How fiction can change reality - Jessica Wise

Kako fikcija može da promeni stvarnost - Džesika Vajz (Jessica Wise)

Prevodilac: Jelena Jaranović Lektor: Tatjana Jevdjic

Emily Dickinson said over a century ago

Pre više od jednog veka Emili Dikson je rekla

that "There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away ..."

da nema broda koji nas može odvesti dalje nego knjiga

i to je tačno.

And it's true.

When we pick up a book, turn on the TV, or watch a movie,

Kada uzmemo knjigu, uključimo TV ili gledamo film,

we're carried away down the currents of story into a world of imagination.

budemo poneseni tim pričama u svet mašte.

And when we land, on a shore that is both new and familiar,

I kada stupimo na tlo koje je istovremeno i novo i poznato,

nešto čudno se događa.

something strange happens.

Stepping onto the shore, we're changed.

U trenutku kada kročimo tamo, drugačiji smo.

We don't retrace the footsteps of the authors

Mi ne pratimo autora ili glavne likove - ne.

or characters we followed here.

No; instead, we walk a mile in their shoes.

Mi, zapravo, postajemo oni.

Researchers in psychology, neuroscience, child development and biology

Istraživanja u psihologiji, neurologiji, pedagogiji i biologiji

are finally starting to gain quantifiable scientific evidence,

napokon počinju da donose značajne naučne dokaze

koji pokazuju ono što su pisci i čitaoci oduvek znali:

showing what writers and readers have always known:

that stories have a unique ability to change a person's point of view.

priče na poseban način mogu da promene čovekovu tačku gledišta.

Naučnici nalaze dokaze po kojima priče oblikuju našu kulturu

Scholars are discovering evidence that stories shape culture,

and that much of what we believe about life comes not from fact,

i da se mnoga naša ubeđenja o životu ne zasnivaju na činjenicama

but from fiction -

već na fikciji. Da su naše ideje

that our ideas of class, marriage and even gender are relatively new,

o društvu, braku, čak i polu,

relativno nove i da su mnoge ideologije koje su važile vekovima

and that many ideologies which held fast for centuries

were revised within the 18th century,

bile prerađene tokom 18 veka i dorađene na stranama prvih romana.

and redrafted in the pages of the early novel.

Imagine a world where class, and not hard work,

Zamislite svet u kome društvena klasa, a ne rad, odlučuju o vrednosti čoveka.

decides a person's worth;

a world where women are simply men's more untamed copy;

Svet u kome je žena samo neobuzdana kopija muškarca.

Svet u kome je brak iz ljubavi samo bajka.

a world where marriage for love is a novel notion.

Well, that was the world in which Samuel Richardson's "Pamela"

Pa, to jeste bio svet u kome se pojavljuje "Pamela" Samjuela Ričardsona.

first appeared.

Richardson's love story starred a poor, serving-class heroine,

Njegova ljubavna priča prati siromašnu junakinju iz nižih slojeva

who is both more superior and smarter than her upper-class suitor.

koja je moralnija i pametnija od svog prosca iz viših slojeva društva.

The book, challenging a slew of traditions,

Knjiga je, dovodeći u pitanje mnoge tradicionalne stavove,

caused quite a ruckus.

podigla priličnu prašinu.

There was more press for "Pamela" than for Parliament.

Štampa je više pričala o "Pameli" nego o Parlamentu.

It spawned intense debate and several counter-novels.

Izazvala je žučne debate i nekoliko kontra-romana.

Still, for all those who couldn't accept "Pamela,"

Naspram svih onih koji nisu prihvatali "Pamelu",

others were eager for this new fictional world.

drugi su jedva čekali ovaj novi izmišljeni svet.

This best seller and all its literary heirs -

Ovaj bestseler i svi njegovi književni naslednici,

"Pride and Prejudice," "Jane Eyre," and yes, even "Twilight" -

"Gordost i predrasude", "Džejn Ejr", čak i "Zona sumraka",

have continuously shared the same tale and taught similar lessons,

nastavili su da pričaju istu priču i poručuju ono

which are now conventional and commonplace.

što je danas prihvaćeno i uobičajeno.

Similarly, novels have helped shape the minds of thought leaders

Na sličan način, romani su pomogli u oblikovanju

across history.

mišljenja velikih mislilaca kroz istoriju.

Some scholars say that Darwin's theory of evolution

Neki učenjaci kažu da Darvinova Teorija evolucije

is highly indebted to the plots he read and loved.

mnogo duguje književnim zapletima koje je voleo.

