How should one read a book 双语 Virginia Woolf.docx
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How should one read a book 双语 Virginia Woolf.docx
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Howshouldonereadabook双语VirginiaWoolf
TheCommonReader
HOWSHOULDONEREADABOOK?
VirginiaWoolf
Inthefirstplace,Iwanttoemphasizethenoteofinterrogationattheendofmytitle.EvenifIcouldanswerthequestionformyself,theanswerwouldapplyonlytomeandnottoyou.Theonlyadvice,indeed,thatonepersoncangiveanotheraboutreadingistotakenoadvice,tofollowyourowninstincts,touseyourownreason,tocometoyourownconclusions.Ifthisisagreedbetweenus,thenIfeelatlibertytoputforwardafewideasandsuggestionsbecauseyouwillnotallowthemtofetterthatindependencewhichisthemostimportantqualitythatareadercanpossess.Afterall,whatlawscanbelaiddownaboutbooks?
ThebattleofWaterloowascertainlyfoughtonacertainday;butisHamletabetterplaythanLear?
Nobodycansay.Eachmustdecidethatquestionforhimself.Toadmitauthorities,howeverheavilyfurredandgowned,intoourlibrariesandletthemtellushowtoread,whattoread,whatvaluetoplaceuponwhatweread,istodestroythespiritoffreedomwhichisthebreathofthosesanctuaries.Everywhereelsewemaybeboundbylawsandconventions--therewehavenone.
Buttoenjoyfreedom,iftheplatitudeispardonable,wehaveofcoursetocontrolourselves.Wemustnotsquanderourpowers,helplesslyandignorantly,squirtinghalfthehouseinordertowaterasinglerose-bush;wemusttrainthem,exactlyandpowerfully,hereontheveryspot.This,itmaybe,isoneofthefirstdifficultiesthatfacesusinalibrary.Whatis"theveryspot"?
Theremaywellseemtobenothingbutaconglomerationandhuddleofconfusion.Poemsandnovels,historiesandmemoirs,dictionariesandblue-books;bookswritteninalllanguagesbymenandwomenofalltempers,races,andagesjostleeachotherontheshelf.Andoutsidethedonkeybrays,thewomengossipatthepump,thecoltsgallopacrossthefields.Wherearewetobegin?
Howarewetobringorderintothismultitudinouschaosandsogetthedeepestandwidestpleasurefromwhatweread?
Itissimpleenoughtosaythatsincebookshaveclasses--fiction,biography,poetry--weshouldseparatethemandtakefromeachwhatitisrightthateachshouldgiveus.Yetfewpeopleaskfrombookswhatbookscangiveus.Mostcommonlywecometobookswithblurredanddividedminds,askingoffictionthatitshallbetrue,ofpoetrythatitshallbefalse,ofbiographythatitshallbeflattering,ofhistorythatitshallenforceourownprejudices.Ifwecouldbanishallsuchpreconceptionswhenweread,thatwouldbeanadmirablebeginning.Donotdictatetoyourauthor;trytobecomehim.Behisfellow-workerandaccomplice.Ifyouhangback,andreserveandcriticiseatfirst,youarepreventingyourselffromgettingthefullestpossiblevaluefromwhatyouread.Butifyouopenyourmindaswidelyaspossible,thensignsandhintsofalmostimperceptiblefineness,fromthetwistandturnofthefirstsentences,willbringyouintothepresenceofahumanbeingunlikeanyother.Steepyourselfinthis,acquaintyourselfwiththis,andsoonyouwillfindthatyourauthorisgivingyou,orattemptingtogiveyou,somethingfarmoredefinite.Thethirty-twochaptersofanovel--ifweconsiderhowtoreadanovelfirst--areanattempttomakesomethingasformedandcontrolledasabuilding:
butwordsaremoreimpalpablethanbricks;readingisalongerandmorecomplicatedprocessthanseeing.Perhapsthequickestwaytounderstandtheelementsofwhatanovelistisdoingisnottoread,buttowrite;tomakeyourownexperimentwiththedangersanddifficultiesofwords.Recall,then,someeventthathasleftadistinctimpressiononyou--howatthecornerofthestreet,perhaps,youpassedtwopeopletalking.Atreeshook;anelectriclightdanced;thetoneofthetalkwascomic,butalsotragic;awholevision,anentireconception,seemedcontainedinthatmoment.
