selected prose of oscar wilde-第7节

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！








He　who　would　stir　us　now　by　fiction　must　either　give　us　an　entirely

new　background；　or　reveal　to　us　the　soul　of　man　in　its　innermost

workings。　　The　first　is　for　the　moment　being　done　for　us　by　Mr。

Rudyard　Kipling。　　As　one　turns　over　the　pages　of　his　Plain　Tales

from　the　Hills；　one　feels　as　if　one　were　seated　under　a　palm…tree

reading　life　by　superb　flashes　of　vulgarity。　　The　bright　colours　of

the　bazaars　dazzle　one's　eyes。　　The　jaded；　second…rate　Anglo…Indians

are　in　exquisite　incongruity　with　their　surroundings。　　The　mere　lack

of　style　in　the　story…teller　gives　an　odd　journalistic　realism　to

what　he　tells　us。　　From　the　point　of　view　of　literature　Mr。　Kipling

is　a　genius　who　drops　his　aspirates。　　From　the　point　of　view　of

life；　he　is　a　reporter　who　knows　vulgarity　better　than　any　one　has

ever　known　it。　　Dickens　knew　its　clothes　and　its　comedy。　　Mr。

Kipling　knows　its　essence　and　its　seriousness。　　He　is　our　first

authority　on　the　second…rate；　and　has　seen　marvellous　things　through

keyholes；　and　his　backgrounds　are　real　works　of　art。　　As　for　the

second　condition；　we　have　had　Browning；　and　Meredith　is　with　us。

But　there　is　still　much　to　be　done　in　the　sphere　of　introspection。

People　sometimes　say　that　fiction　is　getting　too　morbid。　　As　far　as

psychology　is　concerned；　it　has　never　been　morbid　enough。　　We　have

merely　touched　the　surface　of　the　soul；　that　is　all。　　In　one　single

ivory　cell　of　the　brain　there　are　stored　away　things　more　marvellous

and　more　terrible　than　even　they　have　dreamed　of；　who；　like　the

author　of　Le　Rouge　et　le　Noir；　have　sought　to　track　the　soul　into

its　most　secret　places；　and　to　make　life　confess　its　dearest　sins。

Still；　there　is　a　limit　even　to　the　number　of　untried　backgrounds；

and　it　is　possible　that　a　further　development　of　the　habit　of

introspection　may　prove　fatal　to　that　creative　faculty　to　which　it

seeks　to　supply　fresh　material。　　I　myself　am　inclined　to　think　that

creation　is　doomed。　　It　springs　from　too　primitive；　too　natural　an

impulse。　　However　this　may　be；　it　is　certain　that　the　subject…matter

at　the　disposal　of　creation　is　always　diminishing；　while　the

subject…matter　of　criticism　increases　daily。　　There　are　always　new

attitudes　for　the　mind；　and　new　points　of　view。　　The　duty　of

imposing　form　upon　chaos　does　not　grow　less　as　the　world　advances。

There　was　never　a　time　when　Criticism　was　more　needed　than　it　is

now。　　It　is　only　by　its　means　that　Humanity　can　become　conscious　of

the　point　at　which　it　has　arrived。The　Critic　as　Artist







WITHOUT　FRONTIERS







Goetheyou　will　not　misunderstand　what　I　saywas　a　German　of　the

Germans。　　He　loved　his　countryno　man　more　so。　　Its　people　were

dear　to　him；　and　he　led　them。　　Yet；　when　the　iron　hoof　of　Napoleon

trampled　upon　vineyard　and　cornfield；　his　lips　were　silent。　　'How

can　one　write　songs　of　hatred　without　hating？'　he　said　to　Eckermann；

'and　how　could　I；　to　whom　culture　and　barbarism　are　alone　of

importance；　hate　a　nation　which　is　among　the　most　cultivated　of　the

earth　and　to　which　I　owe　so　great　a　part　of　my　own　cultivation？'

