style-第11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！


n　humanity　…　it　asks　no　expense　of　thought。　　There　is　a　scanty　public　in　England　for　tragedy　or　for　comedy：　　the　characters　and　situations　handled　by　the　sentimentalist　might　perchance　furnish　comedy　with　a　theme；　but　he　stilts　them　for　a　tragic　performance；　and　they　tumble　into　watery　bathos；　where　a　numerous　public　awaits　them。

A　similar　degradation　of　the　intellectual　elements　that　are　present　in　all　good　literature　is　practised　by　those　whose　single　aim　is　to　provoke　laughter。　　In　much　of　our　so…called　comic　writing　a　superabundance　of　boisterous　animal　spirits；　restrained　from　more　practical　expression　by　the　ordinances　of　civil　society；　finds　outlet　and　relief。　　The　grimaces　and　caperings　of　buffoonery；　the　gymnastics　of　the　punster　and　the　parodist；　the　revels　of　pure　nonsense　may　be；　at　their　best；　a　refreshment　and　delight；　but　they　are　not　comedy；　and　have　proved　in　effect　not　a　little　hostile　to　the　existence　of　comedy。　　The　prevalence　of　jokers；　moreover；　spoils　the　game　of　humour；　the　sputter　and　sparkle　of　their　made　jokes　interferes　with　that　luminous　contemplation　of　the　incongruities　of　life　and　the　universe　which　is　humour's　essence。　All　that　is　ludicrous　depends　on　some　disproportion：　　Comedy　judges　the　actual　world　by　contrasting　it　with　an　ideal　of　sound　sense；　Humour　reveals　it　in　its　true　dimensions　by　turning　on　it　the　light　of　imagination　and　poetry。　　The　perception　of　these　incongruities；　which　are　eternal；　demands　some　expense　of　intellect；　a　cheaper　amusement　may　be　enjoyed　by　him　who　is　content　to　take　his　stand　on　his　own　habits　and　prejudices　and　to　laugh　at　all　that　does　not　square　with　them。　　This　was　the　method　of　the　age　which；　in　the　abysmal　profound　of　waggery；　engendered　that　portentous　birth；　the　comic　paper。　　Foreigners；　it　is　said；　do　not　laugh　at　the　wit　of　these　journals；　and　no　wonder；　for　only　a　minute　study　of　the　customs　and　preoccupations　of　certain　sections　of　English　society　could　enable　them　to　understand　the　point　of　view。　　From　time　to　time　one　or　another　of　the　writers　who　are　called　upon　for　their　weekly　tale　of　jokes　seems　struggling　upward　to　the　free　domain　of　Comedy；　but　in　vain；　his　public　holds　him　down；　and　compels　him　to　laugh　in　chains。　　Some　day；　perchance；　a　literary　historian；　filled　with　the　spirit　of　Cervantes　or　of　Moliere；　will　give　account　of　the　Victorian　era；　and；　not　disdaining　small　things；　will　draw　a　picture　of　the　society　which　inspired　and　controlled　so　resolute　a　jocularity。　　Then；　at　last；　will　the　spirit　of　Comedy　recognise　that　these　were　indeed　what　they　claimed　to　be　…　comic　papers。

〃The　style　is　the　man；〃　but　the　social　and　rhetorical　influences　adulterate　and　debase　it；　until　not　one　man　in　a　thousand　achieves　his　birthright；　or　claims　his　second　self。　　The　fire　of　the　soul　burns　all　too　feebly；　and　warms　itself　by　the　reflected　heat　from　the　society　around　it。　　We　give　back　words　of　tepid　greeting；　without　improvement。　　We　talk　to　our　fellows　in　the　phrases　we　learn　from　them；　which　come　to　mean　less　and　less　as　they　grow　worn　with　use。　　Then　we　exaggerate　and　distort；　heaping　epithet　upon　epithet　in　the　endeavour　to　get　a　little　warmth　out　of　the　smouldering　pile。　　The　quiet　cynicism　of　our　everyday　demeanour　is　open　and　shameless；　we　callously　anticipate　objections　founded　on　the　well…known　vacuity　of　our　seeming　emotions；　and　assure　our　friends　that　we　are　〃truly〃　grieved　or　〃sincerely〃　rejoiced　at　their　hap　…　as　if　joy　or　grief　that　really　exists　were　some　rare　and　precious　brand　of　joy　or　grief。　　In　its　trivial　conversational　uses　so　simple　and　pure　a　thing　as　joy　becomes　a　sandwich…man　…　humanity　degraded　to　an　advertisement。　　The　poor　dejected　word　shuffles　along　through　the　mud　in　the　service　of　the　sleek　trader　who　employs　it；　and　not　until　it　meets　with　a　poet　is　it　rehabilitated　and　restored　to　dignity。

