How to Enjoy the Classics　如何欣賞經(jīng)典

How to Enjoy the Classics

如何欣賞經(jīng)典

Steve Allen

史蒂夫·艾倫

作者簡介

史蒂夫·艾倫（Steve Allen，1921—2000），多才多藝的美國藝人，不僅在電視節(jié)目和電影中演出、主持喜劇節(jié)目，還擁有作家、鋼琴家、作曲家等多重身份。他先是作為客串主持人在一些娛樂節(jié)目中登場，后來開設(shè)了自己的脫口秀欄目。他熱愛書籍和音樂，錄制過多張爵士樂專輯，并獲得了1963年格萊美“最佳爵士原創(chuàng)歌曲”獎(jiǎng)。他一生出版過50多本書，可謂著作等身。

本文是作者1980年發(fā)表在《新聞周刊》（Newsweek）上的一篇文章。作者以清晰明澈的語言，針對(duì)“為何要閱讀經(jīng)典，如何享受閱讀經(jīng)典之樂”給出了自己的答案。如果你曾因種種原因與經(jīng)典“絕緣”，本文或許能喚起你些許的舊時(shí)記憶。

In school we learn one of the most amazing and difficult feats man has ever accomplished—how to read—and at the same time we learn to hate to read the things worth reading most!

It's happened to us all—with assignment reading! It happened to me. The teacher assigned Moby Dick. I didn't want to read it. So I fought it. I disliked it. I thought I won.

But I lost. My struggle to keep at arm's length from Moby Dick cost me all the good things that can come from learning to come to terms with those special few books we call the “classics.”

I've come back to Moby Dick on my own since. I like it. And I've discovered a new level of pleasure from it with each reading.

What is a classic?

A classic is a book that gives you that exhilarating feeling, if only for a moment, that you've finally uncovered part of the meaning of life.

A classic is a book that's stood the test of time, a book that men and women all over the world keep reaching for throughout the ages for its special enlightenment.

Not many books can survive such a test. Considering all the volumes that have been produced since man first put chisel to stone, classics account for an infinitesimal share of the total—less than 0.001 percent. That's just a few thousand books. Of those, under 100 make up the solid core.

Why should you tackle the classics? Why try to enjoy them? I suggest three good reasons:

1．Classics open up your mind.

2．Classics help you grow.

3．Classics help you understand your life, your world, yourself.

That last one is the big one. A classic can give you insights into yourself that you will get nowhere else. Sure, you can get pleasure out of almost any book. But a classic, once you penetrate it, lifts you up high! Aeschylus's Oresteia was written nearly 2,500 years ago—and it still knocks me out! But I can hear you saying, “I've tried reading classics. They are hard to understand. I can't get into them.”

Let me offer some suggestions that will help you open up this wondrous world. Pick up a classic you've always promised to try. Then take Dr. Allen's advice.

Know what you're reading

Is it a novel, drama, biography, history? To find out, check the table of contents, read the book cover, the preface, or look up the title or author in The Reader's Encyclopedia.

Don't read in bed

Classics can be tough going; I'll admit it. You need to be alert, with your senses sharp. When you read in bed you're courting sleep—and you'll blame it on the book when you start nodding off.

Don't let a lot of characters throw you

Dostoevsky tosses fifty major characters at you in The Brothers Karamazov. In the very first chapter of War and Peace, Tolstoy bombards you with twenty-two names—long, complicated ones like Anna Pavlovna Scherer, Anatole and Prince Bolkonski. Don't scurry for cover. Stick with it. The characters will gradually sort themselves out and you'll feel as comfortable with them as you do with your own dear friends who were strangers, too, when you met them.

Give the author a chance

Don't say “I don't get it!”too soon. Keep reading right to the end. Sometimes, though, you may not be ready for the book you're trying to get into. I tackled Plato's Republic three times before it finally opened up to me. And man, was it worth it! So if you really can't make a go of the book in your lap, put it aside for another day, or year, and take on another one.

Read in big bites

Don't read in short nibbles. How can you expect to get your head into anything that way? The longer you stay with it, the more you get into the rhythm and mood—and the more pleasure you get from it.

Read what the author read

To better understand where the author is coming from, as we say, read the books he once read and that impressed him. Shakespeare, for example, dipped into North's translation of Plutarch's Lives for the plots of Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra and A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's fun to know you're reading what he read.

