論理查・鮑爾斯《樹冠上》的生態互聯性

Abstract

本論文透過新物質主義為理論視角，探討理查・鮑爾斯《樹冠上》重新想像非人類中心的生態互聯性及其多層次的複雜性。我認為該作品突破大自然與人類之二元對立，將樹木、照片、藝術以及聲音等物質納入其生態思維中，成為承載萬物的既成現實，而非等待人類加入的全新場域。第一章概述小說內容與主流生態批評思潮，梳理既有研究脈絡，旨在將本小說之探析定位於生態物質主義的討論脈絡中。第二章聚焦於樹木、照片、地景藝術與人工智慧的物質形態與其能動性，探討它們如何在小說所建構的生態網絡中體現分枝與拆框架化以展現交織世界中的生態系統，同時，人物角色也透過物質實踐感知於這份早已存在的生態互聯之中。第三章探討小說策略性的聲音運用，主張透過聲音物質，包括樹木之聲與機器之聲，非但能夠展現生態交織，且可促進人物角的細緻調頻，培養更為深刻的生態意識。第四章強調對非人類能動性與生態過程保持關注的重要性，並進一步指出《樹冠上》本身即為其所體現之深度交織且充滿活力的生態網絡之具體實踐，不但促使讀者深度反思日常物件與事件，且藉由作品的文本建構，重新形塑生態壓抑的脈絡，並翻載出更具彈性的生態可能性。

Through the lenses of new materialisms, this thesis contends that The Overstory (2018) by Richard Powers reimagines ecological interconnectedness by collapsing the nature-human binary to encompass all lifeforms, including trees, photography, land artworks, artificial intelligence, and voices, as well as inviting the characters and readers to attune to the complexity of this entangled meshwork. Chapter One provides an overview of the novel’s content and mainstream ecocriticism, tracing existing research to position this analysis within the discourse of ecological materialism. Chapter Two focuses on the material forms and agency of trees, photographs, land art, and artificial intelligence, exploring how they branch and unframe within the novel’s constructed ecological meshwork, as well as how they reorient the characters to perceive this interconnectivity through material practices. Chapter Three examines the novel’s strategic use of voice, arguing that through sounds of trees and machines, their subtle nuances can cultivate a deeper ecological awareness for the characters. Chapter Four emphasizes the importance of maintaining attention to nonhuman agencies and processes, and further points out the novel itself is a concrete practice of the deeply intertwined and dynamic ecological meshwork it embodies. It not only prompts readers to deeply reflect on everyday objects and events, but also reframes the context of ecological constriction into flexible ecological possibilities.