袁哲生（1966─2004）是台灣文壇中生代小說家，曾獲多項文學獎肯定，創作生涯晚發，作品風格沉穩自若，風格多變，早期小說對人際間的疏離感描寫頗深，討論時間與空間的消失感；也曾以河洛話書寫鄉土場域，有論者稱之為「輕質鄉土小說」開創者，讚其為五○年代中生代小說家召集人；後期發表《倪亞達》系列少年小說，以黑色幽默手法書寫少年眼中的生命荒謬。袁哲生辭世後，其短暫的生命與寫作生涯，成為文壇最為人嘆惜的「五年級」新生代作家遺憾。袁哲生小說中描寫得最多的是家庭、父子之間的關係，往往藉由時間、空間的距離，討論人際關係的疏離，同時揭示「終必一死」、「夢想或現實都有消失可能」的生存困境。特別是消失與死亡的討論，隱藏在袁哲生的小說中，成為一種若有似無的主軸與線索，其中《秀才的手錶》正是以台灣鄉野為背景的死亡書寫，雖是以鄉土文學的主題和手法為表現，但思想上卻將讀者帶入流動、超越的時間觀念，討論死亡是無法避免的生命回歸。本論文以袁哲生小說集《秀才的手錶》一書為本，探究他對時間、生命消失的討論，及與死亡書寫產生的連結。死亡書寫是近年來國內、外現代小說趨勢之一，其時代背景及發展流變，當有值得追溯探討之處，或可為袁哲生小說找出另一條研究脈絡。

Yuan Zhesheng （1966-2004） is a Taiwanese literary novelist renowned for
many prizes in literature. His writing career came late in his years, adept in writing in a calm and composed style; but also notorious for the range of styles he exploits in his scripts.Early novels portrayed a deep sense of interpersonal alienation, depicting the dissipation of time and space. Yuan has also written about local affairs in the Taiwanese colloquial language, known by critics as the pioneer of ”The Soft Nativist Fiction” ; praising it as the gatherer of fictional authors of the mid-fifties. Later on, the kids’ series was released for young adults,
employing humor to illustrate the ridicule and absurdity of life in adolescence.After his death, his work became most treasured among writers of the fifties in the realm of fictional writing.Yuan wrote mostly of family, the relationship between father and son; often using time,
distance and space to describe the division of people, at the same
time revealing the living dilemma of “Inevitability of Death” and ”Dreams and reality are perishable.”Particularly hidden in his scripts is the discussion of death and desertion; becoming a reference for the illusion of possession. The Scholar’s Watch is one of these novels that uses Taiwan as a backdrop for his writings of death. Although it is portrayed under a local context, his thoughts and ideology carry the reader beyond the concept of time, reminiscing on the inescapability of death and the cycle of life.In recent years, writings of death have become a trend in contemporary fiction domestically and internationally. This paper will discuss his work, The Scholar’s Watch as one representing his beliefs toward the withering of life and time and relate to the writings of death. Through development of time and background,perhaps Yuan’s work has found its worthiness in our era, awaiting an appropriate retrospective.