哈代式共同世界： 湯瑪士．哈代《遠離塵囂》與《林地居民》中人與非人的共生

Abstract

本論文聚焦於湯瑪士．哈代《遠離塵囂》與《林地居民》兩本小說並探討作品中所呈現之人與非人的共生。首先，我以非人為核心詮釋哈代小說，深入爬梳哈代對於《遠離塵囂》中的動物與《林地居民》中的樹木的細膩描寫。有別於過往對於哈代作品多以人類角色相關情節為考究主體的閱讀方式，我採用布魯諾．拉圖所提出的行動者網絡理論以彰顯非人在哈代小說中的重要性。如此切入視角顯示哈代不僅悉心刻劃人類生命情景，更將非人視為同等關鍵的存在，於體現動植物的能動性、脆弱性等諸多面向上不遺餘力。 再者，本論文也研究哈代小說中所呈現人與非人共生的願景。學者對於哈代小說的研究常著重於達爾文學說對於哈代的影響。這樣的闡述方式雖凸顯人類與自然的連結，卻多為哈代的作品渲染上悲觀主義的色彩。對此，本論文以拉圖對「共同世界」的立論為出發點，提出「哈代式共同世界」一觀點以描摹哈代筆下容納萬物的開放視野與重視彼此共生的深刻思考。就此而言，我認為博物學家亞歷山大．馮．洪堡德對於自然世界的創見更有助於推想哈代小說中的寬宏世界觀。當洪堡德綜觀世界，頌揚自然環境中每個生命體的獨特存在與相互連結時，哈代立足地方，將威塞克斯化作微觀世界並述說萬物的互動共存。我關注哈代小說中兼容必蓄的寫作風格，檢視哈代如何以多重視角呈現地方生活樣態並雜揉不同生物各自的生命體驗。此外，我也分析小說針對萬物如何共同棲居的呈現，探求哈代對於人與非人建立深厚連結並構築共同家園的獨到見解。

This thesis aims to explore the human-nonhuman relationships in Hardy’s two novels, Far from the Madding Crowd and The Woodlanders. First, I provide a nonhuman-centered interpretation of Hardy’s novels, with a particular focus on his portrayal of animals and trees. Departing from the conventional reading that takes human affairs as the primary focus, I employ Bruno Latour’s actor-network theory to highlight the significance of nonhumans in Hardy’s fictional world. My research shows that, aside from delineating human lives, Hardy makes efforts to depict the agency and vulnerability of nonhumans and present them as equal participants in the shared environment. Second, I cast light on Hardy’s vision of human-nonhuman coexistence. Many scholars tend to interpret Hardy’s works with a special focus on the influence of Darwinian studies on Hardy, which associates humans with the nonhuman world yet imbues Hardy’s works with pessimistic views. To provide an alternative approach, I borrow Bruno Latour’s theoretical concept of the common world and propose the idea of the Hardyan common world. This idea embodies Hardy’s vision of human-nonhuman coexistence, which is open to a multitude of beings connecting, interacting, and living together. In this regard, I argue that Alexander von Humboldt’s worldview can help us to appreciate Hardy’s inclusive fictional vision. While Humboldt celebrates the indispensable existence of each being and the intricately woven connections that exist on earth, Hardy portrays Wessex as a microcosm of the world and presents a profusion of beings connecting and coexisting in the shared environment. I examine Hardy’s eclectic writing style, which presents life in Wessex from multiple angles and explores how different beings experience the world in their respective ways. I also probe into Hardy’s depiction of ways to maintain human-nonhuman coexistence, which demonstrates his consideration of what humans can do to connect with the nonhuman world and compose a common dwelling with diverse beings.