由於本土意識抬頭，「臺灣學」的領域不斷被深耕與拓展，在清代臺灣文學範疇中，詩文集的發掘、整理與評論已然可觀，但關乎古典小說創作與閱讀情形卻始終乏人問津，這是臺灣文學研究中的一頁空白。而在二十世紀被視為顯學的紅學研究裏，戰後臺灣紅學也已經被關注，然戰前（包括日治與清治期）的紅學風貌仍是一片荊棘，等待被開拓。對清代紅學研究者而言，臺灣書寫場域的缺席是一種遺憾；而就臺灣紅學領域來說，只云戰後，而忽略了戰前，亦不夠宏觀與完整。於是筆者乃取「清代臺灣紅學」為題，一方面補清代紅學、臺灣紅學研究之不足，一方面則藉此初探清代臺灣如何閱讀與接受《紅樓夢》，以見臺灣這一「海上」閱讀王國是否真實存在。 在本文中，筆者竭力搜尋在「清代臺灣」這一時空背景下出現的紅學人物，與紅學園地裏的名家佳篇相較，這些清代臺灣紅學人物著實不惹眼，但卻是紅樓接受史中不可泯沒的一群，也是臺灣學裏不容漠視的文化現象。為兼顧他們在臺灣史、紅學史中的定位，故文中採用「史傳」與「藝文」並重的寫作方式，亦即著眼於其臺灣經驗與紅學筆墨，並從中發現其書寫紅學的源由。經過一番探究，筆者在十位紅樓人物史料與著述中論得臺灣果然在清代已是一海上讀／寫國度，不論是宦游者（如王蘭沚、孔昭虔、張新之、丁日昌、倪鴻等）或遺民者（如謝道隆、許南英、丘逢甲等），不管他們在臺灣史中享有盛名，或藉藉無名，也無須計較他們是重量級的紅學大師或無足輕重的紅學人物。他們的出現，可作為《紅樓夢》東渡來臺的流行符碼，除證明《紅樓》魅力及於海島臺灣外，更重要的是，此書成為在臺遺民者家國想像與寄託的對象，這是臺灣紅學有別於大陸紅學的主要特點。此一〝在地〞觀點的運用，正為清代紅學研究另闢蹊徑，冀使步入二十一世紀的紅學研究，能更為深廣與恢宏。 In the wake of the emphasis on recognizing our native culture, the study of the Taiwan literature has been significantly expanded. Specifically, discoveries and commentaries relating to the poetry produced in Taiwan during the Ching Dynasty have mushroomed. However, very few have touched the field of classical novels from the same period. For instance, the study of Hung Lou Meng (the "Hung Study") in Taiwan did not begin receiving attentions until after the World War II, even though it had begun well before then. As such, the author chose this article to address how the Hung Study was developed in Taiwan during the Ching Dynasty so as to allow the readers to perceive how the Taiwanese people received Hung Lou Meng during that period. In this article, the author focused on the work of ten Taiwanese scholars who devoted to the Hung Study during the Ching Dynasty. While those scholars are not well-known, they are indispensable. They represent an unavoidable Taiwan culture phenomenon. In order to analyze the roles they play in the history of the Hung Study, while acknowledging the roles they play in the history of Taiwan, the author chose to unveil their work through their respective experience and by doing so, sought to ascertain the intents behind their work. The author's efforts led to the conclusion that Hung Lou Meng had already crossed the strait and deeply penetrated the Taiwanese readers during the Ching Dynasty. In a way, Hung Lou Meng had become a symbol of the motherland for those left behind in Taiwan. This vision ultimately resulted in a major difference between the Hung Study in Taiwan and in China.
