《奧德利夫人的秘密》中的反向空間穿透

Abstract

《奧德利夫人的秘密》為瑪麗．伊莉莎白．布拉德頓於1862年出版的著作，被譽為煽情小說中的經典之一。煽情小說大多圍繞一個謎團展開，而此小說亦非例外。《奧德利夫人的秘密》講述了一樁神秘的失蹤案件，而其書名揭示了書中的嫌疑人為天真美麗卻又神秘的露西．奧德利夫人。小說以細膩描述宏偉的奧德利庭院拉開序幕，為整部小說奠定了敘事氛圍。小說中關鍵的劇情都伴隨著對於在空間中移動的詳細描述，使書中的空間成為文學手法，而非單純形體上的空間。主人公奧德利夫人的私人空間被不同角色多次入侵，每次侵入都削弱了她的權力及影響力。然而，不甘於成為無助的受害者，露西也侵略了傳統男性空間，執行了「反向空間穿透」。 據約翰．拉斯金及羅伯特．克爾所述，維多利亞時期的理想家庭生活奠基於內部家庭空間即保障了安全及隱私這個前提之上。然而，應為維多利亞傳統中的「家中天使」的露西．奧德利卻反抗了加諸在她身上理想家庭生活理念。本論文旨在檢視《奧德利夫人的秘密》中的空間意象，及奧德利夫人如何透過反向空間穿透及佔據傳統男性空間來反轉理想家庭生活理念。本文以維多利亞建築書籍：克爾的《紳士的宅院》及拉斯金的〈皇后的花園〉為依據，深入了解維多利亞時期對於空間及建築的認知，並作為文中審視及分析露西反叛理想家庭生活之理論基礎。

Lady Audley’s Secret, written by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and published in 1862, is considered by many to be a classic among sensation novels. As is canonical of the genre, the novel revolves around a mystery, in this case a missing mystery. As the title of the novel suggests, the main suspect of this mystery is the innocent fair-haired Lady Lucy Audley who kept a dangerous secret. The novel begins with an elaborate description of the grandiose Audley Court where the major part of the story takes place, setting the overall tone of the novel. More than physical spaces, spaces in the novel function as literary devices as crucial scenes in the novel involves meticulous descriptions of the movements through rooms. In particular, Lucy’s private space was invaded many times by different parties each with their own agenda, ultimately all rendered Lucy helpless or powerless. However, Lucy is no mere victim as she also conducted reverse spatial penetration into traditional male spaces. According to John Ruskin and Robert Kerr, the Victorian domestic ideology is built upon the assumption that the domestic interior guarantees safety and privacy. Yet as the traditional Victorian “Angel in the House,” Lucy nonetheless rebelled against the ideal domesticity enforced upon her. My thesis aims to examine the space imagery in Lady Audley’s Secret and how Lady Audley overturned ideal domesticity by committing reverse spatial penetration and commandeering the traditional designated-to-men spaces. To obtain a better understanding of the Victorians’ understanding of space, I turn to Victorian architecture advice books: Kerr’s The Gentleman’s House and Ruskin’s “Of Queen’s Garden.” I also consult contemporary scholars’ reading of space to justify my reading and analysis of Lucy’s subversive nature and lay the theoretical foundation of my thesis.