以法國十九世紀末的巴黎上流社會為背景，馬賽爾·普魯斯特的《斯萬之愛》描寫了美學紳士斯萬和交際花奧黛特的戀愛情史。故事從他們情感的萌芽發展起，鋪陳至後來的種種痛苦，衝突以及最後的和解。在評論家們的眼中，斯萬和奧黛特的愛情，對他這樣一位受過高雅藝術薰陶的紳士而言，可以說是一項無意義而浪費其藝術才華的作為。和奧黛特的來往不僅無法提供斯萬任何藝術或思想上的拓展，甚至使他逐漸遠離了他所熟稔的上流社會圈子。然而，有別於大部份評論家們對斯萬這段戀愛的負面及批評觀點，本篇論文主旨在於提供另一個看待斯萬和奧黛特之間的愛情的角度：斯萬和奧黛特的愛情可以被視為是一項藝術。換言之，雖然這段感情並沒有讓斯萬在美學知識上有所突破，也沒有使他得以藉此創造出任何藝術作品，但是透過和奧黛特的戀愛，斯萬在他的這段生命裡活出了屬於自己的藝術，充分地展現了作為一位審美家以生命為藝術的課題。
本文將由三個角度出發來論述斯萬之愛如何能被看成一項藝術：世紀末頹廢美學，尼采的阿波羅式藝術觀及戴奧尼修斯式生命觀。第一章論述斯萬和奧黛特的愛情中展現了十九世紀末頹廢美學的精神和價值，因此可被視為是世紀末頹廢美學的藝術表現。而在第二及第三章中論述了斯萬和奧黛特的愛情中展現了太陽神阿波羅式的寧靜藝術之美及酒神戴奧尼修斯式的澎湃洶湧情感，並論述這兩股看似相悖但又互補的力量如何形塑斯萬的愛情，使其達到尼采所謂的藝術的巔峰。

Set in the nineteenth century fin-de-siècle Parisian society, Marcel Proust’s Swann in Love recounts the love affair between the aesthetic bachelor Charles Swann and the renowned courtesan Odette de Crécy. The story features the germination, development, conflict and the final reconciliation of their affair. Considering the refined artistic cultivation of Swann, critics have long deemed Swann’s dismal love affair with Odette as “meaningless waste of his artistic talents,” since the artistic circles with which Odette acquaints are of much vulgar types comparing to those that Swann used to frequent. However, it is the intention of this thesis to propose a different perspective on viewing this affair of Swann: I argue that Swann’s affair with Odette can be considered as itself an art. In other words, though Swann creates no concrete art, by living through this love affair with Odette, he has lived this episode of his life into art as well as fulfilled his identity as a true aesthete.
This thesis will be approached from the following three aspects, each corresponds to a respective chapter: fin-de-siècle decadence, Nietzsche’s Apollonian force and Dionysian force. By scrutinizing the social background in the fin-de-siècle Paris, I intend to show that this love between Swann and Odette has manifested in several aspects certain decadent temperaments, which constitute the artistry of their affair. Furthermore, by identifying traces of Nietzsche’s Apollonian and Dionysian forces in their affair, I argue that this amorous yet tormenting love of Swann resembles the Greek Attic tragedy. The artistry of Swann’s love then lies in its demonstration of the Apollonian serene beauty and the Dionysian intoxicated emotions.

Introduction……………………………………………………………………1
Chapter One………………………………………………………………………20
Chapter Two………………………………………………………………………55
Chapter Three…………………………………………………………………90
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………125
Works Cited………………………………………………………………………134

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