over the teacups-第18部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





We　got　talking　on　the　subject　of　realism；　of　which　so　much　has　been

said　of　late。



It　seems　to　me；　I　said；　that　the　great　additions　which　have　been　made

by　realism　to　the　territory　of　literature　consist　largely　in　swampy；

malarious；　ill…smelling　patches　of　soil　which　had　previously　been

left　to　reptiles　and　vermin。　　It　is　perfectly　easy　to　be　original　by

violating　the　laws　of　decency　and　the　canons　of　good　taste。　　The

general　consent　of　civilized　people　was　supposed　to　have　banished

certain　subjects　from　the　conversation　of　well…bred　people　and　the

pages　of　respectable　literature。　　There　is　no　subject；　or　hardly　any；

which　may　not　be　treated　of　at　the　proper　time；　in　the　proper　place；

by　the　fitting　person；　for　the　right　kind　of　listener　or　reader。　　But

when　the　poet　or　the　story…teller　invades　the　province　of　the　man　of

science；　he　is　on　dangerous　ground。　　I　need　say　nothing　of　the

blunders　he　is　pretty　sure　to　make。　　The　imaginative　writer　is　after

effects。　　The　scientific　man　is　after　truth。　　Science　is　decent；

modest；　does　not　try　to　startle；　but　to　instruct。　　The　same　scenes

and　objects　which　outrage　every　sense　of　delicacy　in　the　story

teller's　highly　colored　paragraphs　can　be　read　without　giving　offence

in　the　chaste　language　of　the　physiologist　or　the　physician。



There　is　a　very　celebrated　novel；　〃Madame　Bovary；〃　the　work　of　M。

Flaubert；　which　is　noted　for　having　been　the　subject　of　prosecution

as　an　immoral　work。　　That　it　has　a　serious　lesson　there　is　no　doubt；

if　one　will　drink　down　to　the　bottom　of　the　cup。　　But　the　honey　of

sensuous　description　is　spread　so　deeply　over　the　surface　of　the

goblet　that　a　large　proportion　of　its　readers　never　think　of　its

holding　anything　else。　　All　the　phases　of　unhallowed　passion　are

described　in　full　detail。　　That　is　what　the　book　is　bought　and　read

for；　by　the　great　majority　of　its　purchasers；　as　all　but　simpletons

very　well　know。　　That　is　what　makes　it　sell　and　brought　it　into　the

courts　of　justice。　　This　book　is　famous　for　its　realism；　in　fact；　it

is　recognized　as　one　of　the　earliest　and　most　brilliant　examples　of

that　modern　style　of　novel　which；　beginning　where　Balzac　left　off；

attempted　to　do　for　literature　what　the　photograph　has　done　for　art。

For　those　who　take　the　trouble　to　drink　out　of　the　cup　below　the　rim

of　honey；　there　is　a　scene　where　realism　is　carried　to　its　extreme；

surpassed　in　horror　by　no　writer；　unless　it　be　the　one　whose　name

must　be　looked　for　at　the　bottom　of　the　alphabet；　as　if　its　natural

place　were　as　low　down　in　the　dregs　of　realism　as　it　could　find

itself。　　This　is　the　death…bed　scene；　where　Madame　Bovary　expires　in

convulsions。　　The　author　must　have　visited　the　hospitals　for　the

purpose　of　watching　the　terrible　agonies　he　was　to　depict；　tramping

from　one　bed　to　another　until　he　reached　the　one　where　the　cries　and

contortions　were　the　most　frightful。　　Such　a　scene　he　has　reproduced。

No　hospital　physician　would　have　pictured　the　straggle　in　such

colors。　　In　the　same　way；　that　other　realist；　M。　Zola；　has　painted　a

patient　suffering　from　delirium　tremens；　the　disease　known　to　common

speech　as　〃the　horrors。〃　　In　describing　this　case　he　does　all　that

language　can　do　to　make　it　more　horrible　than　the　reality。　　He　gives

