〈伊梅達修女〉中的身體感官與知覺現象

Body, the Senses, and Perception in Edna O'Brien's "Sister Imelda"

張崇旂(Tsung-Chi Chang)

歐布萊恩 ； 〈伊梅達修女〉 ； 愛爾蘭女性身體 ； 感官與宗教 ； 梅洛龐蒂 ； Edna O'Brien ； "Sister Imelda" ； Irish female body ； senses and religion ； Merleau Ponty

哲學與文化

40卷11期（2013 / 11 / 01）

161 - 183

繁體中文

感官與文學的交集一再出現於愛爾蘭作家筆下，但不同於男性文本的是，感官在愛爾蘭女性作品中經常隱含強烈的性別規訓與性別反抗、感官禁忌與女性反動、宗教藩籬與他者聲音。究其原因，跟愛爾蘭常年以來的男性霸權文化大有關係。本文旨在探討當代愛爾蘭女性作家歐布萊恩的短篇故事〈伊梅達修女〉，研究其中複雜細膩的愛爾蘭女性身體、感官與宗教之間的糾葛。論文主要由梅洛龐蒂身體現象學的角度切入，並結合女性身體感官的理論，分析〈伊梅達修女〉中女性身體、感官與宗教的關連。除前言與結語外，論文共計三部分。第一部分談的是故事裡感官與宗教的議題，分析兩者之間的折衝關係。第二部分將重點放在感官與身體的討論，主要從梅洛龐蒂身體現象學的觀點閱讀故事。第三部份則從宏觀角度討論〈伊梅達修女〉中感官情慾和現象身體為女性文學開發的新契機。經由文本與理論的交互辯證，筆者試圖討論〈伊梅達修女〉中所呈現的愛爾蘭女性身體、感官與宗教議題，並分析歐布萊恩如何藉由書寫本故事，為女性的存在經驗開創出一個遊走性別邊界的新世界。

The senses and literature are frequently entwined in Irish writings. However, unlike the senses in the texts by male writers, those in women's works often smack of sexual discipline and sexual resistance, sensual taboos and female fight-back, religious opposition and the voices of the other, which have much to do with the perennial patriarchal hegemony in Irish culture. This paper aims at analyzing Edna O'Brien's short story, ”Sister Imelda,” focusing on the intricate entanglement of female body, the senses, and religion. Merleau Ponty's bodily phenomenology, coupled with theories on female bodily senses, serves as the theoretical backdrop in the discussion. Introduction and conclusion aside, the paper falls into three parts. The first part focuses on the discussion of the senses and religion in the Irish context, while the second part discusses the senses and the body, featuring a phenomenological reading of the story from Merleau Ponty's perspective. The third part is a more panoramic portrayal of female potential derived from the sensual sexuality and phenomenological body in ”Sister Imelda.” With the cross-references of the text and related theories, it is expected that such issues as Irish female body, the senses, and religion are untangled and that the new world of women across sexual borders as perceived by O'Brien in ”Sister Imelda” is disclosed and elaborated.

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