谎言的衰落英文王尔德Word格式.docx

谎言的衰落英文王尔德Word格式.docx

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Persons:

CyrilandVivian.

Scene:

thelibraryofacountryhouseinNottinghamshire.

CYRIL（cominginthroughtheopenwindowfromtheterrace）.MydearVivian,don'

tcoopyourselfupalldayinthelibrary.Itisaperfectlylovelyafternoon.Theairisexquisite.Thereisamistuponthewoodslikethepurplebloomuponaplum.Letusgoandlieonthegrass,andsmokecigarettes,andenjoyNature.

VIVIAN.EnjoyNature!

IamgladtosaythatIhaveentirelylostthatfaculty.PeopletellusthatArtmakesusloveNaturemorethanwelovedherbefore;

thatitrevealshersecretstous;

andthatafteracarefulstudyofCorotandConstableweseethingsinherthathadescapedourobservation.MyownexperienceisthatthemorewestudyArt,thelesswecareforMature.WhatArtreallyrevealstousisNature'

slackofdesign,hercuriouscrudities,herextraordinarymonotony,herabsolutelyunfinishedcondition.Naturehasgoodintentions,ofcourse,but,asAristotleoncesaid,shecannotcarrythemout.WhenIlookatalandscapeIcannothelpseeingallitsdefects.Itisfortunateforus,however,thatNatureissoimperfect,asotherwiseweshouldhavehadnoartatall.Artisourspiritedprotest,ourgallantattempttoteachNatureherproperplace.AsfortheinfinitevarietyofNature,thatisapuremyth.ItisnottobefoundinNatureherself.Itresidesintheimagination,orfancy,orcultivatedblindnessofthemanwholooksather.

CYRIL.Well,youneednotlookatthelandscape.Youcanlieonthegrassandsmokeandtalk.

VIVIAN.ButNatureissouncomfortable.Grassishardanddumpyanddamp,andfullofdreadfulblackinsects.Why,evenMorris'

poorestworkmancouldmakeyouamorecomfortableseatthanthewholeofNaturecan.Naturepalesbeforethefurnitureof"

thestreetwhichfromOxfordhasborroweditsname,"

asthepoetyoulovesomuchoncevilelyphrasedit.Idon'

tcomplain.IfNaturehadbeencomfortable,mankindwouldneverhaveinventedarchitecture,andIpreferhousestotheopenair.Inahouseweallfeeloftheproperproportions.Everythingissubordinatedtous,fashionedforouruseandourpleasure.Egotismitself,whichissonecessarytoapropersenseofhumandignity'

isentirelytheresultofindoorlife.Outofdoorsonebecomesabstractandimpersonal.One'

sindividualityabsolutelyleavesone.Andthen

Natureissoindifferent,sounappreciative.WheneverIamwalkingintheparkhere,IalwaysfeelthatIamnomoretoherthanthecattlethatbrowseontheslope,ortheburdockthatbloomsintheditch.NothingismoreevidentthanthatNaturehatesMind.Thinkingisthemostunhealthythingintheworld,andpeopledieofitjustastheydieofanyotherdisease.Fortunately,inEnglandatanyrate,thoughtisnotcatching.Oursplendidphysiqueasapeopleisentirelyduetoournationalstupidity.Ionlyhopeweshallbeabletokeepthisgreathistoricbulwarkofourhappinessformanyyearstocome;

butIamafraidthatwearebeginningtobeovereducated;

atleasteverybodywhoisincapableoflearninghastakentoteaching--thatisreallywhatourenthusiasmforeducationhascometo.Inthemeantime,youhadbettergobacktoyourwearisome,uncomfortableNature,andleavemetocorrectmyproofs.

CYRIL.Writinganarticle!

Thatisnotveryconsistentafterwhatyouhavejustsaid.

VIVIANWhowantstobeconsistent?

Thedullardandthedoctrinaire,thetediouspeoplewhocarryouttheirprinciplestothebitterendofaction,tothereductioadabsurdumofpractice.NotI.LikeEmerson,Iwriteoverthedoorofmylibrarytheword"

Whim."

Besides,myarticleisreallyamostsalutaryandvaluablewarning.Ifitisattendedto,theremaybeanewRenaissanceofArt.

CYRIL.Whatisthesubject?

VIVIAN.Iintendtocallit"

TheDecayofLying:

AProtest."

CYRIL.Lying!

Ishouldhavethoughtthatourpoliticianskeptupthathabit.

VIVIAN.Iassureyouthattheydonot.Theyneverrisebeyondthelevelofmisrepresentation,andactuallycondescendtoprove,todiscuss,toargue.Howdifferentfromthetemperofthetrueliar,withhisfrank,fearlessstatements,hissuperbresponsibility,hishealthy,naturaldisdainofproofofanykind!

Afterall,whatisafinelie?