Read about the author's time

You are the product of your time. Any author is the product of his time. Knowing the history of that time, the problems that he and others faced, their attitudes—will help you understand the author's point of view. Important point: You may not agree with the author. No problem. At least he's made you think!

Read about the author's life

The more you know about an author's own experiences, the more you'll understand why he wrote what he wrote. You'll begin to see the autobiographical odds and ends that are hidden in his work. A writer can't help but reveal himself. Most of our surmises about Shakespeare's life come from clues found in his plays.

Read the book again

All classics bear rereading. If after you finish the book you're intrigued but still confused, reread it then and there. It'll open up some more to you.

If you did read a classic a few years back and loved it, read it again. The book will have so many new things to say to you, you'll hardly believe it's the same one.

A few classics to enjoy

You can find excellent lists of the basic classics compiled by helpful experts, like Clifton Fadiman's Lifetime Reading Plan, the Harvard Classics and Mortimer J. Adler's Great Books. Look into them.

But before you do, I'd like to suggest a few classics that can light up your life. Even though some might have been spoiled for you by the required reading stigma, try them. Try them. And try them.

1．Homer: Iliad and Odyssey. The Adam and Eve of Western literature. Read a good recent translation. My favorite is by Robert Fitzgerald.

2．Rabelais: Gargantua and Pantagruel. A Gargantuan romp. I recommend the Samuel Putnam translation.

3．Geoffrey Chaucer: Canterbury Tales. Thirty folks on a four-day pilgrimage swapping whoppers. Don't be surprised if the people you meet here are like people you know in your life.

4．Cervantes: Don Quixote. The first modern novel, about the lovable old Don with his “impossible dream.”How could you go through life without reading it once?

5．Shakespeare: Plays. Shakespeare turned out 37 plays. Some are flops, some make him the greatest writer ever. All offer gold. His best: Hamlet, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. (See them on the stage, too.)

6．Charles Dickens: Pickwick Papers. No one can breathe life into characters the way Dickens can. Especially the inimitable Samuel Pickwick, Esq.

7．Mark Twain: Huckleberry Finn. Maybe you had to read this in school. Well, climb back on that raft with Huck and Jim. You'll find new meaning this time.

Of course, these few suggestions hardly scratch the surface.

Don't just dip your toe into the deep waters of the classics. Plunge in! Like generations of bright human beings before you, you'll find yourself invigorated to the marrow by thoughts and observations of the most gifted writers in history. You still enjoy looking at classic paintings. You enjoy hearing musical classics. Good books will hold you, too.

Someone has said the classics are the diary of man. Open up the diary. Read about yourself —and understand yourself.

在學(xué)校里，我們學(xué)會(huì)了一項(xiàng)人類完成的最驚人也最困難的壯舉——閱讀。與此同時(shí)，我們也學(xué)會(huì)了討厭那些最值得一讀的東西！

這件事每個(gè)人都經(jīng)歷過——老師布置的閱讀作業(yè)！我經(jīng)歷過。老師讓我們讀《白鯨記》1，我不想讀，所以對(duì)著干，我不喜歡這本書。我以為自己贏了。

但是我輸了。努力和《白鯨記》保持距離，使我沒能從少數(shù)被稱為“經(jīng)典”的特殊書籍里學(xué)到有益的東西。

后來，我自愿重讀了《白鯨記》。我喜歡上了它。每次閱讀，我都能從中發(fā)現(xiàn)新的樂趣。

何為經(jīng)典？

經(jīng)典是給你愉悅之感的書，哪怕只有一瞬間也好，你終于從中揭示了生活的部分意義。

經(jīng)典是經(jīng)受住了時(shí)間考驗(yàn)的書，許多個(gè)世紀(jì)以來，全世界人不斷拿來閱讀，只為尋找特殊的啟迪。

能通過這種考驗(yàn)的書不多。想一想從人類第一次在石上刻字起出版的所有書，經(jīng)典只占其中極小一部分——不到0.001％，也就是區(qū)區(qū)幾千本。在這里面，只有不到100本是精華。

