selected writings of guy de maupassant(莫伯桑作品选)-第2部分

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who　is　growing　old　and　an　obscure　junior；　whose　renown　is
increasing。　From　generation　to　generation；　envy　reascends　no　less
than　she　redescends。　For　the　honor　of　French　men　of　letters；　let
us　add　that　this　exceptional　phenomenon　has　manifested　itself
twice　in　the　nineteenth　century。　Merimee；　whom　I　have　also　named；
received　from　Stendhal；　at　twenty；　the　same　benefits　that
Maupassant　received　from　Flaubert。

The　author　of　〃Une　Vie〃　and　the　writer　of　〃Clara　Jozul〃　resemble
each　other；　besides；　in　a　singular　and　analogous　circumstance。
Both　achieved　renown　at　the　first　blow；　and　by　a　masterpiece
which　they　were　able　to　equal　but　never　surpass。　Both　were
misanthropes　early　in　life；　and　practised　to　the　end　the　ancient
advice　that　the　disciple　of　Beyle　carried　upon　his　seal：　〃Remember　to　distrust。〃　And；　at　the　same　time；
both　had　delicate；　tender　hearts　under　this　affectation　of
cynicism；　both　were　excellent　sons；　irreproachable　friends；
indulgent　masters；　and　both　were　idolized　by　their　inferiors。
Both　were　worldly；　yet　still　loved　a　wanderer's　life；　both　joined
to　a　constant　taste　for　luxury　an　irresistible　desire　for
solitude。　Both　belonged　to　the　extreme　left　of　the　literature　of
their　epoch；　but　kept　themselves　from　excess　and　used　with　a
judgment　marvelously　sure　the　sounder　principles　of　their　school。
They　knew　how　to　remain　lucid　and　classic；　in　taste　as　much　as　in
formMerimee　through　all　the　audacity　of　a　fancy　most　exotic；
and　Maupassant　in　the　realism　of　the　most　varied　and　exact
observation。　At　a　little　distance　they　appear　to　be　two　patterns；
identical　in　certain　traits；　of　the　same　family　of　minds；　and
Tourgenief；　who　knew　and　loved　the　one　and　the　other；　never
failed　to　class　them　as　brethren。

They　are　separated；　however；　by　profound　differences；　which
perhaps　belong　less　to　their　nature　than　to　that　of　the　masters
from　whom　they　received　their　impulses：　Stendhal；　so　alert；　so
mobile；　after　a　youth　passed　in　war　and　a　ripe　age　spent　in
vagabond　journeys；　rich　in　experiences；　immediate　and　personal；
Flaubert　so　poor　in　direct　impressions；　so　paralyzed　by　his
health；　by　his　family；　by　his　theories　even；　and　so　rich　in
reflections；　for　the　most　part　solitary。

Among　the　theories　of　the　anatomist　of　〃Madame　Bovary；〃　there　are
two　which　appear　without　ceasing　in　his　Correspondence；　under　one
form　or　another；　and　these　are　the　ones　which　are　most　strongly
evident　in　the　art　of　De　Maupassant。　We　now　see　the　consequences
which　were　inevitable　by　reason　of　them；　endowed　as　Maupassant
was　with　a　double　power　of　feeling　life　bitterly；　and　at　the　same
time　with　so　much　of　animal　force。　The　first　theory　bears　upon
the　choice　of　personages　and　the　story　of　the　romance；　the　second
upon　the　character　of　the　style。　The　son　of　a　physician；　and
brought　up　in　the　rigors　of　scientific　method；　Flaubert　believed
this　method　to　be　efficacious　in　art　as　in　science。　For　instance；
in　the　writing　of　a　romance；　he　seemed　to　be　as　scientific　as　in
the　development　of　a　history　of　customs；　in　which　the　essential
is　absolute　exactness　and　local　color。　He　therefore　naturally
wished　to　make　the　most　scrupulous　and　detailed　observation　of
the　environment。

