形式與歷史：吳茗秀《三郎》及林柏薇《財富絲帶》中的台美身份發聲

Abstract

本論文聚焦於文學作品中的台美身份呈現，並透過對吳茗秀的《三郎》和林柏薇的《財富絲帶》的分析，探討文學形式、歷史與身份之間的關係。論文第二章探討在吳茗秀的《三郎》中，以成長小說（bildungsroman）的形式，對台灣和美國歷史事件的描寫。本章分析歷史的非線性呈現和《三郎》不同層次的敘事之間的相互關係，也分析此小說裡歷史或文化描寫中的思想意識，並認為《三郎》一書的形式及意識形態中，處處流露出美國的文化價值觀。第三章探討林柏薇的《財富絲帶》作為一部台裔美國人的回憶錄，對於林柏薇台美身份探索過程的體現。本章分析《財富絲帶》的結構如何與林柏薇台美身份探索旅程中的不同階段相呼應，亦探討《財富絲帶》透過其篇章結構和林柏薇的父母以及祖父母之經驗交織，如何形成一種文化、歷史和情感的「臍帶」，將台美人經驗從過去連結至可能的未來。最後一章總結本論文並提出：《財富絲帶》和《三郎》透過台灣和台裔美國人歷史的陳述，以及對於家庭、語言等台美身份構成要素的描繪，勾勒了台灣美國身份的輪廓。經由對這兩部作品的文學形式、歷史表現和身份之間關係的分析，我們將能更加瞭解台灣裔美國人以及其經歷。

This thesis investigates depictions of Taiwanese American identity through discussions of the relations between literary form, history and identity in the analyses of Julie Wu’s The Third Son and Brenda Lin’s Wealth Ribbon. Chapter Two focuses on Julie Wu’s novel, The Third Son, and explores its depictions of Taiwanese and American historical events in the form of bildungsroman. This chapter analyzes the non-linear presentation of history and the interrelation between the different levels of narratives in The Third Son. It also aims to analyze the parts of history or culture depicted as superficial or questionable in the novel to suggest an awareness of ideology and argue that The Third Son is in fact a novel which embodies values that align more with American (rather than Taiwanese) culture in its form and underlying ideology. Chapter Three discusses Brenda Lin’s Wealth Ribbon as a Taiwanese American memoir which embodies Lin’s quest of exploring her identity as a Taiwanese American. This chapter analyzes how the structure of Wealth Ribbon corresponds to different stages in Lin’s journey in her quest to clarify and understand her Taiwanese American identity, and aims also to discern how Wealth Ribbon, through its chapter structure and the interweaving of Brenda’s parents’ and grandparents’ experiences, serves as a cultural, historical and emotional “umbilical cord” that connects the past to possible futures for Taiwanese Americans. The final chapter concludes this thesis and argues that Wealth Ribbon and The Third Son both serve to mark the emergent contours of Taiwanese American identity through representations of Taiwanese and Taiwanese American history, and depictions of family, language and other elements which constitute a Taiwanese American identity. Through analyses of the relations between literary form, historical representation, and identity in the two works, we may better understand Taiwanese American experience.