鄉土的「發現」︰日治時期台灣知識分子對於歌仔戲態度的轉變

在日治時期的台灣，歌仔戲於二○年代快速發展，在商業劇場中取得空前成功，成為廣受庶民、尤其是婦女喜愛的舊劇。然而，歌仔戲卻被新舊知識分子視為「淫戲」，不論是新知識分子還是舊知識分子，官方還是民間，皆一致反對並議禁歌仔戲。徐亞湘在《日治時期臺灣戲曲史論》中指出，新知識分子表現出對「遲到的現代性」的焦慮意識，而舊知識分子則反映了維護社會風教的父權心態。至於歌仔戲被視為「淫戲」，主要是由於從業人員的表演詮釋所致，其原因可以追溯至「階級的差距」。這種差距導致掌握話語權的知識分子對歌仔戲界的不認同，從而造成知識階級與庶民階級之間的斷裂和對立。不過，知識分子對歌仔戲的態度在不同時期有所變化，在三○年代他們開始有條件地接受歌仔戲。本文關注知識分子對於歌仔戲態度的轉變，試圖從鄉土文學興起的背景來解釋知識分子對歌仔戲從反對到接受的過程。本文指出，知識分子對於歌仔戲的接受起因於對鄉土的「發現」。由於同化政策的滲透，知識分子產生了文化焦慮，開始「發現」鄉土。在鄉土文學觀點的啟發下，他們將視角轉向「民」，並改變了對「俗」的評論角度，逐漸調整對於台灣本土劇種歌仔戲的判斷與介入的方式，最終將歌仔戲納入他們認可的鄉土藝術範疇之內。

During the Japanese ruling period in Taiwan, Gua-á-hì(Taiwanese opera) experienced rapid development in the 1920s, becoming widely popular among the folks, particularly women in commercial theater. However, Taiwan intellectuals and the colonial government regarded Gua-á-hìas an obscene drama, and proposed banning it. The theater scholar, Hsu Ya-Hsiang, in The history of Taiwan’s Classical Theatre During the Colonial Period argues that new intellectuals exhibited an anxiety related to“belated modernity”, while the traditional intellectuals reflected the patriarchal mentality to maintain social morality in the discussion of banning Gua-áhì. The labeling of Gua-á-hìas“obscene”was primarily due to the interpretative performances of its practitioners, a perception that can be traced back to“class difference.”This divide led intellectuals, who wielded significant influence over cultural discourse, to reject the Gua-á-hìmilieu, resulting in a rift and antagonism between the intellectual elite and the common populace. However, the intellectuals’opinions toward Gua-á-hìevolved over different periods, and by the 1930s, they began to accept it conditionally. This paper examines the transformation in intellectuals’perspectives on Gua-á-hì, attempting to explain the process of opposition to acceptance within the context of the rise of nativist literature. And we thought that the intellectuals’acceptance of Taiwanese opera originated from their“discovery”of nativist literature. As assimilation policies permeated society, intellectuals developed cultural anxiety and began to“discover”their native heritage. Influenced by the principles of nativist literature, they shifted their focus to the“people”and revised their critique of the“folklore,”gradually adjusting their judgment and approach to Gua-á-hì. Ultimately, they integrated Gua-á-hìinto the realm of native art that they acknowledged.