世事在心: 柯吉爾的《雙面少年》與《少年時》

Abstract

本文探討諾貝爾文學獎得主柯吉爾(J. M. Coetzee)如何藉著他的兩本自傳體小說—《雙面少年》(1997)、《少年時》(2002)—以他為孩童與青年時自身的生活經驗連結並重新檢視當時/當代世俗/世界議題。就文化產品的層次而言，《雙面少年》與《少年時》已將自傳文學的定位提升為可連結世俗/世界議題，而非只停留於撰寫個人生活故事的層次。柯吉爾的兩本自傳體小說同時揭露書寫世事的重要性：《雙面少年》探究如何以個人記憶作為集體記憶的展現；《少年時》則強調對世事的體驗與省思。 第一章簡介本文的中心題旨、動機與柯吉爾兩本自傳體小說的生成脈絡。文中並回溯柯吉爾孩童時期南非的歷史情境，藉此將「柯吉爾」於文化上和社會上雙重脈絡化。文中並探討，在殖民系統底下成長的小孩不僅只背負著過去殖民體系的印記，在未來自身也將具有去殖民化的潛力。 第二章檢視柯吉爾如何再現南非種族隔離政策下的家國威權，也同時檢視著他如何巧妙地運用小孩的敘事觀點切入成人世界殖民野心的問題重重。文中探討重心囊括家庭威權與國家威權。柯吉爾在《雙面少年》裡雖沒有直接點出南非種族隔離政策的不是，卻以建立個人記憶的方式，回顧式地提供了他對1950年代南非政治騷動的孩童記憶，呈現了另類的文化批評。 第三章探討柯吉爾如何以他挫敗的青年生活經驗為讀者揭示過世俗生活的重要性。「世俗性」在文中所指稱的部分定義為人與人實際上接觸的層面而非超越化的精神層次。《少年時》不僅是柯吉爾撰述自身青年時期於1960年代僑居在外的生活回顧，更著墨於作者與世界兩者間緊密關係的批判性省思與探究。 第四章以討論文學創作和歷史見證間的互動關係為本文作結。就文學創作的層面而言，柯吉爾的《雙面少年》以及《少年時》可謂提供了以自傳書寫作為見證文學的平臺與典範。

This thesis is a study of how Nobel laureate J. M. Coetzee with his autobiographical novels—Boyhood (1997) and Youth (2002)—uses his own lived experiences, first as a child and then as a youth, to connect with and re-examine worldly issues. Boyhood and Youth suggest that autobiography should be interpreted as a kind of the cultural product which is closely connected with the world instead of concentrating on one’s life story. I argue that Coetzee’s autobiographical novels reveal the importance of writing in relation to the world: Boyhood suggests the connection of personal memory with the collective while Youth emphasizes the worldly experiences. Chapter One is an introduction which reviews some crucial historical contingencies of South Africa, through which “J. M. Coetzee” will be contextualized within the colonial system culturally and socially. Under such a colonial context, a child not only bears the sign of colonization but also will be someone with a decolonized potential in the future. Chapter Two aims to examine not only how Coetzee represents the complicated domestic authority during apartheid but how he uses a child’s perspective to reveal the problematic nature of adult colonial ambition. The notion of “domestic” here refers to the familial aspect and the national dimension. I argue that instead of directly condemning the wickedness of segregation policy at that time, Coetzee offers a retrospective reflection of the national turmoil, particularly during the 1950s, and suggests an alternative way of presenting political critique. Chapter Three explores how Coetzee with his frustrating youthful experiences reveals the importance of living a worldly life. My use of the term “worldly” here refers to a physical state rather than a spiritual one. I argue that more than simply a retrospection on Coetzee’s youthful expatriate life, Youth is a critical reflection on the necessary interaction between the writer and the world. Chapter Four concludes this thesis with a discussion of the interplay between literary creation and historical witness. I argue that Coetzee’s autobiographical writing, as literary creation, projects a form of witness literature.