維新造英雄：日治臺灣文人謝雪漁小說〈三世英雄傳〉中的文明想像與國族書寫

Abstract

日治臺灣文人謝雪漁的〈三世英雄傳〉，是以日本幕末到維新時期為背景的長篇通俗小說。謝雪漁透過小說，參考、融入各個相關歷史事件，表達他對日本明治維新的想像與肯定。同時藉由小說連載於《臺灣日日新報》上供臺灣讀者閱讀，諸如尊王攘夷、留學西洋乃至於文明進步等觀念，都由小說傳達給同時期的臺灣讀者知曉，其用意就是希望臺灣能仿效日本，或是希望臺灣能在日本統治下，走向維新之路。但，正由於崇尚日本維新後的成果，小說中不時地討論國族血緣與東西文化對立、調和等問題，亦讓小說充滿濃厚的殖民性，使臺灣讀者一邊認識日本維新的內容時，也掉入殖民認同的陷井中，這正是本文透過通俗小說的研讀理解「維新」對日治臺灣的影響時不可忽視的問題。

Shueh-Yu Shieh’s (謝雪漁) “San Shi Ying Xiong Chuan” (三世英雄傳) is a popular novel set against a background of the end of the Bakufu (Shogunate) to the Meiji Reform period. Shieh expressed his imagination and affirmation of the Meiji Reform in Japan through his novels and references, integrating all relevant historical events into them. Simultaneously, his novels were published in the Taiwan Jih Jih Hsin Pao (a newspaper), such as Hiragana. Although they were ignored by the Western world, the novels conveyed the advantages of Japanese civilization to Taiwanese readers. The motivation for doing so was the hope that Taiwan would follow Japan or move to a new course under the Japanese rule. Because Shieh’s novels advocated reformation in Japan, they occasionally discussed the problems of nationalism and cultural opposition and reconciliation; however, this discussion also enriched colonialism. Most importantly, his novels enabled readers in Taiwan to understand the content and context of reformation in Japan; however, they also drew them into the trap of a colonial identity. This is a crucial problem that cannot be ignored when it comes to understanding the impact of reformation in colonial Taiwan through popular novels.