末——論台灣女性小說的城市空間書寫

Abstract

本文以二○○○年以降台灣女性小說為研究範疇，論述「後世紀末」女性小說城市空間書寫的「世紀末」變化。台灣世紀末文學崛起於眾聲喧嘩的九○年代，此文學類型反映出解嚴後——特殊歷史脈絡下的台灣，其中以都會為背景的女性小說，更能映照世紀末浮華社會的種種亂象，然而，學界對世紀末文學的討論卻止於九○年代末期，並認為是曇花一現的文學現象。世紀末是出自對歷史及時間邊緣的想像，世紀初亦存在著歷史與時間邊緣的幻想，為了闡述兩者之關聯，本文以「後世紀末」的概念，解釋世紀初台灣女性小說呈現的世紀末樣貌，在第二章中，探討朱少麟《地底三萬呎》、陳雪《摩天大樓》、紀昭君《無臉之城》等小說，敘述個體在城市空間面臨精神與肉體的實質傷害，第三章從成英姝《哀歌》和胡晴舫《群島》解析網路科技為台灣社會及個人帶來虛實變化的轉變，第四章則以李昂《睡美男》、朱國珍《中央社區》、柯裕棻《冰箱》三部小說，從現實空間及虛構異空間的視角，觀察女作家筆下城市的時空樣貌。本文觀察「後世紀末」女性小說繁複多變的城市樣貌，察覺九○年代世紀末文學頹靡躁動的末日想像，在後世紀末的女性小說中，轉為檢視城市內部具體實質的危機，此外，小說揚棄對城市文明的一味歌頌，空洞的城市想像帶給居住者宛若監獄的苦痛，負面的城市書寫依稀可見台灣世紀末文學的身影，與災厄恐懼共存。This article provided an analysis of Taiwanese women's fiction from the year 2000 onwards, with a specific focus on the depiction of urban spaces in "post-fin de Siècle" women's fiction. The emergence of Taiwanese fin de Siècle literature took place during the vibrant 1990s, serving as a reflection of Taiwan's distinctive historical contexts following the abolition of martial law. One notable genre that offers a vivid depiction of the multifaceted chaos observed in fin de Siècle society is women's fiction set in urban settings. Nevertheless, scholarly discourse surrounding fin de Siècle literature has predominantly occurred in the late 1990s, frequently characterizing it as a transient literary phenomenon. The concept of fin de Siècle originated from the conceptualization of historical and temporal boundaries. Likewise, during the onset of the century, there were notions of historical fantasies and temporal boundaries. In order to explicate the correlation between the two phenomena, this study utilized the theoretical framework of"post-fin de Siècle" to elucidate the depiction of fin de Siècle attributes in Taiwanese women's fiction during the transition into the new century. Chapter 2 of the study focused on the analysis of several novels, namely "Thirty Thousand Feet Underground" written by Zhu Shaolin, "Skyscraper" written by Chen Xue, and "City Without a Face" written by Ji Zhaojun. These literary works were scrutinized in order to illustrate the detrimental effects, both physical and psychological, that individualsencounter within urban settings. In this study, Chapter 3 examined the societal and personal transformations resulting from the advent of internet technology in Taiwan. This analysis was conducted through a close examination of two novels, namely"Elegy" written by Cheng Ying-Shu and "Archipelago" written by Hu Ching-Fang. Chapter 4 of this study delved into an analysis of three novels created by women, namely "Sleeping Beauty Man" by Li Ang, "Central Community" by Zhu Guo-Zhen, and "The Refrigerator" by Ko Yu-Feng. The objective was to explore the temporal and spatial characteristics of urban settings as depicted in these literary works, considering both actual and fictional places.

This study explored the complex and dynamic urban settings depicted in women's fiction of the "post-fin de Siècle" period. The literature of the 1990s exhibited a discernible influence from the decadent and restless apocalyptic imagination found in fin de Siècle literature. In the genre of women's fiction during the "post-fin de Siècle" period, there has been a notable shift in emphasis towards the exploration of tangible and significant urban crises. Moreover, the novels moved away from simply glorifying urban civilization, as the superficial and empty representationsof the city caused immense suffering for its inhabitants, comparable to the experience of being confined in a prison. The urban narratives that conveyed negative themes in Taiwanese literature during the fin de Siècle period were reminiscent of the essence of the era. These narratives coexisted with a prevailing sense of catastrophe and fear.