英译汉原文.docx

英译汉原文.docx

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英译汉原文

英译汉原文：

HiddenWithinTechnology’sEmpire,aRepublicofLetters

WhenIwasaboy“discoveringliterature”,IusedtothinkhowwonderfulitwouldbeifeveryotherpersononthestreetwerefamiliarwithProustandJoyceorT.E.LawrenceorPasternakandKafka.LaterIlearnedhowrefractorytohighculturethedemocraticmasseswere.LincolnasayoungfrontiersmanreadPlutarch,ShakespeareandtheBible.ButthenhewasLincoln.

LaterwhenIwastravelingintheMidwestbycar,busandtrain,Iregularlyvisitedsmall-townlibrariesandfoundthatreadersinKeokuk,Iowa,orBentonHarbor,Mich.,werecheckingoutProustandJoyceandevenSvevoandAndreiBiely.D.H.Lawrencewasalsoafavorite.AndsometimesIrememberedthatGodwaswillingtospareSodomforthesakeof10oftherighteous.NotthatKeokukwasanythinglikewickedSodom,orthatProust’sCharluswouldhavebeentemptedtosettleinBentonHarbor,Mich.Iseemtohavehadapersistentdemocraticdesiretofindevidencesofhighcultureinthemostunlikelyplaces.

FormanydecadesnowIhavebeenafictionwriter,andfromthefirstIwasawarethatminewasaquestionableoccupation.Inthe1930’sanelderlyneighborinChicagotoldmethathewrotefictionforthepulps.“ThepeopleontheblockwonderwhyIdon’tgotoajob,andI’mseenputteringaround,trimmingthebushesorpaintingafenceinsteadofworkinginafactory.ButI’mawriter.IselltoArgosyandDocSavage,”hesaidwithacertaingloom.“Theywouldn’tcallthatatrade.”ProbablyhenoticedthatIwasabookishboy,likelytosympathizewithhim,andperhapshewastryingtowarnmetoavoidbeingunlikeothers.Butitwastoolateforthat.

Fromthefirst,too,Ihadbeenwarnedthatthenovelwasatthepointofdeath,thatlikethewalledcityorthecrossbow,itwasathingofthepast.Andnoonelikestobeatoddswithhistory.OswaldSpengler,oneofthemostwidelyreadauthorsoftheearly30’s,taughtthatourtiredoldcivilizationwasverynearlyfinished.Hisadvicetotheyoungwastoavoidliteratureandtheartsandtoembracemechanizationandbecomeengineers.

Inrefusingtobeobsolete,youchallengedanddefiedtheevolutionisthistorians.IhadgreatrespectforSpenglerinmyyouth,buteventhenIcouldn’taccepthisconclusions,and（withrespectandadmiration）Imentallytoldhimtogetlost.

Sixtyyearslater,inarecentissueofTheWallStreetJournal,IcomeupontheoldSpenglerianargumentinacontemporaryform.TerryTeachout,unlikeSpengler,doesnotdumpparalyzingmountainsofhistoricaltheoryuponus,buttherearesignsthathehasweighed,siftedandponderedtheevidence.

Hespeaksofour“atomizedculture,”andhisisaresponsible,up-to-dateandcarefullyconsideredopinion.Hespeaksof“artformsastechnologies.”Hetellsusthatmovieswillsoonbe“downloadable”—thatis,transferablefromonecomputertothememoryofanotherdevice—andpredictsthatfilmswillsoonbemarketedlikebooks.Hepredictsthatthenear-magicalpowersoftechnologyarebringingustothethresholdofanewageandconcludes,“Oncethishappens,myguessisthattheindependentmoviewillreplacethenovelastheprincipalvehicleforseriousstorytellinginthe21stcentury.”

Insupportofthisargument,Mr.Teachoutcitestheominousdropinthevolumeofbooksalesandthegreatincreaseinmovieattendance:

“ForAmericansundertheageof30,filmhasreplacedthenovelasthedominantmodeofartisticexpression.”TothisMr.TeachoutaddsthatpopularnovelistslikeTomClancyandStephenKing“topoutataroundamillioncopiesperbook,”andnotes,“ThefinalepisodeofNBC’s‘Cheers,’bycontrast,wasseenby42millionpeople.”

Onmajoritariangrounds,themovieswin.“Thepowerofnovelstoshapethenationalconversationhasdeclined,”saysMr.Teachout.ButIamnotatallcertainthatintheirday“Moby-Dick”or“TheScarletLetter”hadanyconsiderableinfluenceon“thenationalconversation.”Inthemid-19thcenturyitwas“UncleTom’sCabin”thatimpressedthegreatpublic.“Moby-Dick”wasasmall-publicnovel.

Theliterarymasterpiecesofthe20thcenturywereforthemostparttheworkofnovelistswhohadnolargepublicinmind.ThenovelsofProustandJoycewerewritteninaculturaltwilightandwerenotintendedtobereadundertheblazeanddazzleofpopularity.

Mr.Teachout’sarticleinTheJournalfollowsthepathgenerallytakenbyobserverswhoseaimistodiscoveratrend.“Accordingtoonerecentstudy55percentofAmericansspendlessthan30minutesreadinganythingatall....ItmayevenbethatmovieshavesupersedednovelsnotbecauseAmericanshavegrowndumberbutbecausethenovelisanobsoleteartistictechnology.”

