How to Enjoy the Classics　如何欣赏经典

How to Enjoy the Classics

如何欣赏经典

Steve Allen

史蒂夫·艾伦

作者简介

史蒂夫·艾伦（Steve Allen，1921—2000），多才多艺的美国艺人，不仅在电视节目和电影中演出、主持喜剧节目，还拥有作家、钢琴家、作曲家等多重身份。他先是作为客串主持人在一些娱乐节目中登场，后来开设了自己的脱口秀栏目。他热爱书籍和音乐，录制过多张爵士乐专辑，并获得了1963年格莱美“最佳爵士原创歌曲”奖。他一生出版过50多本书，可谓著作等身。

本文是作者1980年发表在《新闻周刊》（Newsweek）上的一篇文章。作者以清晰明澈的语言，针对“为何要阅读经典，如何享受阅读经典之乐”给出了自己的答案。如果你曾因种种原因与经典“绝缘”，本文或许能唤起你些许的旧时记忆。

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.

在学校里，我们学会了一项人类完成的最惊人也最困难的壮举——阅读。与此同时，我们也学会了讨厌那些最值得一读的东西！

这件事每个人都经历过——老师布置的阅读作业！我经历过。老师让我们读《白鲸记》1，我不想读，所以对着干，我不喜欢这本书。我以为自己赢了。

但是我输了。努力和《白鲸记》保持距离，使我没能从少数被称为“经典”的特殊书籍里学到有益的东西。

后来，我自愿重读了《白鲸记》。我喜欢上了它。每次阅读，我都能从中发现新的乐趣。

何为经典？

经典是给你愉悦之感的书，哪怕只有一瞬间也好，你终于从中揭示了生活的部分意义。

经典是经受住了时间考验的书，许多个世纪以来，全世界人不断拿来阅读，只为寻找特殊的启迪。

能通过这种考验的书不多。想一想从人类第一次在石上刻字起出版的所有书，经典只占其中极小一部分——不到0.001％，也就是区区几千本。在这里面，只有不到100本是精华。

为什么你应该拿起经典？为什么要试着欣赏经典？我提出了三个好理由：

一、经典开阔你的思维。

二、经典助你成长。

三、经典帮你理解生活、世界、你自己。

最后一点尤为重要。经典能让你洞察自身，这在别处可找不到。当然，你能从几乎任何书里获得乐趣。但是说到经典，一旦你读透了它，你自己就会得到提升！埃斯库罗斯的《奥瑞斯提亚》2写于近2500年前——它仍能让我神魂颠倒！但我能听到你在说：“我试着读过经典。它们太难理解了，我看不懂。”

让我给你提供些建议，帮你开启这个奇妙的世界。拿起一本你一直答应要试着读读的经典，然后接受艾伦博士的建议吧。

知道你读的是什么

它是小说、戏剧、传记还是历史？要弄清这一点，看一下目录，读一下封面和序言，或在《读者百科全书》里查一下书名或作者。

别在床上读书

我承认，经典读起来挺难。你需要时刻警醒、感官敏锐。当你在床上读书时，你就是在向睡神示爱——当开始打瞌睡时，你会抱怨是书不好。

别被众多人物混淆视线

陀思妥耶夫斯基在《卡拉马佐夫兄弟》3里把50个主要人物一股脑儿扔向你。在《战争与和平》的第一章里，托尔斯泰用22个名字轰炸你。那些名字又长又复杂，比如安娜·帕夫洛夫娜·舍列尔、阿纳托利、博尔孔斯基王子。别急着合上书，坚持下去。人物性格的差别会逐渐展现。你也会觉得，和他们在一起就像和自己的老朋友相处一样自在。毕竟，在你们相遇前，老朋友也是陌生人。

给作者一个机会

别那么快就说“我弄不懂”。坚持从头读到尾。尽管有时候，你可能还没准备好读那本书。在翻开柏拉图的《理想国》之前，我曾三次试着去读这本书。这绝对值得！所以，如果你确实读不下去膝上放的那本书，那就把它搁上一天或是一年，再试着读一次。

用大块时间阅读

不要零零散散地阅读。那样读你怎么能沉浸其中？你沉浸其中的时间越长，就越能把握书里的韵律和情感——你获得的乐趣也就越多。

阅读作者读的书

为了更好地理解作者思想的来源，读一读他曾读过并受其影响的书。例如，莎士比亚设计《凯撒大帝》《安东尼与克利奥帕特拉》和《仲夏夜之梦》的情节时，细致研读过诺斯4翻译的普鲁塔克的《希腊罗马名人传》。知道你在读作者读过的书是件挺有意思的事。

