- 學位論文
自《坎特伯里故事集》洞視理查二世時期之「另類」末世觀
Re-visioning the Canterbury Tales as an "Alternative" of the Ricardian Apocalypticism
摘要
喬瑟的晚期代表作《坎特伯里故事集》一般認為寫於西元1380年，正是十四世紀末紛亂的年代。尤其金雀花王朝末代皇帝理查二世任內，由於飢荒、戰爭、瘟疫接踵而至，老百姓不僅面對死亡的威脅，同時也生活在「世紀末」的陰影之下。對他們而言，在聖經〈啟示錄〉出現的四大末世騎士「飢荒」、「戰禍」、「瘟疫」以及「死亡」早已登場，末世審判即將展開。理查二世時期之末世觀在當代大家的文學作品中表露無遺，例如：約翰．高爾的《愛人的告白》、威廉．朗蘭的《皮爾斯農夫》，以及珍珠詩人的《珠兒》皆對十四世紀末教會與不列顛的混亂情形提出批評、鍼砭，並以怨懣的情緒表達出理查二世時期之末世觀------即對末世審判的恐懼與絕望，以及對新耶路撒冷這新天新地的狂喜與展望。而喬瑟的《坎特伯里故事集》則以其半嚴肅半詼諧、幽默與嘲諷兼具的風格使其呈現出與同時代作家之作品迥異的色彩。 事實上，喬學專家多半忽視《坎特伯里故事集》中呈現末世觀的可能性，或甚至否定此文本反映當代之末世觀。本篇論文旨在指出《坎特伯里故事集》不僅以曲折迂迴的方式點出其結構上與內容上的「雙重」末世觀，更以書中朝聖者與十四世紀末的讀者為其宣告對象。由於「末世」可說是一種「永恆」與「有限」的時間衝突，筆者認為以時間為切入點，並探討喬瑟如何以各種時間測量方式呈現各色時間觀，將是「發現」此文本末世觀的關鍵。而詩人喬瑟不時以科學式的觀察與算學方式（arithmetical）紀錄/計算坎特伯里朝聖之旅的時空移轉，此舉一方面提醒喬瑟筆下的朝聖者與當代讀者，人生其實就是一趟朝聖之旅，而無論文本中的虛構人物與現實世界中的讀者，都面臨來自末世的時間焦慮；另一方面，喬瑟充分展現其對算術學的掌握。算學方式的表述使喬瑟在《坎特伯里故事集》中發展出其與當代作家對於十四世紀末相異的觀察，揭示喬瑟所特有的寫實主義與「前理性主義」（proto-rationalism），並使《坎特伯里故事集》成為理查二世時期之「另類」末世觀。
並列摘要
In the Canterbury Tales there is an apocalypticism for both Chaucer’s pilgrims and readers. Since the Apocalypse arouses a deep sense of an ending, a contrast between the beginning and the end in the idea of Time, I propose a survey of Time—how it is measured and discoursed—in the Canterbury Tales as a key to discovering its apocalypticism. In fact, the anxiety of Time plays an important role in this work. On the one hand, the progression of time is crucial to the narrative event of a pilgrimage, not to mention that, for a pilgrim whose ultimate destination is the New Jerusalem, references to timing are necessary information for him to be a good “vigilant” Christian semper paratus. On the other hand, references to timing as an indication of time-telling and time-passing not only remind both Chaucer’s pilgrims and readers of their status of being in the middle of a spiritual pilgrimage—looking back at the past and looking forward to the future within one’s limited period of life—but also display Chaucer’s skillful command of arithmetic. Arithmetic is a notable element in the Canterbury Tales. Different from the numerological pattern shared by the other Ricardian poets, Chaucer’s arithmetical pattern generates a proto-rationalism, which influences conceptions of time, and thus the attitudes toward the Apocalypse. The arithmetical element in Chaucer not only distinguishes Chaucer from his contemporaries in (re)acting to the living context of fin de siècle, but also marks the Canterbury Tales as an “alternative” of the Ricardian apocalypticism.