王定國小說的兩個世界——《那麼熱，那麼冷》的文學救贖

Two Worlds in Wang Ting-Kuo’s Novel–Literary Redemption in So Hot, So Cold

《那麼熱，那麼冷》（2013）是「商人王定國」在停筆多年，且有一番社會閱歷後，仍回來重新肯定文學，以「小說家王定國」交出的，引起文壇讚嘆注目的首張成績單，可視為作家的里程碑之作。但或許是停筆又提筆，幾次斷續的文學歷程之故，也或許是作家並未在小說顯露足供辨識的當道小說理論與技巧，目前的王定國小說研究，多屬篇幅短小的書評而非研究性論文。
本文意圖從王定國的創作觀念與作品的互相印證，尋找王定國小說的詮釋架構。研究方法上，本文將以作家的「為小說人物寫作」為核心概念，從中探討作家所以重啟創作，並以文學為生命救贖的意義。本文以為，王定國小說潛藏一個反覆辨析「真實／虛假兩個世界」的內在結構。為了揭示現代人的生存困境，王定國筆下的人物，常是一群在虛假價值前執迷追求之人，此一追求的過程，也正是本性喪失，家庭破敗的歷程。因而文學的救贖，便是對此一生存歷程的揭示與理解，從中賦予人要在真實本性中回家之深意。本文以為，小說家對小說人物的深入理解之意願，亦便是他與讀者的真誠交流。

Name Re Name Leng (So Hot, So Cold, 2013) is the first major publication to appear after “Entrepreneur Wang Ting-kuo” suspended his writing for many years, during which time he underwent the vicissitudes of social experience before returning to literary circles in order to re-affirm the value of literature. As such, this new offering presented by the “Novelist Wang Ting-Kuo” has generated tremendous interest from literary circles, and indeed the work can be considered a milestone in the author’s career, the first “report card” we have to evaluate the author after his many years away from the literary field. However, present research regarding Wang Ting-kuo’s novels consists mainly of short book reviews rather than long-form articles of academic breadth. Perhaps this is owing to the author’s own interrupted literary journey, in which he has put down his pen and taken it back up again numerous times, or perhaps this is because his novels have not offered sufficiently engaging materials to generate debate in the realm of literary theory or technique.
This essay seeks to build an interpretative framework for analyzing Wang’s novels, examining the interplay between his own literary works and his stated approach to literary creation. With respect to research method, this essay takes as its core concept the notion of “writing for literary characters” advocated by Wang, using it as a launching point to explore the author’s return to literary creation, and particularly the notion that literature can be a means of redeeming one’s life. This essay argues that within Wang’s novels there lies an internal structure that repeatedly dissects the interplay between two worlds- that of truth and falsehood. Wang’s novel reveals the existential predicament of people today, where most of his characters, in the face of false values, are caught in a web of obsessive pursuit, a process which leads to the loss of self and the destruction of family life. For Wang, redemption in literature is the revelation and understanding of this existential process, which is invested with a particular kind of meaning: that humans must “return home” to a true and authentic nature. This essay argues that the author’s drive to explore deeply this process within his characters is a means for him to engage in honest communication with his readers.