情感式彌爾頓：彌爾頓與前現代時期情感意識

Abstract

隨著情緒研究的興起，以及學界近年來對於情緒史興趣的遽昇，前現代時期文學豐富多元的情緒風貌在過去二十年漸受重視。然而，彌爾頓雖然以創造出極具情緒感染力角色的過人天賦著稱，其作品中的情感面向卻尚未受到彌爾頓學界應有的關注。本論文試圖填補此彌爾頓研究的缺口，以前現代時期的情感意識為基礎，分析彌爾頓主要詩作中對於人、神、魔之情感維度的建構。筆者認為彌爾頓透過其主要詩作與相關散文興築出一完整的情感體系，涵蓋了三類情感：神聖情感、俗世情感、惡魔式情感。欲進一步理解彌爾頓式的情感宇宙，筆者首先追溯情感在古希臘哲學的起源與中世紀神學的發展歷程，藉以對於前現代時期情感意識進行考察，透過分析前現代時期大量出版的情感文獻，進而得以重現前現代時期對於情感定義與分類、靈魂模型、情感駕馭、神痛感等概念的理解。同時，試圖以情感分析的方法，就彌爾頓研究中懸而未決的議題提出新的解釋，從而認為在原罪前人類的近神聖情感中已有激越情感的存在。在《失樂園》第十一章與第十二章中，大天使米迦勒為亞當準備的視現與預言可解讀為彌爾頓對於亞里斯多德滌淨概念的再詮釋；而參孫力士對其所感受到的遽起靈動的誤判使其再度屈服於激越情感，遂行復仇，而非成為烈士；文中亦提出彌爾頓《失樂園》與《復樂園》中的上帝與神之子具有形軀且有神痛感；此外，有別於多數彌爾頓學者的負面評價，筆者認為《復樂園》中的神之子的平靜並非人性的缺乏，而是俗世情感的昇華結果與情感調和的平衡狀態，以啟發為墮落之後裔的讀者；同時文中也將撒旦作為彌爾頓角色的魅力歸因於其多樣化且與人性面向相通的情感領受與表達。With the rise of emotion studies and a rapidly growing academic interest in the history of emotions, the rich emotive landscape of early modern literature has been gradually brought to light over the past two decades. Whereas Milton is famed for creating emotionally contagious characters, his treatment of emotions has received relatively little scholarly attention. My thesis attempts to fill the gap in Milton scholarship by analyzing Milton's depiction of emotions in his major poetry in the context of early modern emotionology. I argue Milton's emotive universe consists of three categories: divine affections, human emotions, and Satanic passions, which represent three spiritual and emotive planes. To gain fuller understanding of Milton’s emotive universe, I propose to contextualize it in the early modern interpretations of the passions, a revision of the Greek philosophical and medieval theological legacy. My thesis also addressessome controversies in Milton studies. First, I will demonstrate the passions are not absent in the prelapsarian couple. The vision and the narrative Michael prepares for Adam in Book 11 and 12 in Paradise Lost can be illuminated by the Miltonic reinterpretation of catharsis. Samson’s revenge on the Philistines is an act of vile passions rather than martyrdom due to his misinterpretation of his rousing motions; I will also vindicate Milton's belief in passible God and angels in Paradise Lost. Opposite to some Miltonists' negative response to the Son in Paradise Regained, I argue Christ's calm as an emotive equilibrium, similar to aequo animo, to be emulated by Milton's fallen readers; I also examine how Satan's aesthetic charm can be attributed to his Satanic passions and some shockingly human-like emotions, which unfortunately are calibrated to fallen readers' taste.