王文興《剪翼史》中的自我療癒、宗教信仰與疾病敘事

Self-Healing, Faith and Illness Narrative in Wang Wen-hsing’s Man with Clipped Wings

《剪翼史》是王文興創作的第三部現代主義長篇小說，涉及疾病與宗教主題。本文從現代主義的主體型態出發，結合醫療人文的疾病敘事，探討《剪翼史》如何透過語言符號，呈現身體性自我的語言藝術，面對主體喪失的危機，展開一個特異的疾病世界；同時借用社會學者亞瑟法蘭克（Arthur W. Frank）的「追尋敘事」（quest narrative）模式，分析《剪翼史》主角在遭逢疾病的試煉時，如何憑藉宗教信仰轉念，提升自我為棄惡存善的價值主體，由此發現洞見，疾病乃是主體獲得重生的幸運之機，在不痊癒也不發作的平衡狀態中，得以親近天主，並融入中國傳統文人的空境體會，重構主體，完成自我的淨化與療癒。最後，將《剪翼史》賦予疾病的意義以及自我療癒的歷程，置於現代主義文學的疾病書寫脈絡進行比較和詮釋，建構《剪翼史》在現代主義的形式和內容以及外緣研究的傳統之外，另一種主體研究和疾病敘事的創新角度。

Wang Wen-Hsing’s third modernist novel, Man with Clipped Wings, delves into the intricate interplay of illness and religious themes. Grounded in the modernist framework of subjectivity and combined with an illness narrative told from a medical humanities perspective, this article explores how Man with Clipped Wings employs linguistic symbols to craft a unique discourse of the body-self. It is through this linguistic artistry that the protagonist’s journey of self-discovery and transformation unfolds. This article also employs the model of“quest narrative”proposed by sociologist Arthur W. Frank to demonstrate that Wang’s analysis of the protagonist’s journey through the crucible of illness is a masterful exposition of the crisis of self-identity, the redemptive power of faith , and the emergence of a moral subjectivity that embraces virtue while forsaking vice. The resulting insights are profound, revealing illness as an opportunity for self-renewal. The equilibrium that Wang Wen-Hsing achieves within the narrative, a state where neither recovery nor deterioration dominates, is a testimony to the author’s skill. As the story unfolds, readers bear witness to a profound connection with the divine, simultaneously immersing themselves in the state of void (śūnyatā) described by the traditional Chinese literati. This fusion of experiences leads to a remarkable reconstruction of self, characterized by purification and healing. Ultimately, Man with Clipped Wings ascribes new meaning to the concept of illness as it chronicles the journey of self-healing, all contextualized within the broader modernist literary tradition of illness narratives. This approach extends the boundaries of formal modernism, offering an innovative perspective on the analysis of the self and the exploration of illness narratives.