赛珍珠诺贝尔文学奖演讲辞英语.docx

赛珍珠诺贝尔文学奖演讲辞英语.docx

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赛珍珠诺贝尔文学奖演讲辞英语

外语下载中心

PearlBuck

TheNobelPrizeinLiterature1938

WhenIcametoconsiderwhatIshouldsaytodayitseemedthatitwouldbewrongnottospeakofChina.AndthisisnonethelesstruebecauseIamanAmericanbybirthandbyancestryandthoughIlivenowinmyowncountryandshalllivethere,sincethereIbelong.ButitistheChineseandnottheAmericannovelwhichhasshapedmyowneffortsinwriting.Myearliestknowledgeofstory,ofhowtotellandwritestories,cametomeinChina.Itwouldbeingratitudeonmypartnottorecognizethistoday.AndyetitwouldbepresumptuoustospeakbeforeyouonthesubjectoftheChinesenovelforareasonwhollypersonal.ThereisanotherreasonwhyIfeelthatImayproperlydoso.ItisthatIbelievetheChinesenovelhasanilluminationfortheWesternnovelandfortheWesternnovelist.

WhenIsayChinesenovel,ImeantheindigenousChinesenovel,andnotthathybridproduct,thenovelsofmodernChinesewriterswhohavebeentoostronglyunderforeigninfluencewhiletheywereyetignorantoftherichesoftheirowncountry.

ThenovelinChinawasneveranartandwasneversoconsidered,nordidanyChinesenovelistthinkofhimselfasanartist.TheChinesenovelitshistory,itsscope,itsplaceinthelifeofthepeople,sovitalaplace,mustbeviewedinthestronglightofthisonefact.Itisafactnodoubtstrangetoyou,acompanyofmodernWesternscholarswhotodaysogenerouslyrecognizethenovel.

ButinChinaartandthenovelhavealwaysbeenwidelyseparated.There,literatureasanartwastheexclusivepropertyofthescholars,anarttheymadeandmadeforeachotheraccordingtotheirownrules,andtheyfoundnoplaceinitforthenovel.Andtheyheldapowerfulplace,thoseChinesescholars.Philosophyandreligionandlettersandliterature,byarbitraryclassicalrules,theypossessedthemall,fortheyalonepossessedthemeansoflearning,sincetheyaloneknewhowtoreadandwrite.Theywerepowerfulenoughtobefearedevenbyemperors,sothatemperorsdevisedawayofkeepingthemenslavedbytheirownlearning,andmadetheofficialexaminationstheonlymeanstopoliticaladvancement,thoseincrediblydifficultexaminationswhichateupaman'swholelifeandthoughtinpreparingforthem,andkepthimtoobusywithmemorizingandcopyingthedeadandclassicalpasttoseethepresentanditswrongs.Inthatpastthescholarsfoundtheirrulesofart.Butthenovelwasnotthere,andtheydidnotseeitbeingcreatedbeforetheireyes,forthepeoplecreatedthenovel,andwhatlivingpeopleweredoingdidnotinterestthosewhothoughtofliteratureasanart.Ifscholarsignoredthepeople,however,thepeople,inturn,laughedatthescholars.Theymadeinnumerablejokesaboutthem,ofwhichthisisafairsample:

Onedayacompanyofwildbeastsmetonahillsideforahunt.Theybargainedwitheachothertogooutandhuntalldayandmeetagainattheendofthedaytosharewhattheyhadkilled.Attheendoftheday,onlythetigerreturnedwithnothing.Whenhewasaskedhowthishappenedherepliedverydisconsolately,“AtdawnImetaschoolboy,buthewas,Ifeared,toocallowforyourtastes.Imetnomoreuntilnoon,whenIfoundapriest.ButIlethimgo,knowinghimtobefullofnothingbutwind.ThedaywentonandIgrewdesperate,forIpassednoone.ThenasdarkcameonIfoundascholar.ButIknewtherewasnouseinbringinghimbacksincehewouldbesodryandhardthathewouldbreakourteethifwetriedthemonhim.”

ThescholarasaclasshaslongbeenafigureoffunfortheChinesepeople.Heisfrequentlytobefoundintheirnovels,andalwaysheisthesame,asindeedheisinlife,foralongstudyofthesamedeadclassicsandtheirformalcompositionhasreallymadeallChinesescholarslook

alike,aswellasthinkalike.WehavenoclasstoparallelhimintheWest-individuals,perhaps,only.ButinChinahewasaclass.Hereheis,composite,asthepeopleseehim:

asmallshrunkenfigurewithabulgingforehead,apursedmouth,anoseatoncesnubandpointed,smallinconspicuouseyesbehindspectacles,ahighpedanticvoice,alwaysannouncingrulesthatdonotmattertoanyonebuthimself,aboundlessself-conceit,acompletescornnotonlyofthecommonpeoplebutofallotherscholars,afigureinlongshabbyrobes,movingwithaswayinghaughtywalk,whenhemovedatall.Hewasnottobeseenexceptatliterarygatherings,formostofthetimehespentreadingdeadliteratureandtryingtowritemorelikeit.Hehatedanythingfreshororiginal,forhecouldnotcatalogueitintoanyofthestylesheknew.Ifhecouldnotcatalogueit,hewassureitwasnotgreat,andhewasconfidentthatonlyhewasright.Ifhesaid,“Hereisart”,hewasconvinceditwasnottobefoundanywhereelse,forwhathedidnotrecognizedidnotexist.Andashecouldnevercataloguethenovelintowhathecalledliterature,soforhimitdidnotexistasliterature.

