《艾爾摩沙的瑪利亞》：書信體、擬仿殖民者、反思殖民

Since the 21st century, Taiwan novels can be said to be almost equal to historical novels, and the plural approaches to historical narratives manifest the multiple faces of Taiwan history. This research mainly aims at "Maria of Hermosa" as the object of study, along with other historical writers such as Ping Lu, Chen Yaochang, Badai, and so on. The author wants to ask the following questions: Why is it that authors of historical novels in Taiwan often prefer to use the speaking voice of the Western/Japanese colonialists? In what ways the representation of crossracial romance can be regarded as the collective desire of contemporary Taiwanese people for multi-culturalism? Novels about Taiwan history are the results and consequences of nativist discourse and Taiwan consciousness. It seems that authors should use the point of view of Taiwanese—whether the indigenous people or the Han people. However, "Maria of Hermosa" is written from the perspective of a Spanish soldier, and such phenomenon occur in other historical novels, too. It is worth noting that Taiwan authors project their desire to Western/Japanese colonialists, hoping to use their speaking positions to re-write and go beyond one-dimensional historiography: that is the binary opposition of the oppressors and the oppressed. Authors want to discover the possibility of mutual influence and mutual appreciation between the outsiders and the natives. Therefore, these novels are not merely the history of Taiwan, but also Taiwan authors' imagination of the colonial other. Spain was the earliest colonial power in Taiwan, and the novel, "Maria of Hermosa," is the first novel to deal with this part of Taiwan history. This attests to the importance of the novel and why the researcher chooses to study this novel. Taiwan authors tend to simulate the voice of the Western/Japanese colonists, and then subvert the voice into reflection of colonial violence. The subjectivity of Taiwan is thereby subtly displaced and redefined. This phenomenon of desiring to occupy the colonial position is worth noting and becomes the reason for conducting this research.