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,