Thus　is　explained　the　immense　labor　in　preparation　which　his
stories　cost　himthe　story　of　〃Madame　Bovary；〃　of　〃The
Sentimental　Education；〃　and　〃Bouvard　and　Pecuchet；〃　documents
containing　as　much　minutiae　as　his　historical　stories。　Beyond
everything　he　tried　to　select　details　that　were　eminently
significant。　Consequently　he　was　of　the　opinion　that　the　romance
writer　should　discard　all　that　lessened　this　significance；　that
is；　extraordinary　events　and　singular　heroes。　The　exceptional
personage；　it　seemed　to　him；　should　be　suppressed；　as　should　also
high　dramatic　incident；　since；　produced　by　causes　less　general；
these　have　a　range　more　restricted。　The　truly　scientific　romance
writer；　proposing　to　paint　a　certain　class；　will　attain　his　end
more　effectively　if　he　incarnate　personages　of　the　middle　order；
and；　consequently；　paint　traits　common　to　that　class。　And　not
only　middle…class　traits；　but　middle…class　adventures。

From　this　point　of　view；　examine　the　three　great　romances　of　the
Master　from　Rouen；　and　you　will　see　that　he　has　not　lost　sight　of
this　first　and　greatest　principle　of　his　art；　any　more　than　he
has　of　the　second；　which　was　that　these　documents　should　be　drawn
up　in　prose　of　absolutely　perfect　technique。　We　know　with　what
passionate　care　he　worked　at　his　phrases；　and　how　indefatigably
he　changed　them　over　and　over　again。　Thus　he　satisfied　that
instinct　of　beauty　which　was　born　of　his　romantic　soul；　while　he
gratified　the　demand　of　truth　which　inhered　from　his　scientific
training　by　his　minute　and　scrupulous　exactness。

The　theory　of　the　mean　of　truth　on　one　side；　as　the　foundation　of
the　subject；〃the　humble　truth；〃　as　he　termed　it　at　the
beginning　of　〃Une　Vie；〃and　of　the　agonizing　of　beauty　on　the
other　side；　in　composition；　determines　the　whole　use　that
Maupassant　made　of　his　literary　gifts。　It　helped　to　make　more
intense　and　more　systematic　that　dainty　yet　dangerous　pessimism
which　in　him　was　innate。　The　mid…　dle…class　personage；　in
wearisome　society　like　ours；　is　always　a　caricature；　and　the
happenings　are　nearly　always　vulgar。　When　one　studies　a　great
number　of　them；　one　finishes　by　looking　at　humanity　from　the
angle　of　disgust　and　despair。　The　philosophy　of　the　romances　and
novels　of　De　Maupassant　is　so　continuously　and　profoundly
surprising　that　one　becomes　overwhelmed　by　it。　It　reaches
limitation；　it　seems　to　deny　that　man　is　susceptible　to　grandeur；
or　that　motives　of　a　superior　order　can　uplift　and　ennoble　the
soul；　but　it　does　so　with　a　sorrow　that　is　profound。　All　that
portion　of　the　sentimental　and　moral　world　which　in　itself　is　the
highest　remains　closed　to　it。

In　revenge；　this　philosophy　finds　itself　in　a　relation　cruelly
exact　with　the　half…civilization　of　our　day。　By　that　I　mean　the
poorly　educated　individual　who　has　rubbed　against　knowledge
enough　to　justify　a　certain　egoism；　but　who　is　too　poor　in
faculty　to　conceive　an　ideal；　and　whose　native　grossness　is
corrupted　beyond　redemption。　Under　his　blouse；　or　under　his
coatwhether　he　calls　himself　Renardet；　as　does　the　foul
assassin　in　〃Petite　Roque；〃　or　Duroy；　as　does　the　sly　hero　of
〃Bel…Ami；〃　or　Bretigny；　as　does　the　vile　seducer　of　〃Mont　Oriol；〃
or　Cesaire；　the　son　of　Old　Amable　in　the　novel　of　that　name；
this　degraded　type　abounds　in　Maupassant's　stories；　evoked　with
a　ferocity　almost　jovial　where　it　meets　the　robustness　of
temperament　which　I　have　pointed　out；　a　ferocity　which　gives　them
a　reality　more　exact　still　because　the　half…civilized　person　is
often　impulsive　and；　in　consequence；　the　physical　easily
predominates。　There；　as　elsewhere；　the　degenerate　is　everywhere　a
degenerate　who　gives　the　impression　of　being　an　ordinary　man。

