歌德的小說《擇屬親合》中的語言和神話

Language and Myth in Goethe's Novel ＂Elective Affinities＂

本文主要是從班雅明的評論專文〈歌德的《擇屬親合》〉中的理論基礎，來探討歌德的原著小說《擇屬親合》裡的語言和神話的問題。首先將從班雅明的語言哲學裡的命名和語言的關係，來討論小說人物對語言符號的任意性解讀，以及班雅明在他的評論裡所提的「命名貧乏」。同時在此基礎上本文將詮釋小說人物之間的愛情關係。延續著類似的語言問題，本文接著從小說情節裡對「擇屬親合」一詞的討論，來看科學的客觀與語言使用的不確定性之間的問題。主要重點為︰小說裡的人物不能將語言符號和其所指稱的事物直接完整地連結，他們只能以自己的觀點和熟悉的方式來理解所傳達的語言符號，而且在此情況下之，他們也無法完全認知語言符號所指稱的事物。最後，本文將依據班雅明在他的評論所論述的「神話性」，來詮釋分析上述小說所呈現的語言問題，同時也指出，這樣的語言問題是反映了一種人的普遍性命運。

The present article discusses problems of language and myth in Goethe's novel Elective Affinities in light of Walter Benjamin's essay, ＂Goethe's Elective Affinities.＂ In particular, the argument turns on Benjamin's reflections on the relationship between naming and language in his philosophy of language. First, the article examines the novel's characters' arbitrary readings and interpretations of linguistic signs, and then relates this to Benjamin's concept of the ＂parsimony of name giving.＂ Second, it questions the general objectivity of science, which can be affected by uncertainties in people's use of language. The problem can be put specifically as follows: The characters cannot connect the signifying linguistic signs with the signified objects directly and completely. They receive and understand linguistic signs only in light of their own perspective and what they already know. Under such circumstances, their cognition of the signified objects can never be complete. Third, it interprets these problems of language according to Benjamin's concept of the ＂mythic＂ as discussed in his essay. Finally, it concludes that such problems of language reflect a ＂universal destiny＂ of the human being.