YaoHai,oneofthegreatestofChineseliterarycritics,in1776enumeratedthekindsofwritingwhichcomprisethewholeofliterature.Theyareessays,governmentcommentaries,biographies,epitaphs,epigrams,poetry,funeraleulogies,andhistories.Nonovels,youperceive,althoughbythatdatetheChinesenovelhadalreadyreacheditsgloriousheight,aftercenturiesofdevelopmentamongthecommonChinesepeople.NordoesthatvastcompilationofChineseliterature,SsuKuChuenShu,madein1772bytheorderofthegreatEmperorCh'ienLung,containthenovelintheencyclopediaofitsliteratureproper.

No,happilyfortheChinesenovel,itwasnotconsideredbythescholarsasliterature.Happily,too,forthenovelist!

Manandbook,theywerefreefromthecriticismsofthosescholarsandtheirrequirementsofart,theirtechniquesofexpressionandtheirtalkofliterarysignificancesandallthatdiscussionofwhatisandisnotart,asifartwereanabsoluteandnotthechangingthingitis,fluctuatingevenwithindecades!

TheChinesenovelwasfree.Itgrewasitlikedoutofitsownsoil,thecommonpeople,nurturedbythatheartiestofsunshine,popularapproval,anduntouchedbythecoldandfrostywindsofthescholar'sart.EmilyDickinson,anAmericanpoet,oncewrote,“Natureisahauntedhouse,butartisahousethattriestobehaunted”.Nature,shesaid,Iswhatwesee,

Natureiswhatweknow

Buthavenoarttosay-

Soimpatientourwisdomis,

Tohersimplicity.

No,iftheChinesescholarseverknewofthegrowthofthenovel,itwasonlytoignoreitthemoreostentatiously.Sometimes,unfortunately,theyfoundthemselvesdriventotakenotice,becauseyouthfulemperorsfoundnovelspleasanttoread.Thenthesepoorscholarswerehardputtoit.Buttheydiscoveredthephrase?

socialsignificance?

andtheywrotelongliterarytreatisestoprovethatanovelwasnotanovelbutadocumentofsocialsignificance.SocialsignificanceisatermrecentlydiscoveredbythemostmodernofliteraryyoungmenandwomenintheUnitedStates,buttheoldscholarsofChinaknewitathousandyearsago,whenthey,too,demandedthatthenovelshouldhavesocialsignificance,ifitweretoberecognizedasanart.

ButforthemostparttheoldChinesescholarreasonedthusaboutthenovel:

Literatureisart.

Allarthassocialsignificance.

Thisbookhasnosocialsignificance.

Thereforeitisnotliterature.

AndsothenovelinChinawasnotliterature.

InsuchaschoolwasItrained,Igrewupbelievingthatthenovelhasnothingtodowithpureliterature.SoIwastaughtbyscholars.Theartofliterature,soIwastaught,issomethingdevisedbymenoflearning.Outofthebrainsofscholarscamerulestocontroltherushofgenius,thatwildfountainwhichhasitssourceindeepestlife.Genius,greatorless,isthespring,andartisthesculpturedshape,classicalormodern,intowhichthewatersmustbeforced,ifscholarsandcriticsweretobeserved.ButthepeopleofChinadidnotsoserve.Thewatersofthegeniusofstorygushedoutastheywould,howeverthenaturalrocksallowedandthetreespersuaded,andonlycommonpeoplecameanddrankandfoundrestandpleasure.

ForthenovelinChinawasthepeculiarproductofthecommonpeople.Anditwassolelytheirproperty.Theverylanguageofthenovelwastheirownlanguage,andnottheclassicalWen-li,whichwasthelanguageofliteratureandthescholars.Wen-liboresomewhatthesameresemblancetothelanguageofthepeopleastheancientEnglishofChaucerdoestotheEnglishoftoday,althoughironicallyenough,atonetimeWen-li,too,wasavernacular.Butthescholarsneverkeptpacewiththeliving,changingspeechofthepeople.Theyclungtoanoldvernacularuntiltheyhadmadeitclassic,whiletherunninglanguageofthepeoplewentonandleftthemfarbehind.Chinesenovels,then,areinthe?

PeiHua?

orsimpletalk,ofthepeople,andthisinitselfwasoffensivetotheoldscholarsbecauseitresultedinastylesofullofeasyflowandreadabilitythatithadnotechniqueofexpressioninit,thescholarssaid.

IshouldpausetomakeanexceptionofcertainscholarswhocametoChinafromIndia,bearingastheirgiftanewreligion,Buddhism.IntheWest,Puritanismwasforalongtimetheenemyofthenovel.ButintheOrienttheBuddhistswerewiser.WhentheycameintoChina,theyfoundliteraturealreadyremotefromthepeopleanddyingundertheformalismofthatperiodknowninhistoryastheSixDynasties.Theprofessionalmenofliteraturewereeventhenabsorbednotsomuchinwhattheyhadtosayasinpairingintocoupletsthecharactersoftheiressaysandtheirpoems,andalreadytheyscornedallwritingwhichdidnotconformtotheirown