Simplythatwhichisitsownevidence.Ifamanissufficientlyunimaginativetoproduceevidenceinsupportofalie,hemightjustaswellspeakthetruthatonce.No,thepoliticianswon'

tdo.Somethingmay,perhaps,beurgedonbehalfoftheBar.ThemantleoftheSophisthasfallenonitsmembers.Theirfeignedardoursandunrealrhetoricaredelightful.Theycanmaketheworseappearthebettercause,asthoughtheywerefreshfromLeontineschools,andhavebeenknowntowrestfromreluctantjuriestriumphantverdictsofacquittalfortheirclients,evenwhenthoseclients,asoftenhappens,wereclearlyandunmistakeablyinnocent.Buttheyarebriefedbytheprosaic,andarenotashamedtoappealtoprecedent.Inspiteoftheirendeavours,thetruthwillout.Newspapers,even,havedegenerated.Theymaynowbeabsolutelyreliedupon.Onefeelsitasonewadesthroughtheircolumns.Itisalwaystheunreadablethatoccurs.Iamafraidthatthereisnotmuchtobesaidinfavourofeitherthelawyerorthejournalist.BesideswhatIampleadingforisLyinginart.ShallIreadyouwhatIhavewritten?

Itmightdoyouagreatdealofgood.

CYRIL.Certainly,ifyougive,meacigarette.Thanks.Bytheway,whatmagazinedoyouintenditfor?

VIVIAN.FortheRetrospectiveReview.IthinkItoldyouthattheelecthadrevivedit.

CYRIL.Whomdoyoumeanby"

theelect"

?

VIVIAN.Oh,TheTiredHedonistsofcourse.ItisaclubtowhichIbelong.Wearesupposedtowearfadedrosesinourbuttonholeswhenwemeet,andtohaveasortofcultforDomitian.Iamafraidyouarenoteligible.Youaretoofondofsimplepleasures.

CYRIL.Ishouldbeblackballedonthegroundofanimalspirits,Isuppose?

VIVIAN.Probably.Besides,youarelittletooold.Wedon'

tadmitanybodywhoisoftheusualage.

CYRIL.Well,Ishouldfancyyouareallagooddealboredwitheachother.

VIVIAN.Weare.Thatisoneoftheobjectsoftheclub.Now,ifyoupromisenottointerrupttoooften,Iwillreadyoumyarticle.

CYRIL.Youwillfindmeallattention.

VIVIAN（readinginaveryclear,musicalvoice）."

THEDECAYOFLYING:

APROTEST.--OneofthechiefcausesthatcanbeassignedforthecuriouslycommonplacecharacterofmostoftheliteratureofourageisundoubtedlythedecayofLyingasanart,ascience,andasocialpleasure.Theancienthistoriansgaveusdelightfulfictionintheformoffact;

themodernnovelistpresentsuswithdullfactsundertheguiseoffiction.TheBlueBookisrapidlybecominghisidealbothformethodandmanner.Hehashistedious'

documenthumain,'

hismiserablelittle'

coindelacreation,'

intowhichhepeerswithhismicroscope.HeistobefoundattheLibrairieNationale,orattheBritishMuseum,shamelesslyreadinguphissubject.Hehasnoteventhecourageofotherpeople'

sideas,butinsistsongoingdirectlytolifeforeverything'

andultimately,betweenencyclopaediasandpersonalexperience,hecomestotheground,havingdrawnhistypesfromthefamilycircleorfromtheweeklywasherwoman,andhavingacquiredanamountofusefulinformationfromwhichnever,eveninhismostmeditativemoments,canhethoroughlyfreehimself.

"

Thelossthatresultstoliteratureingeneralfromthisfalseidealofourtimecanhardlybeoverestimated.Peoplehaveacarelesswayoftalkingabouta'

bornliar,'

justastheytalkabouta'

bornpoet.'

Butinbothcasestheyarewrong.Lyingandpoetryarearts--arts,asPlatosaw,notunconnectedwitheachother--andtheyrequirethemostcarefulstudy,themostdisinteresteddevotion.Indeed,theyhavetheirtechnique,justasthemorematerialartsofpaintingandsculpturehave,theirsubtlesecretsofformand.colour,theircraftmysteries,theirdeliberateartisticmethods.Asoneknowsthepoetbyhisfinemusic,soonecanrecognizetheliarbyhisrichrhythmicutterance,andinneithercasewillthecasualinspirationofthemomentsuffice.Here,aselsewhere,practicemustprecedeperfection.Butinmoderndayswhilethefashionofwritingpoetryhasbecomefartoocommon,andshould,ifpossible,bediscouraged,thefashionoflyinghasalmostfallenintodisrepute.Manyayoungmanstartsinlifewithanaturalgiftforexaggerationwhich,ifnurturedincongenialandsympatheticsurroundings,orbytheimitationofthebestmodels,mightgrowintosomethingreallygreatandwonderful.But,asarule,hecomestonothing.Heeitherfallsintocarelesshabitsofaccuracy"

CYRIL.Mydearfellow!

VIVIAN.Pleasedon'

tinterruptinthemiddleofasentence."

Heeitherfallsintocarelesshabitsofaccuracy,ortakestofrequentingthesocietyoftheagedandthewellinformed.Boththingsareequallyfataltohisimagination,asindeedtheywouldbefataltotheimaginationofanybody,andinashorttimehedevelopsamorbidandunhealthyfacultyoftruthtelling,beginstoverifyallstatementsmadeinhispresence,hasnohesitationincontradictingpeoplewhoaremuchyoungerthanhimself,andoftenendsbywritingnovelswhicharesolikelifethatnoonecanpossiblybelieveintheirprobability.Thisisnoisolatedinstancethatwearegiving.Itissimplyoneexampleoutofmany;

andifsomethingcannotbedonetocheck,oratleasttomodify,ourmonstrousworshipoffacts,ArtwillbecomesterileandBeautywillpassawayfromtheland.

EvenMr.RobertLouisStevenson,