“Wearenotaccustomedtothinkingofartformsastechnologies,”hesays,“butthatiswhattheyare,whichmeanstheyhavebeenrenderedmoribundbynewtechnicaldevelopments.”

Togetherwiththisemphasisontechnicsthatattractsthescientific-mindedyoung,thereareotherpreferencesdiscernible:

Itisbettertodoasamajorityofyourcontemporariesaredoing,bettertobeoneofmillionsviewingafilmthanoneofmerethousandsreadingabook.Moreover,thereaderreadsinsolitude,whereastheviewerbelongstoagreatmajority;hehaspowersofnumerosityaswellasthepowersofmechanization.Addtothistheimportanceofavoidingtechnologicalobsolescenceandtheattractionoffeelingthattechnicswilldecidequestionsforusmoredependablythanthethinkingofanindividual,nomatterhowdistinctivehemaybe.

JohnCheevertoldmelongagothatitwashisreaderswhokepthimgoing,peoplefromeverypartofthecountrywhohadwrittentohim.Whenhewasatwork,hewasawareofthesereadersandcorrespondentsinthewoodsbeyondthelawn.“IfIcouldn’tpicturethem,I’dbesunk,”hesaid.AndthenovelistWrightMorris,urgingmetogetanelectrictypewriter,saidthatheseldomturnedhismachineoff.“WhenI’mnotwriting,Ilistentotheelectricity,”hesaid.“Itkeepsmecompany.Wehaveconversations.”

IwonderhowMr.Teachoutmightsquaresuchidiosyncrasieswithhis“artformsastechnologies.”Perhapshewouldarguethatthesetwowritershadsomehowisolatedthemselvesfrom“broad-basedculturalinfluence.”Mr.Teachouthasatleastonelaudablepurpose:

HethinksthatheseesawaytobringtogethertheGreatPublicofthemovieswiththeSmallPublicofthehighbrows.Heis,however,interestedinmillions:

millionsofdollars,millionsofreaders,millionsofviewers.

Theonething“everybody”doesisgotothemovies,Mr.Teachoutsays.Howrightheis.

Backinthe20’schildrenbetweentheagesof8and12lineduponSaturdaystobuytheirnickelticketstoseethecrisisoflastSaturdayresolved.Theheroinewasuntiedinamatterofsecondsjustbeforethelocomotivewouldhavecrushedher.Thencameanewepisode;andafterthatthenewsreeland“OurGang.”FinallytherewasawesternwithTomMix,oraJanetGaynorpictureaboutayoungbrideandherhusbandblissfulintheattic,orGloriaSwansonandThedaBaraorWallaceBeeryorAdolpheMenjouorMarieDressler.AndofcoursetherewasCharlieChaplinin“TheGoldRush,”andfrom“TheGoldRush”itwasonlyonesteptothestoriesofJackLondon.

Therewasnorivalrythenbetweentheviewerandthereader.Nobodysupervisedourreading.Wewereonourown.Wecivilizedourselves.Wefoundormadeamentalandimaginativelife.Becausewecouldread,welearnedalsotowrite.Itdidnotconfusemetosee“TreasureIsland”inthemoviesandthenreadthebook.Therewasnocompetitionforourattention.

OneofthemoreattractiveodditiesoftheUnitedStatesisthatourminoritiesaresonumerous,sohuge.Aminorityofmillionsisnotatallunusual.ButthereareinfactmillionsofliterateAmericansinastateofseparationfromothersoftheirkind.Theyare,ifyoulike,thereadersofCheever,acrowdofthemtoolargetobehiddeninthewoods.Departmentsofliteratureacrossthecountryhavenotsucceededinalienatingthemfrombooks,worksoldandnew.MyfriendKeithBotsfordandIfeltstronglythatifthewoodswerefilledwithreadersgoneastray,amongthosereaderstherewereprobablywritersaswell.

TolearnindetailoftheirexistenceyouhaveonlytopublishamagazinelikeTheRepublicofLetters.Givenencouragement,unknownwriters,formerlywithouthope,materialize.Oneearlyreaderwrotethatourpaper,“withitscontentssofresh,person-to-person,”was“real,non-synthetic,undistracting.”Notingthattherewerenoads,sheasked,“Isitpossible,canitlast?

”andcalledit“anantidotetotheshrinkingofthehumanbeingineveryoneofus.”Andtowardtheendofherletterourcorrespondentadded,“Itbehoovestheeldergenerationtocomeupwithremindersofwhoweusedtobeandneedtobe.”

ThisiswhatKeithBotsfordandIhadhopedthatour“tabloidforliterates”wouldbe.Andfortwoyearsithasbeenjustthat.Weareapairofutopiancodgerswhofeelwehaveadutytoliterature.Ihopewearenotlikethosehumanedo-gooderswho,whenthehorsewasvanishing,stilldonatedtroughsinCityHallSquareforthirstynags.

Wehavenowayofguessinghowmanyindependent,self-initiatedconnoisseursandloversofliteraturehavesurvivedinremotecornersofthecountry.Thelittleevidencewehavesuggeststhattheyaregladtofindus,theyaregrateful.Theywantmorethantheyaregetting.Ingenioustechnologyhasfailedtogivethemwhattheysobadlyneed.

Notes:

1.SaulBellow（June10,1915–April5,2005）wasaCanadian-bornAmericanwriter.Forhisliterarycontributions,BellowwasawardedthePulitzerPrize,theNobelPrizeforLiterature,andtheNationalMedalofArts.Heistheonlywrit