us；　not　realism；　but　super…realism；　if　such　a　term　does　not

contradict　itself。



In　this　matter　of　the　literal　reproduction　of　sights　and　scenes　which

our　natural　instinct　and　our　better　informed　taste　and　judgment　teach

us　to　avoid；　art　has　been　far　in　advance　of　literature。　　It　is　three

hundred　years　since　Joseph　Ribera；　more　commonly　known　as

Spagnoletto；　was　born　in　the　province　Valencia；　in　Spain。　　We　had　the

misfortune　of　seeing　a　painting　of　his　in　a　collection　belonging　to

one　of　the　French　princes；　and　exhibited　at　the　Art　Museum。　　It　was

that　of　a　man　performing　upon　himself　the　operation　known　to　the

Japanese　as　hararkiri。　　Many　persons　who　looked　upon　this　revolting

picture　will　never　get　rid　of　its　remembrance；　and　will　regret　the

day　when　their　eyes　fell　upon　it。　　I　should　share　the　offence　of　the

painter　if　I　ventured　to　describe　it。　　Ribera　was　fond　of　depicting

just　such　odious　and　frightful　subjects。　　〃Saint　Lawrence　writhing　on

his　gridiron；　Saint　Sebastian　full　of　arrows；　were　equally　a　source

of　delight　to　him。　　Even　in　subjects　which　had　no　such　elements　of

horror　he　finds　the　materials　for　the　delectation　of　his　ferocious

pencil；　he　makes　up　for　the　defect　by　rendering　with　a　brutal　realism

deformity　and　ugliness。〃



The　first　great　mistake　made　by　the　ultra…realists；　like　Flaubert　and

Zola；　is；　as　I　have　said；　their　ignoring　the　line　of　distinction

between　imaginative　art　and　science。　　We　can　find　realism　enough　in

books　of　anatomy；　surgery；　and　medicine。　　In　studying　the　human

figure；　we　want　to　see　it　clothed　with　its　natural　integuments。　　It

is　well　for　the　artist　to　study　the　ecorche　in　the　dissecting…room；

but　we　do　not　want　the　Apollo　or　the　Venus　to　leave　their　skins

behind　them　when　they　go　into　the　gallery　for　exhibition。　　Lancisi's

figures　show　us　how　the　great　statues　look　when　divested　of　their

natural　covering。　　It　is　instructive；　but　useful　chiefly　as　a　means

to　aid　in　the　true　artistic　reproduction　of　nature。　　When　the；

hospitals　are　invaded　by　the　novelist；　he　should　learn　something　from

the　physician　as　well　as　from　the　patients。　　Science　delineates　in

monochrome。　　She　never　uses　high　tints　and　strontian　lights　to

astonish　lookers…on。　　Such　scenes　as　Flaubert　and　Zola　describe　would

be　reproduced　in　their　essential　characters；　but　not　dressed　up　in

picturesque　phrases。　　That　is　the　first　stumbling…block　in　the　way　of

the　reader　of　such　realistic　stories　as　those　to　which　I　have

referred。　　There　are　subjects　which　must　be　investigated　by

scientific　men　which　most　educated　persons　would　be　glad　to　know

nothing　about。　　When　a　realistic　writer　like　Zola　surprises　his

reader　into　a　kind　of　knowledge　he　never　thought　of　wishing　for；　he

sometimes　harms　him　more　than　he　has　any　idea　of　doing。　　He　wants　to

produce　a　sensation；　and　he　leaves　a　permanent　disgust　not　to　he　got

rid　of。　　Who　does　not　remember　odious　images　that　can　never　be　washed

out　from　the　consciousness　which　they　have　stained？　　A　man's

vocabulary　is　terribly　retentive　of　evil　words；　and　the　images　they

present　cling　to　his　memory　and　will　not　loose　their　hold。　　One　who

has　had　the　mischance　to　soil　his　mind　by　reading　certain　poems　of

Swift　will　never　cleanse　it　to　its　original　whiteness。　　Expressions

and　thoughts　of　a　certain　character　stain　the　fibre　of　the　thinking

