論李安與安妮‧普露的《斷背山》中之性別越界

Abstract

美國女作家安妮．普露曾以《真情快遞》（The Shipping News）榮獲1994年普立茲獎。1997年，她在紐約客雜誌發表一篇三十頁的短篇小說《斷背山》 （Brokeback Mountain）。這是一個描述牧場青年與男牛仔相遇的故事； 1963年的夏天，兩人首次在懷俄明州的斷背山相識，處於保守環境與流言蜚語的強烈壓力下，迫使他們屈服於現實，但仍相知相惜二十年。2004年，李安開始導演這個爭議性的電影。同性戀牛仔的主題顛覆了一般傳統的思維與十足男子氣概的約翰．韋恩式牛仔形象。隨著電影的上映與走紅，引起兩種極端相異的輿論，一是同性戀實踐主義者的極度讚揚；另一方面卻受到反對同性戀婚姻的保守人士大肆撻伐。透過現代性別理論的觀點來審視故事內容，其實故事本身並非無探討同性戀議題的目的，而只是希望呈現人類之間愛與被愛的需求。安妮．普露及李安也許只想要傳達的一個超越性別與歧視的愛的故事。

In 1997, Annie Proulx, already renowned for her 1994 Pulitzer prize-winning novel The Shipping News, made headlines once again with her most controversial story to date, “Brokeback Mountain.” First published in The New Yorker, the 30-page novella concerned itself with the topic of homosexual love between two Wyoming farmhands beginning in the summer of 1963, and the twenty-year relationship that results between them. In 2004, Ang Lee began directing a film version of the story that has also been gaining controversy. The topic of gay cowboys overturns mainstream conservative beliefs and challenges the macho image of the classic American cowboy (i.e., Gene Autry, John Wayne). As the film gains momentum, the “gay cowboy story” has been both hailed as a vehicle for gay activism and vilified by American conservatives advocating a gay marriage ban. An initial reading of the story through the lens of modern gender theory demonstrates, however, that the story is not overtly political, but rather seeks universality in the experience of human longing for affection and acceptance. Both Proulx and Ang Lee share a vision that “Brokeback Mountain” depicts a love that transcends gender or prejudice.