從《包法利夫人》看十九世紀法國咖啡的文化轉移
─從菁英饗宴到市井小名的每日咖啡
劉 潔
前言:
當我們頻繁的進出咖啡館可曾想過咖啡是怎麼或如何成為現代人手一杯的飲品呢? 可曾知曉 十八世紀時咖啡館成為法國社交圈的新寵兒,這不僅是優雅的代名詞同時也匯集不同價值觀與想法的啟蒙家,批判與發洩不滿的場所。在一杯杯熱呼呼咖啡的醞釀下,啟蒙時代的作家、演說家、辯論家與政治家們建構出新的改革思想,發表一場場場激昂的演講。咖啡館從原本瀰漫文人雅致的洛可可風情氣氛中,在民主的推波下成為社會各界菁英討論政治與演說的地方。直至十八世紀後半葉, 咖啡不再只是上層或布爾喬亞階級的飲品。
文化轉移: 從菁英文化轉移到大眾文化的過程。
十九世紀,咖啡擺脫掉菁英文化色彩呈現更多元化、大眾化的趨向,從以下的節錄可看出:到咖啡館喝咖啡的舉動還成為普遍的大眾習慣,咖啡甚至變成生活的必需品:清晨上工前先來一碗咖啡提振精神,或是下班後到工廠附近的咖啡館放鬆一整天下來麻痺重複性的工作。
第一段節錄分析:
“I’m that worn out sometimes as I drop asleep on my chair. I’m sure you might at least give me just a pound of ground coffee; that’d last me a month, and I’d take it of a morning with some milk.”
奶媽麻煩Emma 準備一磅的咖啡豆好供她在清晨時享用,提振一天帶小孩的辛勞。可以看出奶媽,屬於辛苦的低下階級將咖啡視為在一天清晨繁忙不容停歇的工作前必須要喝一杯咖啡的提神的飲品。到此為止咖啡所蘊含的價值已從上流社會的杯中物擴及至普羅大眾。
第二段節錄分析:
“Thinking it
his duty to heap the greatest attention upon the doctor because
of his sad position, he begged him not to take his
hat off, spoke to him in an undertone as if he had been
ill, and even pretended to be angry because nothing
rather lighter had been prepared for him than for the others, such as a little clotted cream or stewed pears.He told
stories. Charles found himself laughing, but the remembrance
of his wife suddenly coming back to him depressed
him. Coffee was brought in; he thought no more about
her.” (part 1 chapter 3)
農人出身的包法利先生,在想念亡妻時來上一杯咖啡,頓時排憂又忘卻煩惱,神清氣爽。咖啡的功能在小市民的杯中少了學術味文藝與爭論的煙硝味,多了點娛樂或是情緒上排解工作與不安和壓迫的目的。此刻十九世紀社會的各個階級皆發展著不同的咖啡館文化,不同的客群反映了屬於各自的風貌。
但可曾知曉,在十八世紀上半葉,上咖啡館品咖啡聊政治對工人們是遙不可及、異想天開的夢想, 更因政府為了防堵人群聚眾鬧事頒發嚴格的身分禁令,禁止流浪漢、乞丐、娼妓、軍人等等入內,因此對十九世紀的勞工階級來說,能上咖啡館真的是生活上的巨變。
第三段節錄分析:
His family in
tears, his shop sold, all the jars dispersed;
and he was obliged to enter a cafe and take a glass of rum
and seltzer to recover his spirits.(partie 2 chapter 2
p.92)
藥劑師經人告發秘密行醫後, 絕望之際走進一家咖啡館,點了一杯酒醒醒腦。十九世紀底層人士的咖啡館通常會提供酒水,這裡的人眼中只有把酒迎歡,杜康解憂他們來咖啡館尋求的是生活上短暫的麻痺。
文化轉移的過程:從奢侈品到廉價品
咖啡的消費群之所以能擴及一般大眾,其背後的原因在於各帝國在殖民地的貿易競爭,大量種植而降低了咖啡的價格。從奢侈品的代表到一般小市民的飲品,直到十八世紀下半葉,由於帝國主義殖民的國家因工業革命運輸交通的改善,尤其是火車和殖民地低廉的勞工這些原因促使咖啡的價格更是一落千丈,咖啡成為低下階級或是一般大眾能負擔得起的生活必需品。
第四段節錄分析:
Until night they ate. When any of them were too
tired of sitting, they went out for a stroll in the
yard, or for a game with
corks in the granary, and then returned to table. Some
towards the finish went to sleep and snored. But with the coffee
everyone woke up.(part 1 chapter 4)
包法利夫婦的婚慶現場,賓客們喝著咖啡
第五段節錄分析:
On the evening when the Bovarys were to arrive at Yonville, Widow Lefrancois,
the landlady of this inn, was so very busy
that she sweated great drops as she moved her saucepans.
Tomorrow was market-day. The meat had to be cut
beforehand, the fowls drawn, the soup and coffee made (part 2
chapter 1 p.75)
咖啡融入一般的大眾生活─ 慶典舉辦前的準備的食材
結語
現代人手一杯的咖啡景象當然還夾雜了休閒或是享受的成分在,取得咖啡的便利性,和咖啡館的多功能性已經不能同日而語。但背後最大的推手還是十八世紀革命成功後,因工業革命而致富的布爾喬亞階級。政治環境和社會價值的流動呈現更多社會面向,社會階層不同於以往的單一與絕對。又因工業革命的關係,社會型態也有所改變,人們有了更多自由享受休閒的時間,大眾消費也油然而生,一群閑居者(Flâneur)
─ 在街道上閒晃到咖啡館,觀察往來人們的閑居者─
現代咖啡消費者的濫觴,嶄新的階級也就隨之出現。
資料來源
《15 至18世紀的物質文明:經濟和資本主義》 卷二 「形形色色的交換」費爾南布勞岱爾著 P.136 ~P.156
《咖啡精神─咖啡與咖啡館的文化記憶》王文興著
《包法利夫人》, 鐘斯著, 遠景出版。
The World Coffee Market
in the Eighteenth And Nineteenth Centuries, from Colonial To National Regimes by Steven Topik