This　note；　sounded　in　the　modern　world　by　Goethe　first；　will　become；

I　think；　the　starting　point　for　the　cosmopolitanism　of　the　future。

Criticism　will　annihilate　race…prejudices；　by　insisting　upon　the

unity　of　the　human　mind　in　the　variety　of　its　forms。　　If　we　are

tempted　to　make　war　upon　another　nation；　we　shall　remember　that　we

are　seeking　to　destroy　an　element　of　our　own　culture；　and　possibly

its　most　important　element。　　As　long　as　war　is　regarded　as　wicked；

it　will　always　have　its　fascination。　　When　it　is　looked　upon　as

vulgar；　it　will　cease　to　be　popular。　　The　change　will　of　course　be

slow；　and　people　will　not　be　conscious　of　it。　　They　will　not　say　'We

will　not　war　against　France　because　her　prose　is　perfect；'　but

because　the　prose　of　France　is　perfect；　they　will　not　hate　the　land。

Intellectual　criticism　will　bind　Europe　together　in　bonds　far　closer

than　those　that　can　be　forged　by　shopman　or　sentimentalist。　　It　will

give　us　the　peace　that　springs　from　understanding。The　Critic　as

Artist







THE　POETRY　OF　ARCHAEOLOGY







Infessura　tells　us　that　in　1485　some　workmen　digging　on　the　Appian

Way　came　across　an　old　Roman　sarcophagus　inscribed　with　the　name

'Julia；　daughter　of　Claudius。'　　On　opening　the　coffer　they　found

within　its　marble　womb　the　body　of　a　beautiful　girl　of　about　fifteen

years　of　age；　preserved　by　the　embalmer's　skill　from　corruption　and

the　decay　of　time。　　Her　eyes　were　half　open；　her　hair　rippled　round

her　in　crisp　curling　gold；　and　from　her　lips　and　cheek　the　bloom　of

maidenhood　had　not　yet　departed。　　Borne　back　to　the　Capitol；　she

became　at　once　the　centre　of　a　new　cult；　and　from　all　parts　of　the

city　crowded　pilgrims　to　worship　at　the　wonderful　shrine；　till　the

Pope；　fearing　lest　those　who　had　found　the　secret　of　beauty　in　a

Pagan　tomb　might　forget　what　secrets　Judaea's　rough　and　rock…hewn

sepulchre　contained；　had　the　body　conveyed　away　by　night；　and　in

secret　buried。　　Legend　though　it　may　be；　yet　the　story　is　none　the

less　valuable　as　showing　us　the　attitude　of　the　Renaissance　towards

the　antique　world。　　Archaeology　to　them　was　not　a　mere　science　for

the　antiquarian；　it　was　a　means　by　which　they　could　touch　the　dry

dust　of　antiquity　into　the　very　breath　and　beauty　of　life；　and　fill

with　the　new　wine　of　romanticism　forms　that　else　had　been　old　and

outworn。　　From　the　pulpit　of　Niccola　Pisano　down　to　Mantegna's

'Triumph　of　Caesar；'　and　the　service　Cellini　designed　for　King

Francis；　the　influence　of　this　spirit　can　be　traced；　nor　was　it

confined　merely　to　the　immobile　artsthe　arts　of　arrested　movement…

…but　its　influence　was　to　be　seen　also　in　the　great　Graeco…Roman

masques　which　were　the　constant　amusement　of　the　gay　courts　of　the

time；　and　in　the　public　pomps　and　processions　with　which　the

citizens　of　big　commercial　towns　were　wont　to　greet　the　princes　that

chanced　to　visit　them；　pageants；　by　the　way；　which　were　considered

so　important　that　large　prints　were　made　of　them　and　publisheda

fact　which　is　a　proof　of　the　general　interest　at　the　time　in　matters

of　such　kind。The　Truth　of　Masks







THE　ART　OF　ARCHAEOLOGY







Indeed　archaeology　is　only　really　delightful　when　transfused　into

some　form　of　art。　　I　have　no　desire　to　underrate　the　services　of

laborious　scholars；　but　I　feel　that　the　use　Keats　made　of

Lempriere's　Dictionary　is　of　far　more　value　to　us　than　Professor　Max

Muller's　treatment　of　the　same　mythology　as　a　disease　of　language。

Better　Endymion　than　any　theory；　however　sound；　or；　as　in　the

present　instance；　unsound；　of　an　epidemic　among　adjectives！　　And　who

does　not　feel　that　the　chief　glory　of　Piranesi's　book　on　Vases　is

that　it　gave　Keats　the　suggestion　for　his　'Ode　on　a　Grecian　Urn'？

Art；　and　art　only；　can　make　archaeology　beautiful；　and　the　theatric

art　can　use　it　most　directly　and　most　vividly；　for　it　can　combine　in

one　exquisite　presentation　the　illusion　of　actual　life　with　the

wonder　of　the　unreal　world。　　But　the　sixteenth　century　was　not

merely　the　age　of　Vitruvius；　it　was　the　age　of　Vecellio　also。　　Every

nation　seems　suddenly　to　have　become　interested　in　the　dress　of　its

neighbours。　　Europe　began　to　investigate　its　own　clothes；　and　the

amount　of　books　published　on　national　costumes　is　quite

extraordinary。　　At　the　beginning　of　the　century　the　Nuremberg

Chronicle；　with　its　two　thousand　illustrations；　reached　its　fifth

edition；　and　before　the　century　was　over　seventeen　editions　were

published　of　Munster's　Cosmography。　　Besides　these　two　books　there

were　also　the　works　of　Michael　Colyns；　of　Hans　Weigel；　of　Amman；　and

of　Vecellio　himself；　all　of　them　well　illustrated；　some　of　the

drawings　in　Vecellio　being　probably　from　the　hand　of　Titian。



Nor　was　it　merely　from　books　and　treatises　that　they　acquired　their

knowledge。　　The　development　of　the　habit　of　foreign　travel；　the

increased　commercial　intercourse　between　countries；　and　the

frequency　of　diplomatic　missions；　gave　every　nation　many

opportunities　of　studying　the　various　forms　of　contemporary　dress。

After　the　departure　from　England；　for　instance；　of　the　ambassadors

from　the　Czar；　the　Sultan　and　the　Prince　of　Morocco；　Henry　the

Eighth　and　his　friends　gave　several　masques　in　the　strange　attire　of

their　visitors。　　Later　on　London　saw；　perhaps　too　often；　the　sombre

splendour　of　the　Spanish　Court；　and　to　Elizabeth　came　envoys　from

all　lands；　whose　dress；　Shakespeare　tells　us；　had　an　important

influence　on　English　costume。The　Truth　of　Masks







HEROD　SUPPLIANT







Non；　non；　vous　ne　voulez　pas　cela。　　Vous　me　dites　cela　seulement

pour　me　faire　de　la　peine；　parce　que　je　vous　ai　regardee　pendant

toute　la　soiree。　　Eh！　bien；　oui。　　Je　vous　ai　regardee　pendant　toute

la　soiree。　　Votre　beaute　m'a　trouble。　　Votre　beaute　m'a　terriblement

trouble；　et　je　vous　ai　trop　regardee。　　Mais　je　ne　le　ferai　plus。　　Il