論《老殘遊記》中的身體隱喻

The Body Metaphors in The Travels of Lao Can

晚清以降，以身體譬喻國體成為理解國民與國家關係的重要方式。藉由對《老殘遊記》中身體譬喻的分析，我試圖提出以下的觀察：寫作於晚清、並且聚焦在國民與國家關係的《老殘遊記》雖然很難擺脫此一譬喻結構的影響，但是劉鶚並非全然不加批判地使用並複製這個譬喻結構。相對地，劉鶚對於譬喻修辭的高度敏感使他得以穿透這個理解結構，認知到此一理解結構的修辭本質。在游刃有餘地對這個譬喻結構加以操作的同時，劉鶚對於本身的操作也保持一種警醒與抽離的狀態。換句話說，《老殘遊記》展現出劉鶚對於身體與國體的譬喻結構本身的有意識的探求與實驗。在這個意義上，《老殘遊記》的文學現代性不只來自於其對於傳統正義論述的翻轉以及連帶而來的對於個人與國家關係的重新理解；它的文學現代性同時也來自其於其所展現的，對於形成這個新的理解所依賴的譬喻結構本身有意識的操作與懷疑。

Body metaphor became one of the most important ways to understand the relationship between the nation and the citizens of the late Qing dynasty. Through the analysis of the body metaphors in The Travels of Lao Can, I attempted to discuss that the author did not unquestionably accept what was assumed in the body metaphors, but used those metaphors in a critical way. With extremely high sensitivity to the figure of speech, Liu E cast insight into the structure of understanding the relation between nation and citizen at the time, and revealing the rhetorical nature of that particular structure. Liu E was well versed in the art of manipulating metaphors, but at the same time kept a critical distance from the assumption that the relation between the nation and citizens was naturally so. In other words, Liu E was highly conscious of the structure of the body metaphor and the way it functioned in the public discourse of nation and of citizenship. In this sense, the modernity of the Travels of Lao Can is defined not only by its subversion of traditional discourse of justice, but also by the way Liu E disclosed the nature of figure of speech and the role it plays in the work of the Travels of Lao Can, and also the political discourse of the time.