Foreword to the Special Issue on Animal Writing in Taiwan Literature

Transcription

1 to the Special Issue on Animal Writing in Taiwan Literature Kuo-ch ing Tu S ince 1996, when this journal started publication with the goal of introducing Taiwan literature to English-speaking readers, we have published several issues on the themes of nature, environment, the ocean, and mountain forests. These include Taiwan Literature, Nature, and Environment (No. 8, December 2000), Taiwan Literature and the Ocean (No. 17, July 2005), and Mountains, Forests, and Taiwan Literature (No. 18, January 2006). In those issues, we presented writings about nature and animals, including works by aboriginal writers and by Liao Hungchi, who is known as an oceanic writer. In particular, in the eighth issue, we introduced Sanyue sanyangsan [March Madness] by Liao Hung-chi, Langren shen [The Wanderer Shen-fish] by Syaman Rapongan, Fangsheng [Set Free] by Hwang Chunming, along with other essays on animals and the natural environment. In 1987, when thirty-eight years ( ) of martial law ended, Taiwan became a free, open society full of vitality. At that time, many currents of Western thought came surging in and made a strong impact on the fields of literature and cultural ix

2 studies. The popularity of nature writing rose as a part of that movement. Generally speaking, the concept of nature writing in Taiwan was introduced as a sub-genre of American Studies, where it was identified as writing that expressed concern for the world of nature and the human response to nature as reflected in experience of the natural world. At the beginning of the 1980s, it developed into ecocriticism, a field that explored the relationship between literature and the natural environment, and included the nature and wilderness protection movement. The concepts of nature writing and ecocriticism were introduced through translation into literature and academic research in Taiwan in the 1980s. They took root in Taiwan and developed into sophisticated and exquisite writing skills. Depending on the subject and the attitude towards geographic environment and historical culture, its development has branched out into various subfields, such as oceanic literature, whale and dolphin literature, riverine literature, and wetlands literature, etc. Nature writing has also been called ecology literature or environment protection literature. In the thirty years since the 1980s, a significant volume of creative work and research in Taiwan has been produced under the general category of nature writing. There have been conferences and proceedings, M.A. theses and Ph.D. dissertations, research articles, books, and anthologies. There are four representative and well-recognized writers in the field: Liu Ka-shiang, who has dedicated himself to birdwatching and nature writing; Liao Hungchi, who is known for his writings on whale and ocean experiences; Wu Ming-yi, who has concentrated on butterflies and broken new ground in ecological writing; as well as Syaman Rapongan, who has devoted himself to reconstructing the ocean-centric culture of the indigenous Taos people. It is in view of all the above that this issue of the journal has been dedicated to Animal Writing in Taiwan Literature. Recalling that our publication has a mission to introduce the voices of x Taiwan Literature

3 Taiwan literature from recent publications to English readers, and especially to introduce the views of Taiwanese writers and scholars regarding their own literature, we have asked Professor Chia-ju Chang of Brooklyn College to be guest editor of this special issue. In her introduction, Animal Writing: Taiwan s Dongwu shuxie, Professor Chang points out that animal writing is a term inspired by and developed from the literary genre of nature writing. The fields of ziran shuxie (nature writing) and dongwu shuxie (animal writing) often overlap, and it is not easy to draw a clear line between the two. In her understanding, there is no Western term equivalent to dongwu shuxie, although there are terms like animal literature and animal fiction. Therefore, she asserts that the concept of dongwu shuxie originated in Taiwan and constitutes a contribution to the field of the study of animal literature. Furthermore, she quotes Wu Ming-yi s usage of the term dongwu shuxie as having a double meaning. As a nature writer and researcher of ecocriticism, Wu Ming-yi suggests that ziran xiezuo be replaced by ziran shuxie because the term shuxie, which means writing/recording is a homonym of shuxie, meaning lyrical expression of sentiment. Whether used as a noun or a verb, the term shuxie synonymously refers to writing/recording objective knowledge, and also expressing subjective sentiments. Thus the connotations and implications of the concept nature writing as a genre is enriched. The genre nature writing, as it developed in Taiwan, carries such special meanings, and has made a special contribution to the field. Furthermore, Professor Chang insists on using the pinyin Romanization of dongwu shuxie instead of the English translation, animal writing, in order to emphasize the local identification of the term when it is used on the stage of global animal literature research. In this way, its unique characteristics as a form of nature writing with a local color is displayed. This echoes the inspiration behind this journal. We offer this issue by way of introducing the special features and contributions of animal xi

4 writing in Taiwan to a global readership. The works selected for translation here were recommended primarily by Professor Chang. She has chosen works that highlight the local characteristics of animal literature in Taiwan as distinct from international animal literature. These works refer to the geographical environment and to memory of the unique cultural history of Taiwan. The two stories by Wu Ming-yi, Koxinga and The Compass of the Soul, are excellent examples of this. Lee Chiao s A Sacrifice to the Asuras was originally intended for the special issue on the author (No. 36, July 2015), but it turned out to be very appropriate for this issue on animal writing in Taiwan as it ponders animal life from a philosophical perspective. While I was working with Professor Chang, her introduction reminded me of the three poems that I wrote about animals. My poem, A-he, A-he, about a hippo, concerns attitudes toward animals as well as environmental consciousness and animal protection in Taiwan. My Grief expresses the close relationship between a man and his dog. And the third poem, Reincarnation of the Three Realms After watching the movie God Man Dog, considers the Buddhist concept of incarnation in the three realms of life, echoing Lee Chiao s Buddhist philosophy on life beyond this life. The conception, planning, and contact with the translators for this issue have been carried out by Professor Chang. Her hard work, as well as that of the translators, is very much appreciated. I would particularly like to thank the authors for their consent to have their works translated into English and included in this issue to show their strong support for the journal, and also Professor John Balcom for his timely offer of help on short notice. My co-editor Professor Terence Russell and copy editor Fred Edwards devoted much time and earnest effort in the making of this journal, and are much appreciated. Editorial assistance came from the Center for Taiwan Studies at UCSB, in continued cooperation with National Taiwan University Press. Angela Borda, Raelynn Moy, and Chia- xii Taiwan Literature

5 yun Yen worked diligently in the coordination, proof-reading, and editing of this journal, keeping our translators on schedule. Without their assistance, this issue could not have been produced. xiii