Why should you read James Joyce's "Ulysses"? - Sam Slote

翻译人员: 杰 杨 校对人员: Riley WANG

James Joyce's "Ulysses" is widely considered to be both a literary masterpiece

詹姆斯·乔伊斯的《尤利西斯》 既是一本广受认可的文学巨著，

and one of the hardest works of literature to read.

也是最难读懂的文学作品之一。

It inspires such devotion that once a year on a day called Bloomsday,

它深受读者喜爱， 以至于在一年一度的”布鲁姆日“，

thousands of people all over the world dress up like the characters,

来自世界各地的几千人 会打扮成书中人物的样子，

take to the streets,

来到街道上

and read the book aloud.

大声朗读这本书。

And some even make a pilgrimage to Dublin

还有一些人会特地 踏上旅程前往都柏林，

just to visit the places so vividly depicted in Joyce's opus.

就是为了一睹乔伊斯妙笔下 这座城市的风采。

So what is it about this famously difficult novel

那么究竟是什么 让这本出了名难懂的书

that inspires so many people?

感染了如此多的读者呢？

There's no one simple answer to that question,

要回答这个问题并不容易，

but there are a few remarkable things about the book

但是这本书的确 有一些非比寻常的东西

that keep people coming back.

让读者们百看不厌。

The plot, which transpires over the course of a single day,

这本书讲述了一天之内

is a story of three characters:

发生在三个人身上的故事：

Stephen Dedalus, reprised from Joyce's earlier novel,

第一个人是斯蒂芬·德迪勒斯，

"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man";

他曾出现在乔伊斯先前的作品 《一个青年艺术家的画像》中；

Leopold Bloom, a half-Jewish advertising canvasser for a Dublin newspaper;

第二位是有一半犹太血统的利奥波德·布鲁姆， 他是都柏林某报社的广告推销员；

and Bloom's wife Molly, who is about to embark on an affair.

第三位便是布鲁姆的妻子摩莉， 她正打算另寻情人。

Stephen is depressed because of his mother's recent death.

斯蒂芬正沉湎于最近母亲的离世中。

Meanwhile, Bloom wanders throughout the city.

与此同时，布鲁姆正在城里游走晃荡。

He goes to a funeral,

他先后去了一场葬礼，

his work,

他工作的地方，

a pub,

一个酒吧，

and so on,

以及一些其它的地方，

avoiding going home because Molly is about to begin her affair.

但他就是不回家， 因为摩莉将要离他而去。

Where it really starts to get interesting, though,

然而真正让这本书散发魅力的地方

is how the story's told.

在于故事的讲述方式。

Each chapter is written in a different style.

每一章节的写作风格都截然不同。

15 is a play,

若说15章是一部戏剧，

13 is like a cheesy romance novel,

那么13章则像是一部俏皮的爱情小说，

12 is a story with bizarre, exaggerated interruptions,

12章就是一个猝不及防， 戛然而止的故事，

11 uses techniques, like onomatopoeia, repetitions, and alliteration

11章则采用了多种文学技法， 比如拟声词、重复和头韵的运用，

to imitate music,

以模拟音乐的效果，

and 14 reproduces the evolution of English literary prose style,

而14章更像是重现了 英国散文风格的变革，

from its beginnings in Anglo-Saxon right up to the 20th century.

其时间跨度从盎格鲁-撒克逊时期 一直到20世纪。

That all culminates in the final chapter

它们在最终的章节达到了高潮，

which follows Molly's stream of consciousness

紧接着的便是摩莉的那段意识流，

as it spools out in just eight long paragraphs

其长度仅仅有8个自然段，

with almost no punctuation.

其中几乎没有标点符号。

The range of styles Joyce uses in "Ulysses"

乔伊斯在《尤利西斯》中 运用的多种语言风格

is one of the things that makes it so difficult,

是这本书如此难懂的原因之一，

but it also helps make it enjoyable.

但同时也让这本书更加耐人寻味；

And it's one of the reasons that the book is held up

同时也是让这本书中的许多语段

as one of the key texts of literary modernism,

被奉为文学现代主义运动 的圭臬的原因之一，

a movement characterized by overturning traditional modes of writing.

后者的主要特点便是 推翻传统的写作模式。

Joyce fills his narrative gymnastic routines

乔伊斯在讲述故事时不走寻常路，

with some of the most imaginative use of language you'll find anywhere.

在书中的各个角落你都可以发现 他对语言最具创造性的运用。

Take, for instance,

举个例子，

"The figure seated on a large boulder at the foot of a round tower

“坐在圆形炮塔脚下 的大圆石的那个人

was that of a broadshouldered deepchested stronglimbed frankeyed redhaired

生得肩宽胸厚、四肢发达、 眼神坦率、红头发、

freelyfreckled shaggybearded widemouthed largenosed longheaded deepvoiced

满脸雀斑、胡子拉碴、阔嘴大鼻 长长的头、嗓音深沉、

barekneed brawnyhanded hairlegged ruddyfaced sinewyarmed hero."

