廢墟美學與政治：威廉•華茲華斯與約翰•拉斯金

Abstract

本篇論文以廢墟作為建構論述的場域作為起始點，旨在探究廢墟在歷史、美學、文學與建築背景中的再現政治。廢墟常被和過去所發生的一切產生連結，被想像成是種可重複書寫的羊皮紙，承載並見證歷史的多重軌跡與演化。若此廢墟的本質是個尚未完成的形體，它具有的意義也是無窮盡的。此外，廢墟因其殘破不全的外在形體，激發我們的想像力去想像其無限解讀的可能性。 在文學的場域裡，本文特別著眼於威廉•華茲華斯三首詩歌中的廢墟再現─《沙利伯斯平原》(Salisbury Plain)、《塌毀的茅舍》(The Ruined Cottage) 和《丁騰寺》(Tintern Abbey)。在這三首詩中，華茲華斯利用廢墟作為提喻，來暗地批判他對英國社會因國內外政治政策的失敗所導致的社會不公。雖然華茲華斯從未把廢墟此概念作為詩歌中心，但廢墟代表的社會意義總是隱隱約約地出現在詩歌的時空背景裡。相較於華茲華斯的隱諱，約翰•拉斯金則在他的建築理論《建築的七盞明燈》(The Seven Lamps of Architecture) 及《威尼斯之石》(The Stones of Venice)，清楚明確地用廢墟的形象來批判英國社會的沉淪與毀滅。由於拉斯金認為國家的建築反映了該國的道德情操，廢墟此概念也成為拉斯金社會批判的試驗石。 本文的討論範圍不只包含廢墟作為文學和美學欣賞的主題，同時也希望分析不同領域之間廢墟論述的複雜相互關係。本文將進一步探討廢墟再現作為一個論述的場域所引發的挑戰和曖昧不明的意義。透過分析廢墟的美學與政治意義，本篇論文希望可以充分闡明廢墟論述如何在不同的歷史文化背景下，被對立的群體以多元紛雜的方式建構協商。

Engaging the theme of ruins as a discursive site, this thesis aims to formulate a viable politics of ruins representations among different fields of narratives. In retrospect, ruins, laid waste by the wreck of time, are constructed as palimpsests that bear testimony to historical traces and derivations. In prospect, ruins, as an unfinished form, suggest infinity and thus activate our mind to imagine any possibilities of its final shape. Viewed as a text with historical inscription, ruins easily fall victim to textual manipulation in the service of various interested groups. This thesis focuses especially on William Wordsworth and John Ruskin. In “Salisbury Plain,” “Tintern Abbey” and “The Ruined Cottage,” Wordsworth as a poet adopts ruins as a synecdoche to illustrate social iniquity and evil caused by domestic and international polities in contemporary Britain. While ruins never occupy a central poetic attention, they loom large in the background and become a tool for Wordsworth’s poetic performance and to express his social concern. In contrast, Ruskin as a critic in The Seven Lamps of Architecture and The Stones of Venice adopts the theme of ruins to explicitly criticize the degeneration of British society. Since Ruskin has asserted that a nation’s architecture mirrors its moral life, ruins in his view become a touchstone for social criticism. Aside from the ruins representations in literature, the thesis also aims to elucidate the discursive framework with a view to addressing the complex relationships within the context of history, aesthetics and architecture.