This　is　no　indictment　of　society；　which　came　into　being　before　literature；　and；　in　all　the　distraction　of　its　multifarious　concerns；　can　hardly　keep　a　school　for　Style。　　It　is　rather　a　demonstration　of　the　necessity；　amid　the　wealthy　disorder　of　modern　civilisation；　for　poetic　diction。　　One　of　the　hardest　of　a　poet's　tasks　is　the　search　for　his　vocabulary。　　Perhaps　in　some　idyllic　pasture…land　of　Utopia　there　may　have　flourished　a　state　where　division　of　labour　was　unknown；　where　community　of　ideas；　as　well　as　of　property；　was　absolute；　and　where　the　language　of　every　day　ran　clear　into　poetry　without　the　need　of　a　refining　process。　　They　say　that　Caedmon　was　a　cow…keeper：　　but　the　shepherds　of　Theocritus　and　Virgil　are　figments　of　a　courtly　brain；　and　Wordsworth　himself；　in　his　boldest　flights　of　theory；　was　forced　to　allow　of　selection。　Even　by　selection　from　among　the　chaos　of　implements　that　are　in　daily　use　around　him；　a　poet　can　barely　equip　himself　with　a　choice　of　words　sufficient　for　his　needs；　he　must　have　recourse　to　his　predecessors；　and　so　it　comes　about　that　the　poetry　of　the　modern　world　is　a　store…house　of　obsolete　diction。　　The　most　surprising　characteristic　of　the　right　poetic　diction；　whether　it　draw　its　vocabulary　from　near　at　hand；　or　avail　itself　of　the　far…fetched　inheritance　preserved　by　the　poets；　is　its　matchless　sincerity。　Something　of　extravagance　there　may　be　in　those　brilliant　clusters　of　romantic　words　that　are　everywhere　found　in　the　work　of　Shakespeare；　or　Spenser；　or　Keats；　but　they　are　the　natural　leafage　and　fruitage　of　a　luxuriant　imagination；　which；　lacking　these；　could　not　attain　to　its　full　height。　　Only　by　the　energy　of　the　arts　can　a　voice　be　given　to　the　subtleties　and　raptures　of　emotional　experience；　ordinary　social　intercourse　affords　neither　opportunity　nor　means　for　this　fervour　of　self…revelation。　　And　if　the　highest　reach　of　poetry　is　often　to　be　found　in　the　use　of　common　colloquialisms；　charged　with　the　intensity　of　restrained　passion；　this　is　not　due　to　a　greater　sincerity　of　expression；　but　to　the　strength　derived　from　dramatic　situation。　　Where　speech　spends　itself　on　its　subject；　drama　stands　idle；　but　where　the　dramatic　stress　is　at　its　greatest；　three　or　four　words　may　enshrine　all　the　passion　of　the　moment。　　Romeo's　apostrophe　from　under　the　balcony　…


O；　speak　again；　bright　Angel！　for　thou　art　As　glorious　to　this　night；　being　o'er　my　head；　As　is　a　winged　messenger　of　heaven　Unto　the　white…upturned　wond'ring　eyes　Of　mortals　that　fall　back　to　gaze　on　him；　When　he　bestrides　the　lazy…pacing　clouds；　And　sails　upon　the　bosom　of　the　air　…


though　it　breathe　the　soul　of　romance；　must　yield；　for　sheer　effect；　to　his　later　soliloquy；　spoken　when　the　news　of　Juliet's　death　is　brought　to　him；


Well；　Juliet；　I　will　lie　with　thee　to…night。


And　even　the　constellated　glories　of　PARADISE　LOST　are　less　moving　than　the　plain　words　wherein　Samson　forecasts　his　approaching　end　…


So　much　I　feel　my　genial　spirits　droop；　My　hopes　all　flat；　Nature　within　me　seems　In　all　her　functions　weary　of　herself；　My　race　of　glory　run　and　race　of　shame；　And　I　shall　shortly　be　with　them　that　rest。


Here　are　simple　words　raised　to　a　higher　power　and　animated　with　a　purer　intention　than　they　carry　in　ordinary　life。　　It　is　this　unfailing　note　of　sincerity；　eloquent　or　laconic；　that　has　made　poetry　the　teacher　of　prose。　　Phrases　which；　to　all　seeming；　might　have　been　hit　on　by　the　first　comer；　are　often　cut　away　from　their　poetical　context　and　robbed　of　their　musical　value　that　they　may　be　transferred　to　the　service　of　prose。　　They　bring　with　them；　down　to　the　valley；　a　wafted　sense　of　some　region　of　higher　thought　and　purer　feeling。　　They　bear；　perhaps；　no　marks　of　curious　diction　to　know　them　by。　　Whence　comes　the　irresistible　pathos　of　the　lines　…


I　cannot　but　remember　such　things　were　That　were　most　precious　to　me？


The　thought；　the　diction；　the　syntax；　might　all　occur　in　prose。　Yet　when　once　the　stamp　of　poetry　has　been　put　upon　a　cry　that　is　as　old　as　humanity；　prose　desists　from　rivalry；　and　is　content　to　quote。　　Some　of　the　greatest　prose…writers　have　not　disdained　the　help　of　these　borrowed　graces　for　the　crown　of　their　fabric。　　In　this　way　De　Quincey　widens　the　imaginative　range　of　his　prose；　and　sets　back　the　limits　assigned　to　prose　diction。　　So　too；　Charles　Lamb；　interweaving　the　stuff　of　experience　with　phrases　quoted　or　altered　from　the　poets；　illuminates　both　life　and　poetry；　letting　his　sympathetic　humour　play　now　on　the　warp　of　the　texture；　and　now　on　the　woof。　　The　style　of　Burke　furnishes　a　still　better　example；　for　the　spontaneous　evolution　of　his　prose　might　be　thought　to　forbid　the　inclusion　of　borrowed　fragments。　　Yet　whenever　he　is　deeply　stirred；　memories　of　Virgil；　Milton；　or　the　English　Bible　rise　to　his　aid；　almost　as　if　strong　emotion　could　express　itself　in　no　other　language。　　Even　the　poor　invectives　of　political　controversy　gain　a　measure　of　dignity　from　the　skilful　application　of　some　famous　line；　the　touch　of　the　poet's　sincerity　rests　on　them　for　a　moment；　and　seems　to　lend　them　an　alien　splendour。　　It　is　like　the　blessing　of　a　priest；　invoked　by　the　pious；　or　by　the　worldly；　for　the　good　success　of　whatever　business　they　have　in　hand。　　Poetry　has　no　temporal　ends　to　serve；　no　livelihood　to　earn；　and　is　under　no　temptation　to　cog　and　lie：　　wheref