慾／「益」結金蘭：〈水手的故事〉中起源於男色的資金流動

Something Queer in the Rear: A Rereading of The Shipman’s Tale

〈水手的故事〉一向都是《坎特伯里故事集》中，既奇特又令人費解的一篇。奇特之處，在於它是諸多故事中，唯一以和樂圓滿描述夫婦房中的情景，同時也將慾望（性慾與物慾），置於資金流動與商業活動的脈絡下進行敘事。而故事中令人費解之處為數不少，不論是商人夫婦之間的和解，商人學徒的剎那出現，商人之妻身邊婢女的安排，以及商人出借一百法郎，卻無心索債，又怕重複收取帳款等等。於是讀者的關注，多集中於性與金錢的互通、互動。又以商人對經商的專業、專注，與其妻和修士二人的狡黠，互為對比，置商人於傳統的觀點下（如道德設定下的夫婦關係，理所當然的主流異性戀觀點），認定商人為妻、財兩失的受害者。本文旨在透過對故事中男色的探討，重新解讀性與金錢的流動，由故事結尾處的和解出發，論述商人對同性的性癖好，進以審視這場三人交易中，商人的角色定位與其他兩者的底層關係，一反情節層面的受害者定位。

What often surprises the reader in The Shipman's Tale may be the reconciliation between the Merchant and his wife in the end. There is no wrath, no brawling, nor bitter reaction of any kind in the revealing of his cuckoldry. As the story unfolds, the Merchant is shown to have his concern elsewhere. What concerns the Merchant is the fact that he might double-charge a debtor for a loan. Yet, to the reader's amazement, the Merchant does not want his money back. If the Merchant did not ask Daun John to return the money or a thing of monetary value, how could he possibly charge him by mistake? If it is not the money that settles the account, what does the story try to hint by 'a thing that he hath payed'? Taking the ending reconciliation for the point of departure, this paper aims to facilitate a rereading of The Shipman's Tale, through latent sodomy suggested by potential textual support. Upon this premise, the paper carries on its discussions on the relationships between the Merchant and the Monk, the Merchant and his business practice, and finally between the Merchant and the Wife. This trilateral reading of relationships, among other elements found supportive, hopes to contribute to an alternative understanding of the tale.