Between Speech and Silence in Wordsworth’s ＂The Prelude＂-Transformation of Self in Text

言語與靜默之間：文本裡所窺見的華茲沃斯自我

10.7015/JEAS.201406_44(2).0003

李佳容(Chia-Jung Lee)

華茲沃斯 ； 《序曲》 ； 文字奧妙 ； 自我呈現 ； 語言之「反精神」 ； William Wordsworth ； "The Prelude" ； mystery of words ； self-representation ； the "counter-spirit" of language

歐美研究

44卷2期（2014 / 06 / 01）

193 - 238

英文

本文主題為華茲沃斯《序曲》裡第五部書中的自我呈現。我將研讀詩人對此書的修改過程中所塑造的「文本自我」，以探討其中的重要關聯，並觀察他如何將其複雜的情感寫入著作過程。華茲沃斯透過文本呈現的自我在寫作時消逝在語言本身。由於被語言的「反精神」束縛著，詩人描述出的自我呈現被文字「喧噪的鬨響」淹沒、又被其替換性的比喻所磨滅。然而我主張詩人在寫作時將他所意識到的文字「弱性」轉化成語言運作中的契機。相對於Paul de Man與Mary Jacobus對華茲沃斯文字運用之否定性評論，我探討詩人對於「生命與書本」之間文字組織結構的正面運用。對詩人而言，「文字奧妙」中的「想像力量」能夠洞悉其呈現的自我之「存在感」。我將特別描述詩人如何藉文字示意自我在語言本身裡的不存在性，來傳遞語言中自我的存在性。詩人巧妙地在言語與靜默之間以文字呈現自我，認可但同時抗拒「文字奧妙」中的「黑暗」與「朦朧之物」。詩人正是經由其對於語言矛盾且晦暗的運用，得以避免其「無法呈現」的自我完全被文字抹滅。

The article focuses on William Wordsworth’s self-representation in Book V of The Prelude. I will consider Wordsworth’s ＂textual self＂ in the draft materials and revisions of this Book in order to explore the vital relationship between Wordsworth and his text, and to observe how he writes his complicated emotions into the process of composition. Wordsworth’s represented self vanishes into language in his act of writing. Wordsworth, engaging with the ＂counter-spirit＂ of language, represents a self overwhelmed by the ＂loud blast＂ from writing itself and defaced by its substitutive figurations. However, I will argue that, in response to the failure of self-representation, Wordsworth transforms his vision of the ＂weak [ness] of words＂ into an opportunity for the working of language itself. I will add to Paul de Man and Mary Jacobus’ largely negative reading of Wordsworth’s language by focusing on the positive use Wordsworth makes of the ＂texture＂ midway between ＂life and books＂. For Wordsworth, the ＂visionary power＂ in the ＂mystery of words＂ is capable of visioning at least the ＂presence＂ of the represented self. I show, in particular, how Wordsworth communicates a sense of self in language precisely by signaling its absence from that language. He does this by situating his self-representation midway between speech and silence, acknowledging but resisting the working of ＂darkness＂ and ＂shadowy things＂ in ＂the mystery of words＂. Through his precisely inconsistent and opaque use of language, Wordsworth’s writing avoids the total ＂defacement＂ of the ＂unrepresentable＂ self in words.

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