摘要
本文的研究對象是余華小說中的食物書寫。無庸置疑地，余華是中國和全文學界名聲與影響力最大的作家之一。余華小說中的食物書寫十分豐富，有些是細節，有些則是長篇的描述。本文研究文獻為余華1987年－2006年發表的短中長篇小說。我挑選這些作品的主要原因，是這些作品裡包含了對食物卓越的描述。我必須先說明一下，本文研究的不是飲食文化或飲食本身，而是食物書寫作為表達其他意義的手法。就表層而言，這些頻繁出現的食物給文本添增了趣味性、凸顯故事的歷史背景以及促進了情節發展。就深層而言，余華的食物書寫呈現了人物個性、內心、人物轉變以及人物彼此之間的關係。它還幫助設定了每本小說的基調和主題。我在這裡做了一個假設，整體而言 ，余華用外在、具體的食物來呈現小說和人物內在、抽象的心靈世界。 對於余華本人和其作品的研究繁多；有些學者在其對余華小說的研究中提到食物這個議題，但據我所知，目前並沒有學者以食物為主要研究方向，對余華的小說進行通盤、深入的探討。也許這是因為食物是個長期被文學界忽視的議題。我希望透過以食物為主要研究方向，可以從新的角度去解讀余華的小説以及擴大余華研究的範疇，為余華研究以及全文學界對食物書寫的研究做出貢獻。 第一章簡述研究動機、目的、方法、範圍、以及本文之整體論述程序。第二章簡述中國古代和現當代文學中的食物書寫。第三章探討余華對於飢餓這件事的描寫。飢餓是余華筆下的人物無所不在、逃脫不了的威脅。我相信，藉由解讀本章中的文本，我們可以觀察到余華所描述的飢餓不只是刻畫苦難的手法，它也展現了人物的毅力和生存欲望。第四章探討余華對食物的供給與限制這兩種行為的描述。因為食物對身體和心理有重大影響，食物的供給帶給人們生理上與精神上的慰籍 ，另一方面，食物的限制卻可以帶來身體上的痛苦與情感上的折磨。我相信，藉由解讀本章中的文本，我們可以觀察到，余華對於供給或限制這兩種行為的描述，是呈現人物彼此之間的關係動態、人物的情感以及人物對他人的情感的重要手法。第五章探討余華對於「吃」這種行為的描述。 人們在哪裡吃、吃什麼以及吃的方式這幾件事可以反應一個人的各種方面。我相信，藉由解讀本章中的文本，我們可以觀察到余華對於「吃」這種行為的描述是呈現人物的生活狀況，藉由他對自己的想法，以及他與世界的交流的重要手法來表達。第六章先對余華小說中的食物書寫作總結，然後簡述余華90年代的寫作風格轉型以及它對余華食物書寫的影響，最後討論一下本文結論的價值和未來展望。
並列摘要
This thesis focuses on the role of food writing, defined as the descriptions of food and its many related aspects, in Yu Hua’s novels and short stories. Without a doubt, Yu Hua is one of the most preeminent contemporary Chinese writers and internationally well known authors. The food writing in his novels and short stories is rich, varied and profound. The works examined in this paper were selected for the prominence of food writing and were published between 1987 and 2006. To be clear, the object of this research is not so much the food items themselves, but how Yu Hua utilizes food writing to express deeper aspects of his works. On the surface, food writing increases the flavor and interest of the text, highlights the historical background of the story, and propels the plot forward. On a deeper level, food writing reveals the emotions and personalities of the characters, relationships between characters, and the tone and major themes of the novels. As a whole, Yu Hua utilizes the concrete and external nature of food to express the abstract and internal aspects of his novels and the characters. A large corpus of research on Yu Hua and his works exists. While some scholars have mentioned the role of food in Yu Hua’s works, no one has conducted an extensive, detailed, and comprehensive study of the role and significance of food writing in his novels. The topic of food in literature has been overlooked by academia for many years. I hope that my food centered research offers a new perspective on Yu Hua’s novels that not only expands the study of Yu Hua and his works, but also the interpretation of food writing in Chinese literature and literary analysis in general. The first chapter discusses the research motivation, goals, methods, scope, and value of this paper. The second chapter offers a brief introduction to the role of food writing in ancient and modern/contemporary Chinese literature. Chapter three focuses on Yu Hua’s descriptions of hunger. For Yu Hua’s characters, hunger is an ever-present and inescapable threat. Hunger is not just a tool to delineate life’s hardships, but also to highlight the strength of the characters and their will to live. Chapter four focuses on Yu Hua's descriptions of the provision and restriction of food. Given the physiological and psychological value of food, its provision can bring people physical and emotional comfort, while its restriction can bring people physical pain and emotional distress. Yu Hua’s description of the provision and restriction of food is a means of revealing the characters’ emotions, feelings towards others and relationship dynamics. Chapter five focuses on the act of eating. Where, what, and how a character is eating can disclose a lot about him or her. Yu Hua’s descriptions of the act of eating reveal the state of the characters’ lives, how they view themselves, and how they interact with the world. Chapter six summarizes the role and significance of food writing in Yu Hua’s writing. It briefly discusses the evolution of Yu Hua’s writing style in the 1990s and its influence on his food writing. Finally, it discusses the continuing value of this research.