後現代巫者的氣味祭儀、薩滿文化復興及其身體實踐－－新探三部臺灣當代小說

Postmodern Shaman’s Ritual of Scents and the Bodily Practices of Neo-Shamanism New Perspectives on Three Taiwan Fictions

本文探討台灣幾篇發表於90 年後的小說──包括朱天文的《荒人手記》與《巫言》、朱天心的〈匈牙利之水〉與林俊穎的〈以玫瑰之名〉──中「後現代巫者」的文學造型，並聚焦於他們透過氣味引導所進行的、具有隱喻性宗教意味的個人或集體儀式。這些作品展現出當代薩滿文化復興以及「新時代」學說的跨文化影響力，更突顯了感官與宗教性的緊密連結：在氣味的生物性被重新強調時，它的「魔魅」性（enchantment）與神聖性也得以恢復。氣味的儀式性意義，尤其是「疆界轉換」的功能顯得重要，因其扮演了「閾境」（liminal）的角色，溝通世俗與神聖的時間與空間。〈匈牙利之水〉中的「招魂」儀式，〈以玫瑰之名〉中的芳香療法「淨化」儀式，《荒人手記》中的「療癒」儀式等，都反映了現代社會由神聖走向世俗，然後又由理性原則返顧、戀舊神祕／巫術思維的文化心理。「後現代巫者」的氣味祭儀提供了一條透過身體經驗、重新親炙神聖性的實踐進路，更新了古之巫者以身體為中心的敬虔實踐的意義。在此過程中，我們觀察到社會的身體如何在集體心理的轉變歷程中，不斷改變自己的嗅覺品味以適應文化環境，後現代氣味文學為我們側證了「社會性氣味」的演化軌跡。

The present article aims to study the literary figure of so-called “postmodern shaman” in several Taiwan novels published after 1990 by focusing on the personalized rituals they perform, in which smells play a guiding role in actualizing implied religious meanings. The principal texts analyzed include Notes from a Desolate Man and The Words of A Witch by Tien-wen Chu, “Hungary Water” by Tien-hsin Chu, and “Rose Asura” by Jun-ying Lin. These works reflect cross-cultural influences of the contemporary revival of Shamanism and New Age thinking, and highlight the relation between sensory/bodily experience and religious/spiritual feelings. While the biological aspect of smell is emphasized, its metaphysical connotations, especially those associated with the sacred and enchantment, are paradoxically restored. The ritualistic function of smell, that of “change of category” above all, is manifest in these works in the sense that it operates as “the liminal,” bridging the profane and the sacred times and spaces. In particular, the article examines the spirit-raising ritual in “Hungary Water,” the purification ritual in “Rose Asura” and the healing ritual in Notes from a Desolate Man, all via aromatherapy. They reflect certain significant aspects of cultural psychology of modern society, tracing its turn from the sacred to the profane and, at a later stage, its sway from rationalistic principles back to the atavistic mystic/shamanistic thinking. The postmodern shamans’ rituals of smell can be considered exploring a practical approach towards sanctity via corporal and sensory experiences and, in doing so, they revive images of the body-centered cults of ancient shamanism. Postmodern literature of smell bears witness to the evolution of olfactory perception not as physical phenomena, but as cultural constitution as well as social product. It thus exhibits how the social body constantly modifies its olfactory taste in adapting to a changing cultural environment. shamanism. Postmodern literature of smell bears witness to the evolution of olfactory perception not as physical phenomena, but as cultural constitution as well as social product. It thus exhibits how the social body constantly modifies its olfactory taste in adapting to a changing cultural environment.