光着膝盖、膂力过人、腿上多毛 面色红润，一副英雄气概”

Here, Joyce exaggerates the description of a mangy old man in a pub

在这里，乔伊斯夸张了 酒馆里一位糟老头的特征，

to make him seem like an improbably gigantesque hero.

使他看起来像是个有悖常理的大英雄。

It's true that some sections are impenetrably dense at first glance,

书中的一些语段乍一看 的确是紧密到令人费解，

but it's up to the reader to let their eyes skim over them

但是读者要选择大致泛读

or break out a shovel and dig in.

还是精读深挖， 就取决于他们自己了。

And once you start excavating the text,

而一旦你开始深挖钻研书中的语段，

you'll find the book to be an encyclopedic treasure trove.

就会发现这本书 是个百科全书般的宝库，

It's filled with all manner of references and allusions

书中到处都在引经据典，

from medieval philosophy to the symbolism of tattoos,

上至中世纪哲学，下至象征主义的纹身，

and from Dante to Dublin slang.

上至但丁，下至都柏林的俚语。

As suggested by the title, some of these allusions revolve around Homer's "Odyssey."

正如本书的标题所暗示的， 有些典故是围绕荷马的《奥德赛》展开的。

Each chapter is named after a character or episode from the "Odyssey,"

书的每一章都以《奥德赛》中的 角色或是情节命名，

but the literary references are often coy, debatable, sarcastic, or disguised.

但是引用文学典故的形式往往是含蓄的， 有争议的，讽刺的，或名不副实。

For example, Homer's Odysseus, after an epic 20-year-long journey,

比如，荷马笔下的奥德修斯， 在经历了长达 20 年的艰辛归途后，

returns home to Ithaca and reunites with his faithful wife.

终于回到伊塔卡， 并和他忠贞不渝的妻子重聚。

In contrast, Joyce's Bloom wanders around Dublin for a day

相比之下，乔伊斯笔下的布鲁姆 则是在都柏林游荡了一天，

and returns home to his unfaithful wife.

最后回到家面对他见异思迁的妻子。

It's a very funny book.

这是本引人发笑的书，

It has highbrow intellectual humor,

它充满着浓厚的智慧与幽默，

if you have the patience to track down Joyce's references,

如果你有耐心追溯书中引用的典故，

and more lowbrow dirty jokes.

和数量更多的低俗笑话。

Those, and other sexual references, were too much for some.

这些内容和其他性暗示 对一部分人而言实在有些过度了。

In the U.S., the book was put on trial, banned, and censored

在美国，这本书曾被送上法庭， 被禁止发行，还受到了审查，

before it had even been completed

而那时整本书还尚未完成，

because it was originally published as a serial novel.

这是因为它原本是 以连载小说的形式发表的。

Readers of "Ulysses" aren't just led through a variety of literary styles.

《尤利西斯》的读者们不仅 领略了书中多样化的文学风格，

They're also given a rich and shockingly accurate tour

也能够体验到一次 异常充实，原汁原味的旅行，

of a specific place at a time:

而旅行目的地就是 那个特定的时间和地点：

Dublin in 1904.

1904 年的都柏林。

Joyce claimed that if Dublin were to be destroyed,

乔伊斯曾声称即便都柏林被毁灭了，

it could be recreated from the pages of this book.

人们也可以依据 这本书中的语段重建它。

While such a claim is not exactly true,

虽然这种说法有些言过其实，

it does show the great care that Joyce took in precisely representing details,

但是它的确表现了乔伊斯 对他家乡城市各种细节的精准把控，

both large and small, of his home city.

无论是大是小。

No small feat considering he wrote the entire novel

这实在是很了不起，

while living outside of his native Ireland.

要知道，他写这本书 的时候还身居异乡。

It's a testament to Joyce's genius that "Ulysses" is a difficult book.

这本异常难懂的书也是 乔伊斯卓越才能的明证。

Some people find it impenetrable without a full book of annotations

它让一些人倍感费解， 以至于他们需要一整本的注解

to help them understand what Joyce is even talking about.

来让自己理解乔伊斯 到底讲了些什么。

But there's a lot of joy to be found in reading it,

但读这本书会让你发掘出很多乐趣，

more than just unpacking allusions and solving puzzles.

不仅仅是找出其中指代的典故 和揭开书中难题的谜底。

And if it's difficult, or frustrating, or funny,

若你发觉这本书难以理解 或是叫人抓狂，亦或是令人捧腹，

that's because life is all that, and more.

那是因为生活本身也是如此， 甚至更加复杂、艰难。

Responding to some criticism of "Ulysses,"

《尤利西斯》在发行之初 遭受了大量的批评，

and there was a lot when it was first published,

而乔伊斯在回应这些声音时说，

Joyce said that if "Ulysses" isn't worth reading,

如果《尤利西斯》不值得一读，

then life isn't worth living.

那么人的一生也就不值得一过了。