活化的精神德利洛《地下世界》中的廢棄影像與身份認同

美國當代作家對視覺文化的議題多所著墨，唐•德利洛(Don DeLillo)即是探討視覺性問題的著名作家之一。德利洛先後在《美國形象》(Americana, 1971)、《天秤座》(Libra,1988)、《毛二世》(Mao II, 1991)中強調視覺影像(visual imaginary)如何形塑了大眾的日常生活經驗，以不同的方式檢視媒體影像在建構身分認同上所扮演的角色，特別是某些暴力歷史事件，如何反覆在電視中播放，對主體造成的影響。上述所關注的議題，如媒體影像與主體之間的關係，也同樣在《地下世界》(Underworld, 1997)中浮現。德利洛在《地下世界》中點出，在擬像的消費社會中，小說人物面對「模型化」(modelization)的問題及解決之道。本文將從微觀的角度將關注焦點從大歷史的事件移到個人的層面，首先從尚．布希亞(Jean Baudrillard)的「擬像」(”simulation”)觀點出發，指出小說人物如何在擬仿物充斥下受到「模型化」的影響，造成主體的格式化與像素化。其次，探討主體從「模型化」後的死亡意像轉變成「活化的精神」(”animating spirit”)的可能性過程。為了達此目的，小說人物從日常生活既零碎又微小的事物中，如廢棄的影像、甚至是一個字或字母，暫時放下擬像般的角色，以挖掘出某些個人獨特的經驗，造成「活化」主體的效果，也達到建構自我的可能性。

關鍵字

影像；擬像；模型化；垃圾；身分認同

並列摘要

Contemporary American writers have put great effort in exploring visual culture and its influence, and Don DeLillo is one of the known authors to discuss this issue. His novels, such as Americana (1971), Libra (1988), and Mao II (1991), emphasize how visual imaginary shapes our daily lives, and examine how images in various ways construct personal identity, especially the broadcasting of violent images that influences subject formation. His concern about these issues also features in Underworld (1997). DeLillo in Underword points out how characters, such as Nick, who lives in modern consumer society, faces the problem of ”modelization” and how they deal with it by ”animating” themselves. This paper first discusses Jean Baudrillard's concept of simulation and its implication, and examine how ”modelized” characters are trapped in the ”pixel” world. Then, it shows the process in which the subject tries to transform itself from the simulated ”death” to the animated life. To achieve this end, the subject makes use of various fragmented and small things in wasted images, even one single dot, word, or syllabus, to discover individual singular experiences, to put down the role designed by simulation, and to achieve the possibility of animating spirit.