為什么你應(yīng)該拿起經(jīng)典？為什么要試著欣賞經(jīng)典？我提出了三個(gè)好理由：

一、經(jīng)典開闊你的思維。

二、經(jīng)典助你成長。

三、經(jīng)典幫你理解生活、世界、你自己。

最后一點(diǎn)尤為重要。經(jīng)典能讓你洞察自身，這在別處可找不到。當(dāng)然，你能從幾乎任何書里獲得樂趣。但是說到經(jīng)典，一旦你讀透了它，你自己就會(huì)得到提升！埃斯庫羅斯的《奧瑞斯提亞》2寫于近2500年前——它仍能讓我神魂顛倒！但我能聽到你在說：“我試著讀過經(jīng)典。它們太難理解了，我看不懂?！?

讓我給你提供些建議，幫你開啟這個(gè)奇妙的世界。拿起一本你一直答應(yīng)要試著讀讀的經(jīng)典，然后接受艾倫博士的建議吧。

知道你讀的是什么

它是小說、戲劇、傳記還是歷史？要弄清這一點(diǎn)，看一下目錄，讀一下封面和序言，或在《讀者百科全書》里查一下書名或作者。

別在床上讀書

我承認(rèn)，經(jīng)典讀起來挺難。你需要時(shí)刻警醒、感官敏銳。當(dāng)你在床上讀書時(shí)，你就是在向睡神示愛——當(dāng)開始打瞌睡時(shí)，你會(huì)抱怨是書不好。

別被眾多人物混淆視線

陀思妥耶夫斯基在《卡拉馬佐夫兄弟》3里把50個(gè)主要人物一股腦兒扔向你。在《戰(zhàn)爭與和平》的第一章里，托爾斯泰用22個(gè)名字轟炸你。那些名字又長又復(fù)雜，比如安娜·帕夫洛夫娜·舍列爾、阿納托利、博爾孔斯基王子。別急著合上書，堅(jiān)持下去。人物性格的差別會(huì)逐漸展現(xiàn)。你也會(huì)覺得，和他們?cè)谝黄鹁拖窈妥约旱睦吓笥严嗵幰粯幼栽凇．吘?，在你們相遇前，老朋友也是陌生人?

給作者一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)

別那么快就說“我弄不懂”。堅(jiān)持從頭讀到尾。盡管有時(shí)候，你可能還沒準(zhǔn)備好讀那本書。在翻開柏拉圖的《理想國》之前，我曾三次試著去讀這本書。這絕對(duì)值得！所以，如果你確實(shí)讀不下去膝上放的那本書，那就把它擱上一天或是一年，再試著讀一次。

用大塊時(shí)間閱讀

不要零零散散地閱讀。那樣讀你怎么能沉浸其中？你沉浸其中的時(shí)間越長，就越能把握書里的韻律和情感——你獲得的樂趣也就越多。

閱讀作者讀的書

為了更好地理解作者思想的來源，讀一讀他曾讀過并受其影響的書。例如，莎士比亞設(shè)計(jì)《凱撒大帝》《安東尼與克利奧帕特拉》和《仲夏夜之夢(mèng)》的情節(jié)時(shí)，細(xì)致研讀過諾斯4翻譯的普魯塔克的《希臘羅馬名人傳》。知道你在讀作者讀過的書是件挺有意思的事。

閱讀作者的時(shí)代背景資料

你是自己時(shí)代的產(chǎn)物，作者是他那個(gè)時(shí)代的產(chǎn)物。了解那個(gè)時(shí)代的歷史、他和其他人面對(duì)的難題、他們的態(tài)度，都有助于你理解作者的觀點(diǎn)。重要的一點(diǎn)是，你可能不同意作者的觀點(diǎn)。沒關(guān)系。至少他讓你思考了！

閱讀作者的生平資料

你對(duì)作者本人的經(jīng)歷了解得越多，就越能理解他為什么會(huì)寫這些作品。你會(huì)在他的作品里發(fā)現(xiàn)隱藏的自傳軼事。作者忍不住要展示自己。我們對(duì)莎士比亞生平的大部分推測都來自他在戲劇里透露的線索。