organ；　and　in　some　degree　affect　the　hue　of　every　idea　that　passes

through　the　discolored　tissues。



This　is　the　gravest　accusation　to　bring　against　realism；　old　or

recent；　whether　in　the　brutal　paintings　of　Spagnoletto　or　in　the

unclean　revelations　of　Zola。　　Leave　the　description　of　the　drains　and

cesspools　to　the　hygienic　specialist；　the　painful　facts　of　disease　to

the　physician；　the　details　of　the　laundry　to　the　washerwoman。　　If　we

are　to　have　realism　in　its　tedious　descriptions　of　unimportant

particulars；　let　it　be　of　particulars　which　do　not　excite　disgust。

Such　is　the　description　of　the　vegetables　in　Zola's　〃Ventre　de

Paris；〃　where；　if　one　wishes　to　see　the　apotheosis　of　turnips；　beets；

and　cabbages；　he　can　find　them　glorified　as　supremely　as　if　they　had

been　symbols　of　so　many　deities；　their　forms；　their　colors；　their

expression；　worked　upon　until　they　seem　as　if　they　were　made　to　be

looked　at　and　worshipped　rather　than　to　be　boiled　and　eaten。



I　am　pleased　to　find　a　French　critic　of　M。　Flaubert　expressing　ideas

with　which　many　of　my　own　entirely　coincide。　　〃The　great　mistake　of

the　realists；　〃　he　says；　〃is　that　they　profess　to　tell　the　truth

because　they　tell　everything。　　This　puerile　hunting　after　details；

this　cold　and　cynical　inventory　of　all　the　wretched　conditions　in　the

midst　of　which　poor　humanity　vegetates；　not　only　do　not　help　us　to

understand　it　better；　but；　on　the　contrary；　the　effect　on　the

spectators　is　a　kind　of　dazzled　confusion　mingled　with　fatigue　and

disgust。　　The　material　truthfulness　to　which　the　school　of　M。

Flaubert　more　especially　pretends　misses　its　aim　in　going　beyond　it。

Truth　is　lost　in　its　own　excess。〃



I　return　to　my　thoughts　on　the　relations　of　imaginative　art　in　all

its　forms　with　science。　　The　subject　which　in　the　hands　of　the

scientific　student　is　handled　decorously；reverently；　we　might

almost　say；becomes　repulsive；　shameful；　and　debasing　in　the

unscrupulous　manipulations　of　the　low…bred　man　of　letters。



I　confess　that　I　am　a　little　jealous　of　certain　tendencies　in　our　own

American　literature；　which　led　one　of　the　severest　and　most　outspoken

of　our　satirical　fellow…countrymen；　no　longer　living　to　be　called　to

account　for　it；　to　say；　in　a　moment　of　bitterness；　that　the　mission

of　America　was　to　vulgarize　mankind。　　I　myself　have　sometimes

wondered　at　the　pleasure　some　Old　World　critics　have　professed　to

find　in　the　most　lawless　freaks　of　New　World　literature。　　I　have

questioned　whether　their　delight　was　not　like　that　of　the　Spartans　in

the　drunken　antics　of　their　Helots。　　But　I　suppose　I　belong　to

another　age；　and　must　not　attempt　to　judge　the　present　by　my　old…

fashioned　standards。



The　company　listened　very　civilly　to　these　remarks；　whether　they

agreed　with　them　or　not。　　I　am　not　sure　that　I　want　all　the　young

people　to　think　just　as　I　do　in　matters　of　critical　judgment。　　New

wine　does　not　go　well　into　old　bottles；　but　if　an　old　cask　has　held

good　wine；　it　may　improve　a　crude　juice　to　stand　awhile　upon　the　lees

of　that　which　once　filled　it。



I　thought　the　company　had　had　about　enough　of　this　disquisition。

They　listened　very　decorously；　and　the　Professor；　who　agrees　very

well　with　me；　as　I　happen　to　know；　in　my　views　on　this　business　of

realism；　thanked　me　for　giving　them　the　benef