金錢的物質性: 《我們共同的朋友》與《米德鎮的春天》

Abstract

金錢的物質性: 《我們共同的朋友》與《米德鎮的春天》 摘要 本論文提出金錢的物質性構成兩本小說，《我們共同的朋友》和《米德鎮的春天》主要特徵。本論文第一章探究《我們共同的朋友》中，金錢工具的物質性如何對角色描述具有重大貢獻。狄更斯於小說中用貴金屬，鈔票，匯票，股票定義角色品格，由此形成文本道德階層。其中貴金屬與鈔票再現主要情節角色道德的功能。相反地，匯票與股票則用以產生次要情節角色的道德虧損感。本章亦兼論小說中金融家的角色。本論文第二章討論 《米德鎮的春天》及論述金錢物質性中較少提及的債信 (credit)。本章提出債信形成兩位男性主角情節的主要架構。本章將先建構出債信的物質性，然後檢驗該小說如何反映及回應維多利亞男性挪用債信物質性以建立仕紳派頭 (gentility)的景況。

Materiality of Money in Our Mutual Friend and Middlemarch Abstract In my thesis, I argue that materiality of money constitutes a major feature of two novels, Our Mutual Friend and Middlemarch. In my first chapter, I contend that the materiality of the monetary instruments contributes significantly to our understanding of characters in Our Mutual Friend. I will demonstrate how Dickens creates a moral hierarchy in which characters’ character is defined by the materiality of precious metals, banknotes, bills of exchange, and shares. As I will demonstrate, precious metals and banknotes function to represent morality of characters in the major plots. On the contrary, bills of exchange and shares provoke readers’ suspicion of immorality of minor plots’ characters. Besides, I will examine the role of financiers in the novel. In my second chapter, I turn the attention to Middlemarch and to a much less discussed aspect of materiality of money, credit. It is my contention that credit structures the novel’s two major male plots. I will take on the question of how we can establish credit’s materiality and show how the novel reflects on ways Victorian males experienced appropriation of credit’s materiality for gentility.