視覺的魅惑──《孽海花》中的催眠與新國際秩序

The Allure of Vision: Hypnosis and the New Global Order in Niehai hua

自十九世紀末催眠術傳入中國後，許多學者從科學、醫學和宗教信仰等角度進行了廣泛研究。本文則聚焦於催眠術在晚清文學中作為象徵的獨特作用。通過分析《孽海花》中的外交與國際溝通場景，探討小說如何反映中國對新興視覺技術—如地圖與攝影—躍升為國際秩序語言的認識，並將催眠術中失去自我掌控的狀態，引申為中國對這些技術失去控制的象徵。當晚清大多數小說著重於軍事、交通和醫療等科技對國家競爭力的影響，《孽海花》則獨到地指出了視覺媒介在權力結構中的關鍵地位。本文進一步探討，通過情節中反覆出現的催眠象徵，小說家如何敏銳地洞察並揭示這些技術在國際競爭中所塑造的權力格局，以及中國在這一結構中的被動處境。

Since its introduction into China in the late 19th century, hypnosis has been extensively studied from perspectives including science, medicine, and religious belief. This article focuses on a different domain, emphasizing the symbolic role of hypnosis in late Qing literature. Analyzing scenes of diplomacy and international communication in Niehai hua, this study examines how the novel reflects China’s understanding of emerging visual technologies—such as maps and photography—as languages of global order. Hypnosis, characterized by a loss of self-control, is interpreted as a metaphor for China’s perceived lack of control over these technologies. While most late Qing novels highlight the impact on national competitiveness of technological advances in military, transportation, and medical fields, Niehai hua uniquely underscores the critical role of visual media in the power structures of the time. This article explores how recurring symbolic representation of hypnosis in the novel reveals the author’s acute insights into the power dynamics shaped by these visual technologies in the context of international competition and China’s passive position within this structure.