阅读作者的时代背景资料

你是自己时代的产物，作者是他那个时代的产物。了解那个时代的历史、他和其他人面对的难题、他们的态度，都有助于你理解作者的观点。重要的一点是，你可能不同意作者的观点。没关系。至少他让你思考了！

阅读作者的生平资料

你对作者本人的经历了解得越多，就越能理解他为什么会写这些作品。你会在他的作品里发现隐藏的自传轶事。作者忍不住要展示自己。我们对莎士比亚生平的大部分推测都来自他在戏剧里透露的线索。

再读一遍那本书

所有经典都经得起重读。如果你读完一本感兴趣的书，但仍觉得迷惑，那就马上重读一遍。它会带给你新的惊喜。

如果你几年前读过一部经典，并且爱上了它，那就再读一遍。它将有非常多的新东西要说给你听。你会很难相信它还是原来那本。

可供欣赏的一些经典

你可以找到专家开列的精彩“经典基础阅读”书单，比如克里夫顿·费迪曼的《一生的读书计划》《哈佛经典》和莫蒂默·J. 阿德勒的《伟大著作》。浏览一下这些书吧。

但在你开始前，我想推荐一些能点亮你生命的经典。尽管其中一些你或许曾被要求去读，所以早就倒了胃口，但不妨试着读读。试着读读吧。

一、荷马的《伊利亚特》和《奥德赛》。西方文学的鼻祖。读个现代的好译本。我最喜欢的是罗伯特·菲茨杰尔德5的译本。

二、拉伯雷的《巨人传》。卡冈都亚式的嬉闹。我推荐萨穆埃尔·帕特南6的译本。

三、杰弗里·乔叟的《坎特伯雷故事集》。在4天的朝圣之旅中，30个人轮流说弥天大谎。如果你在书里读到的人很像你在现实生活中认识的人，也别惊讶。

四、塞万提斯的《堂吉诃德》。第一部现代小说，讲述了可爱的“老堂”和他“不可能实现的梦想”。你怎么能一辈子都不读一遍这本书？

五、莎士比亚的戏剧。莎士比亚完成了37部戏剧。有些失败了，有些则让他成为了有史以来最伟大的作家。每一部作品都蕴含真金。其中最优秀的是《哈姆雷特》《麦克白》和《罗密欧与朱丽叶》。（戏剧演出也值得一看。）

六、查尔斯·狄更斯的《匹克威克外传》。说到将人物刻画得栩栩如生，无人能与狄更斯抗衡，特别是独具个性的塞缪尔·匹克威克先生。

七、马克·吐温的《哈克贝里·芬历险记》。或许你上学时必须读这本书。那么，重新爬上哈克和吉姆的小木筏吧，这次你会读出新的含义。

当然，这些只是经典的冰山一角。

面对经典的深潭，别只是浸湿脚尖。一头扎进去吧！你会像之前历代的智者一样，面对历史上最具天赋的作家，被他们的思想和洞察力激励至深。你仍会喜欢欣赏经典名画，倾听经典名曲，好书一样会吸引你。

有人说，经典是人类的日记。翻开这本日记，阅读关于自己的事——理解你自己。

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面对经典的深潭，别只是浸湿脚尖。一头扎进去吧！

Steve Allen 史蒂夫·艾伦

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1．《白鲸记》，美国作家赫尔曼·梅尔维尔的小说，描写了亚哈船长为了追逐并杀死白鲸莫比·迪克，最终与白鲸同归于尽的故事。这部小说场面宏阔博大，思想内涵复杂，哲理性很强，被誉为美国最伟大的小说之一。

2．《奥瑞斯提亚》，描述了迈锡尼宫廷政变和亲仇相杀的悲惨故事。

3．《卡拉马佐夫兄弟》，展示了错综复杂的社会、家庭矛盾和人性悲剧。

4．托马斯·诺斯（Thomas North，1535—1604），英国翻译家，普鲁塔克作品的英语译者。

5．罗伯特·菲茨杰尔德（Robert Fitzgerald，1910—1985），美国诗人、翻译家，以古希腊和拉丁文翻译著称。

6．萨穆埃尔·帕特南（Samuel Putnam，1892—1950），美国翻译家，最有名的译著是《堂吉诃德》英译本。