There　are　quantities　of　men　of　this　stamp　in　large　cities。　No
writer　has　felt　and　expressed　this　complex　temperament　with　more
justice　than　De　Maupassant；　and；　as　he　was　an　infinitely　careful
observer　of　milieu　and　landscape　and　all　that　constitutes　a
precise　middle　distance；　his　novels　can　be　considered　an
irrefutable　record　of　the　social　classes　which　he　studied　at　a
certain　time　and　along　certain　lines。　The　Norman　peasant　and　the
Provencal　peasant；　for　example；　also　the　small　officeholder；　the
gentleman　of　the　provinces；　the　country　squire；　the　clubman　of
Paris；　the　journalist　of　the　boulevard；　the　doctor　at　the　spa；
the　commercial　artist；　and；　on　the　feminine　side；　the　servant
girl；　the　working　girl；　the　demigrisette；　the　street　girl；　rich
or　poor；　the　gallant　lady　of　the　city　and　of　the　provinces；　and
the　society　womanthese　are　some　of　the　figures　that　he　has
painted　at　many　sittings；　and　whom　he　used　to　such　effect　that
the　novels　and　romances　in　which　they　are　painted　have　come　to　be
history。　Just　as　it　is　impossible　to　comprehend　the　Rome　of　the
Caesars　without　the　work　of　Petronius；　so　is　it　impossible　to
fully　comprehend　the　France　of　1850…90　without　these　stories　of
Maupassant。　They　are　no　more　the　whole　image　of　the　country　than
the　〃Satyricon〃　was　the　whole　image　of　Rome；　but　what　their
author　has　wished　to　paint；　he　has　painted　to　the　life　and　with　a
brush　that　is　graphic　in　the　extreme。

If　Maupassant　had　only　painted；　in　general　fashion；　the
characters　and　the　phase　of　literature　mentioned　he　would　not　be
distinguished　from　other　writers　
of　the　group　called　〃naturalists。〃　His　true　glory　is　in　the
extraordinary　superiority　of　his　art。　He　did　not　invent　it；　and
his　method　is　not　alien　to　that　of　〃Madame　Bovary；〃　but　he　knew
how　to　give　it　a　suppleness；　a　variety；　and　a　freedom　which　were
always　wanting　in　Flaubert。　The　latter；　in　his　best　pages；　is
always　strained。　To　use　the　expressive　metaphor　of　the　Greek
athletes；　he　〃smells　of　the　oil。〃　When　one　recalls　that　when
attacked　by　hysteric　epilepsy；　Flaubert　postponed　the　crisis　of
the　terrible　malady　by　means　of　sedatives；　this　strained
atmosphere　of　laborI　was　going　to　say　of　stuporwhich　pervades
his　work　is　explained。　He　is　an　athlete；　a　runner；　but　one　who
drags　at　his　feet　a　terrible　weight。　He　is　in　the　race　only　for
the　prize　of　effort；　an　effort　of　which　every　motion　reveals　the
intensity。

Maupassant；　on　the　other　hand；　if　he　suffered　from　a　nervous
lesion；　gave　no　sign　of　it；　except　in　his　heart。　His　intelligence
was　bright　and　lively；　and　above　all；　his　imagination；　served　by
senses　always　on　the　alert；　preserved　for　some　years　an
astonishing　freshness　of　direct　vision。　If　his　art　was　due　to
Flaubert；　it　is　no　more　belittling　to　him　than　if　one　call
Raphael　an　imitator　of　Perugini。

Like　Flaubert；　he　excelled　in　composing　a　story；　in　distributing
the　facts　with　subtle　gradation；　in　bringing　in　at　the　end　of　a
familiar　dialogue　something　startlingly　dramatic；　but　such
composition；　with　him；　seems　easy；　and　while　the　descriptions　are
marvelously　well　established　in　his　stories；　the　reverse　is　true
of　Flaubert's；　which　always　appear　a　little　veneered。
Maupassant's　phrasing；　however　dramatic　it　may　be；　remains　easy
and　flowing。

Maupassa