RỖNG VÀ KHÔNG TRONG TẬP TRUYỆN NGẮN

Abstract

Within the scope of this paper, nothingness is examined as both a consequence and a manifestation of the exilic condition, while emptiness is associated with the philosophical-aesthetic spirit of Zen. The relationship between nothingness and emptiness reflects the interplay between phenomenology and ontology. These two dimensions do not contradict but rather coexist – intersecting like two layers upon the same exiled body – revealing a complex identity shaped by exile yet still marked by an ontological trace of the Eastern self. In the context of globalization and postcolonialism, examining the post-exilic state of nothingness and the possibility of “returning to emptiness” presents a necessary line of inquiry. Taipei People (Pai Hsien-yung) serves as a literary endeavor to preserve a historical phase of the Chinese nation and a cultural identity, in which nothingness and emptiness function as languages of expression. The spaces in Taipei People both protect and confine human beings. This paper analyzes nothingness through three spatial dimensions: (1) spaces connected to present-day Taipei, (2) spaces tied to the Chinese past, and (3) mirror-like spaces that reflect the self. Rather than concluding the exilic narrative in helplessness or despair, Pai Hsien-yung opens up another spatial layer imbued with the revelatory quality of emptiness – a distinctive feature that sets his work apart from other exile literature. The spatial constructs in his short stories evoke the spirit of non-differentiation and the aesthetics of impermanence. Pai Hsien-yung does not merely write about exile (as a historical experience), but also about the Eastern spirit (as a national identity). In other words, his focus embraces both phenomenology (nothingness) and ontology (emptiness), offering a comprehensive portrait of the exilic condition of mainland Chinese, but also about the Eastern spirit.