His theory privileges intelligence, swiftness, and adaptability to change -

Njegova teorija zastupa inteligenciju,

brzinu i mogućnost promene - što su osnovne osobine junaka.

all core characteristics in a hero.

Whether you're reading "Harry Potter" or "Great Expectations,"

Bilo da čitate "Harija Potera" ili "Velika očekivanja",

you're reading the kind of plot that inspired Darwin.

čitate onu vrstu zapleta koja je inspirisala Darvina.

Yet, recent studies show that his theory might not be the whole story.

Ali, skorije studije pokazuju da njegova teorija možda nije cela priča.

Our sense of being a hero - one man or one woman

Naš doživljaj heroja - jedan čovek, žena ili jedna vrsta,

or even one species taking on the challenges of the world -

nasuprot celog sveta, može biti pogrešna.

might be wrong.

Instead of being hardwired for competition

Umesto da smo usmereni na nadmetanje

for being the solitary heroes in our own story,

da postanemo usamljeni heroji svojih priča,

we might instead be members of a shared quest.

možda smo zapravo učesnici zajedničke potrage?

Više Hobit nego Hari.

More Hobbit than Harry.

Sometimes, of course, the shoes we've been walking in

Naravno, nekada cipele u kojima smo postanu iznošene.

can get plain worn out.

After all, we haven't walked just one mile

Jer, niste hodali samo kilometar u cipelama Džejn Ostin ili Marka Tvena,

in Jane Austen's or Mark Twain's shoes -

we've walked about 100 trillion miles in them.

već stotinu biliona kilometara u njima!

This isn't to say that we can't read and enjoy the classics;

Ne kažemo da ne možemo da čitamo i uživamo u klasicima,

we should travel with Dickens,

trebalo bi da putujemo sa Dikensom,

let Pip teach us what to expect from ourselves,

da pustimo da nas Pip nauči šta da očekujemo od sebe,

have a talk with Austen and Elizabeth about our prides and prejudices.

da popričamo sa Ostin i Elizabet o našim gordostima i predsrasudama.

We should float with Twain down the Mississippi,

Trebalo bi da plovimo sa Tvenom niz Misisipi

and have Jim show us what it means to be good.

i pustimo Džima da nam pokaže šta znači biti dobar.

But on our journey, we should also keep in mind

Ali na tom putu treba imati na umu

that the terrain has changed.

da se teren promenio. Počećemo da tražimo čizme

We'll start shopping around for boots

koje su napravljene za nove predele.

that were made for walking into a new era.

Take, for instance, Katniss Everdeen and her battle with the Capitol.

Uzmite, na primer, Ketnis Everdin i njenu borbu sa Kapitolom.

Can "Hunger Games" lead us into thinking about capitalism in a new way?

Mogu li "Igre gladi" da učine da o kapitalizmu razmišljamo drugačije?

Can it teach us a lesson

Mogu li nas naučiti tome zašto pojedinac ne treba da stavlja sebe ispred grupe?

about why the individual should not put herself before the group?

Will "Uglies" reflect the dangers of pursuing a perfect body

Hoće li "Rugobe" ukazati na opasnosti jurenja za savršenim telom

and letting the media define what is beautiful?

i dozvoliti da mediji određuju šta je lepo?

Will "Seekers" trod a path beyond global warming?

Hoće li "Tragači" postaviti put izvan globalnog zagrevanja?

Will the life-and-death struggles of Toklo, Kallik, Lusa and the other bears

Hoće li borba na život i smrt Tokla,

Kalika, Luze i ostalih medveda ukazati na to kako da razumemo životinje

chart a course for understanding animals and our place in their world?

i naše mesto u njihovom svetu?

Only the future will tell which stories will engage our imagination,

Budućnost će pokazati koje će priče zagolicati našu maštu

i koje ćemo iluzorne bajke stvarati sutra,

which tales of make-believe we'll make tomorrow.

But the good news is this:

ali dobre vesti su:

there are new stories to venture in every day,

ima novih priča koje možemo osvajati svakoga dana.

new tales that promise to influence, to create and to spark change -

Nove priče koje bi mogle da utiču, da stvore i podstaknu promene.

stories that you might even write yourself.

Priče koje ćete možda sami napisati.

So I guess the final question is this:

Pa, pretpostavljam da je zaključno pitanje:

What story will you try on next?

koju ćete sledeću priču pokušati?