再讀一遍那本書

所有經(jīng)典都經(jīng)得起重讀。如果你讀完一本感興趣的書，但仍覺得迷惑，那就馬上重讀一遍。它會(huì)帶給你新的驚喜。

如果你幾年前讀過一部經(jīng)典，并且愛上了它，那就再讀一遍。它將有非常多的新東西要說給你聽。你會(huì)很難相信它還是原來那本。

可供欣賞的一些經(jīng)典

你可以找到專家開列的精彩“經(jīng)典基礎(chǔ)閱讀”書單，比如克里夫頓·費(fèi)迪曼的《一生的讀書計(jì)劃》《哈佛經(jīng)典》和莫蒂默·J. 阿德勒的《偉大著作》。瀏覽一下這些書吧。

但在你開始前，我想推薦一些能點(diǎn)亮你生命的經(jīng)典。盡管其中一些你或許曾被要求去讀，所以早就倒了胃口，但不妨試著讀讀。試著讀讀吧。

一、荷馬的《伊利亞特》和《奧德賽》。西方文學(xué)的鼻祖。讀個(gè)現(xiàn)代的好譯本。我最喜歡的是羅伯特·菲茨杰爾德5的譯本。

二、拉伯雷的《巨人傳》?？▽紒喪降逆音[。我推薦薩穆埃爾·帕特南6的譯本。

三、杰弗里·喬叟的《坎特伯雷故事集》。在4天的朝圣之旅中，30個(gè)人輪流說彌天大謊。如果你在書里讀到的人很像你在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中認(rèn)識(shí)的人，也別驚訝。

四、塞萬提斯的《堂吉訶德》。第一部現(xiàn)代小說，講述了可愛的“老堂”和他“不可能實(shí)現(xiàn)的夢(mèng)想”。你怎么能一輩子都不讀一遍這本書？

五、莎士比亞的戲劇。莎士比亞完成了37部戲劇。有些失敗了，有些則讓他成為了有史以來最偉大的作家。每一部作品都蘊(yùn)含真金。其中最優(yōu)秀的是《哈姆雷特》《麥克白》和《羅密歐與朱麗葉》。（戲劇演出也值得一看。）

六、查爾斯·狄更斯的《匹克威克外傳》。說到將人物刻畫得栩栩如生，無人能與狄更斯抗衡，特別是獨(dú)具個(gè)性的塞繆爾·匹克威克先生。

七、馬克·吐溫的《哈克貝里·芬歷險(xiǎn)記》。或許你上學(xué)時(shí)必須讀這本書。那么，重新爬上哈克和吉姆的小木筏吧，這次你會(huì)讀出新的含義。

當(dāng)然，這些只是經(jīng)典的冰山一角。

面對(duì)經(jīng)典的深潭，別只是浸濕腳尖。一頭扎進(jìn)去吧！你會(huì)像之前歷代的智者一樣，面對(duì)歷史上最具天賦的作家，被他們的思想和洞察力激勵(lì)至深。你仍會(huì)喜歡欣賞經(jīng)典名畫，傾聽經(jīng)典名曲，好書一樣會(huì)吸引你。

有人說，經(jīng)典是人類的日記。翻開這本日記，閱讀關(guān)于自己的事——理解你自己。

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面對(duì)經(jīng)典的深潭，別只是浸濕腳尖。一頭扎進(jìn)去吧！

Steve Allen 史蒂夫·艾倫

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1．《白鯨記》，美國作家赫爾曼·梅爾維爾的小說，描寫了亞哈船長為了追逐并殺死白鯨莫比·迪克，最終與白鯨同歸于盡的故事。這部小說場面宏闊博大，思想內(nèi)涵復(fù)雜，哲理性很強(qiáng)，被譽(yù)為美國最偉大的小說之一。

2．《奧瑞斯提亞》，描述了邁錫尼宮廷政變和親仇相殺的悲慘故事。

3．《卡拉馬佐夫兄弟》，展示了錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的社會(huì)、家庭矛盾和人性悲劇。

4．托馬斯·諾斯（Thomas North，1535—1604），英國翻譯家，普魯塔克作品的英語譯者。

5．羅伯特·菲茨杰爾德（Robert Fitzgerald，1910—1985），美國詩人、翻譯家，以古希臘和拉丁文翻譯著稱。

6．薩穆埃爾·帕特南（Samuel Putnam，1892—1950），美國翻譯家，最有名的譯著是《堂吉訶德》英譯本。