Butwhenyouattempttoreconstructitinwords,youwillfindthatitbreaksintoathousandconflictingimpressions.Somemustbesubdued;othersemphasized;intheprocessyouwilllose,probably,allgraspupontheemotionitself.Thenturnfromyourblurredandlitteredpagestotheopeningpagesofsomegreatnovelist--Defoe,JaneAusten,Hardy.Nowyouwillbebetterabletoappreciatetheirmastery.Itisnotmerelythatweareinthepresenceofadifferentperson--Defoe,JaneAusten,orThomasHardy--butthatwearelivinginadifferentworld.Here,inRobinsonCrusoe,wearetrudgingaplainhighroad;onethinghappensafteranother;thefactandtheorderofthefactisenough.ButiftheopenairandadventuremeaneverythingtoDefoetheymeannothingtoJaneAusten.Hersisthedrawing-room,andpeopletalking,andbythemanymirrorsoftheirtalkrevealingtheircharacters.Andif,whenwehaveaccustomedourselvestothedrawing-roomanditsreflections,weturntoHardy,weareoncemorespunround.Themoorsareroundusandthestarsareaboveourheads.Theothersideofthemindisnowexposed--thedarksidethatcomesuppermostinsolitude,notthelightsidethatshowsincompany.Ourrelationsarenottowardspeople,buttowardsNatureanddestiny.Yetdifferentastheseworldsare,eachisconsistentwithitself.Themakerofeachiscarefultoobservethelawsofhisownperspective,andhowevergreatastraintheymayputuponustheywillneverconfuseus,aslesserwriterssofrequentlydo,byintroducingtwodifferentkindsofrealityintothesamebook.Thustogofromonegreatnovelisttoanother--fromJaneAustentoHardy,fromPeacocktoTrollope,fromScotttoMeredith--istobewrenchedanduprooted;tobethrownthiswayandthenthat.Toreadanovelisadifficultandcomplexart.Youmustbecapablenotonlyofgreatfinenessofperception,butofgreatboldnessofimaginationifyouaregoingtomakeuseofallthatthenovelist--thegreatartist--givesyou.
Butaglanceattheheterogeneouscompanyontheshelfwillshowyouthatwritersareveryseldom"greatartists";farmoreoftenabookmakesnoclaimtobeaworkofartatall.Thesebiographiesandautobiographies,forexample,livesofgreatmen,ofmenlongdeadandforgotten,thatstandcheekbyjowlwiththenovelsandpoems,arewetorefusetoreadthembecausetheyarenot"art"?
Orshallwereadthem,butreadtheminadifferentway,withadifferentaim?
Shallwereadtheminthefirstplacetosatisfythatcuriositywhichpossessesussometimeswhenintheeveningwelingerinfrontofahousewherethelightsarelitandtheblindsnotyetdrawn,andeachfloorofthehouseshowsusadifferentsectionofhumanlifeinbeing?
Thenweareconsumedwithcuriosityaboutthelivesofthesepeople--theservantsgossiping,thegentlemendining,thegirldressingforaparty,theoldwomanatthewindowwithherknitting.Whoarethey,whatarethey,whataretheirnames,theiroccupations,theirthoughts,andadventures?
Biographiesandmemoirsanswersuchquestions,lightupinnumerablesuchhouses;theyshowuspeoplegoingabouttheirdailyaffairs,toiling,failing,succeeding,eating,hating,loving,untiltheydie.Andsometimesaswewatch,thehousefadesandtheironrailingsvanishandweareoutatsea;wearehunting,sailing,fighting;weareamongsavagesandsoldiers;wearetakingpartingreatcampaigns.OrifweliketostayhereinEngland,inLondon,stillthescenechanges;thestreetnarrows;thehousebecomessmall,cramped,diamond-paned,andmalodorous.Weseeapoet,Donne,drivenfromsuchahousebecausethewallsweresothinthatwhenthechildrencriedtheirvoicescutthroughthem.Wecanfollowhim,throughthepathsthatlieinthepagesofbooks,toTwickenham;toLadyBedford'sPark,afamousmeeting-groundfornoblesandpoets;andthenturnourstepstoWilton,thegreathouseunderthedowns,andhearSidneyreadtheArcadiatohissister;andrambleamongtheverymarshesandseetheveryheronsthatfigureinthatfamousromance;andthenagaintravelnorthwiththatotherLadyPembroke,AnneClifford,toherwildmoors,orplungeintothecityandcontrolourmerrimentatthesightofGabrielHarveyinhisblackvelvetsuitarguingaboutpoetrywithSpenser.NothingismorefascinatingthantogropeandstumbleinthealternatedarknessandsplendourofElizabethanLondon.Butthereisnostayingthere.TheTemplesandtheSwifts,theHarleysandtheSt.Johnsbeckonuson;houruponhourcanbespentdisentanglingtheirquarrelsanddecipheringtheircharacters;andwhenwetireofthemwecanstrollon,pastaladyinblackwearingdiamonds,toSamuelJohnsonandGoldsmithandGarrick;orcrossthechannel,ifwelike,andmeetVoltaireandDiderot,MadameduDeffand;andsobacktoEnglandandTwickenham--howcertainplacesrepeatthemselvesandcertainnames!
--whereLadyBedfordhadherParkonceandPopelivedlater,toWalpole'shomeatStrawberryHill.ButWalpoleintroducesustosuchaswarmofnewacquaintances,therearesomanyhousestovisitandbellstoringthatwemaywellhesitateforamoment,ontheMissBerrys'doorstep,forexample,whenbehold,upcomesThackeray;heisthefriendofthewomanwhomWalpoleloved;sothatmerelybygoingfromfriendtofriend,fromgardentogarden,fromhousetohouse,wehavepassedfromoneendofEnglishliteraturetoanotherandwaketofindourselveshereagaininthepresent,ifwecansodifferentiatethismomentfromallthathavegonebefore.This,then,isoneofthewaysinwhichwecanreadtheselivesandletters;wecanmakethemlightupthemanywindowsofthepast;wecanwatchthefamousdeadintheirfamiliarhabitsandfancysometimesthatweareverycloseandcansurprisetheirsecrets,andsometimeswemaypulloutaplayorapoem
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