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

Translator: Sylvia He Reviewer: C iff

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

喬伊斯嘅《尤利西斯》

係公認嘅文學傑作

and one of the hardest works of literature to read.

亦係最難讀嘅作品之一

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

佢嘅書迷創立咗 一年一度嘅「布盧姆日」

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

喺個日，全世界有幾千人

take to the streets,

扮成書裡邊嘅人物遊街

and read the book aloud.

同大聲讀呢本書

And some even make a pilgrimage to Dublin

仲有人去都柏林朝拜

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

重遊書裡生動描述嘅地方

So what is it about this famously difficult novel

點解一本咁難讀嘅書

that inspires so many people?

會有咁多書迷嘅？

There's no one simple answer to that question,

呢個問題冇絕對嘅答案

but there are a few remarkable things about the book

但係呢本書有佢非凡之處

that keep people coming back.

令人回味

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

書裡邊描述一日內發生嘅事

is a story of three characters:

圍繞著三個主角

Stephen Dedalus, reprised from Joyce's earlier novel,

史蒂芬．迪達勒斯，係喬伊斯早期小說

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

《一位青年藝術家嘅畫像》嘅一個角色

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

李奧波德．布魯姆——半猶太人

係個都柏林報紙推銷商

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

布魯姆嘅太太——茉莉

喺故事裡邊有段風流韻事

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

近嚟，史蒂芬因為母親嘅死而好傷痛

Meanwhile, Bloom wanders throughout the city.

同時，布魯姆喺個城市度行來行去

He goes to a funeral,

佢去咗個喪禮

his work,

去返工

a pub,

去酒吧

and so on,

等等

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

就係唔返屋企，因為茉莉要出軌嘞

Where it really starts to get interesting, though,

作者嘅敘事手法令故事開始變得有趣

is how the story's told.

Each chapter is written in a different style.

每章用唔同嘅風格寫成

15 is a play,

第 15 章係個劇本

13 is like a cheesy romance novel,

第 13 章好似部老套嘅浪漫小說

12 is a story with bizarre, exaggerated interruptions,

第 12 章是個古怪

充滿誇張嘅打岔嘅故事

11 uses techniques, like onomatopoeia, repetitions, and alliteration

第 11 章運用擬聲法、重複 同押頭韻等寫作技巧

to imitate music,

嚟模仿樂聲

and 14 reproduces the evolution of English literary prose style,

而第 14 章重現咗 英國文學嘅風格嘅進化

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

從盎格魯撒克遜時代到二十世紀

That all culminates in the final chapter

全部章節都係為最後一章鋪墊

which follows Molly's stream of consciousness

最後一章跟住茉莉嘅意識流

as it spools out in just eight long paragraphs

水蛇春咁嘅八個段落

with almost no punctuation.

幾乎冇咩標點符號

The range of styles Joyce uses in "Ulysses"

《尤利西斯》難讀嘅原因之一

is one of the things that makes it so difficult,

係因為喬伊斯用咗好多風格

but it also helps make it enjoyable.

但係咁，本書就更加耐人尋味

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

同成功

as one of the key texts of literary modernism,

佢係文學現代主義重要嘅文本之一

a movement characterized by overturning traditional modes of writing.

現代主義顛覆傳統嘅敘事手法

Joyce fills his narrative gymnastic routines

喬伊斯嘅敘述好似玩雜技

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

佢用語嘅想像力無人能及

Take, for instance,

譬如

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

「坐喺圓塔下巨石上嘅嗰個人，

was that of a broadshouldered deepchested stronglimbed frankeyed redhaired

寬肩厚胸，四肢強壯，

神情坦率，成頭紅髮，

freelyfreckled shaggybearded widemouthed largenosed longheaded deepvoiced

成面雀斑，鬍須凌亂，闊嘴大鼻，

頭很長，嗓音低沉，

barekneed brawnyhanded hairlegged ruddyfaced sinewyarmed hero."

膝頭光著，手臂粗，腳多毛，

臉色紅潤，肌肉發達， 充滿英雄氣概。」

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

喬伊斯將一個坐吧嘅污糟老男人

to make him seem like an improbably gigantesque hero.

描寫成大英雄

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

書裡邊有啲片段，驟眼一睇真係睇唔明

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

不過讀者想讀個大概

or break out a shovel and dig in.

定係精讀，就隨佢自己嘞

And once you start excavating the text,

當你開始深入研究啲文字

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

就會發現呢本書好似本百科全書咁

It's filled with all manner of references and allusions

處處都喺度引經據典

from medieval philosophy to the symbolism of tattoos,

上至中世紀哲學，下至紋身嘅象徵主義

and from Dante to Dublin slang.

上至 Dante Alighieri 下至都柏林嘅俚語

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

正如書名暗示 有啲典故嚟自荷馬嘅《奧德賽》

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

每章都以《奧德賽》嘅人物 或者情節命名

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

引用得含蓄、有爭議、諷刺，同隱悔

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

returns home to Ithaca and reunites with his faithful wife.

譬如，奧德修斯流浪咗 20 年後

返到伊塔卡同佢忠貞嘅妻子重聚

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

而布魯姆就係喺都柏林遊咗一日

and returns home to his unfaithful wife.

最後返屋企去面對佢好唔忠貞嘅太太

It's a very funny book.

呢係一本引人發笑嘅書

It has highbrow intellectual humor,

有好多高雅嘅智慧同幽默

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

如果你有耐心追溯書裡邊嘅典故

and more lowbrow dirty jokes.

同眾多嘅黃色笑話

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

你就會明白點解有啲人認為

啲內容同其他性暗示太過分

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

呢本書曾經被告上法庭同被禁

before it had even been completed

個時本書仲未寫完

because it was originally published as a serial novel.

因為佢係以連載形式發表嘅

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

讀呢本書唔只可以領略到多種文學風格

They're also given a rich and shockingly accurate tour

仲會好似返到去

of a specific place at a time:

1904 年嘅都柏林

Dublin in 1904.

Joyce claimed that if Dublin were to be destroyed,

喬伊斯曾經講，即使都柏林被毀滅咗

it could be recreated from the pages of this book.

後人仲係可以依據呢本書重建佢

While such a claim is not exactly true,

雖然呢種講法有啲誇張

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

但係喬伊斯對都柏林嘅

both large and small, of his home city.

大小細節嘅描述真係好精準

No small feat considering he wrote the entire novel

真係好好嘢

while living outside of his native Ireland.

尤其因為佢寫呢本書時身在他鄉

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

呢本書難讀亦證明咗喬伊斯係天才

Some people find it impenetrable without a full book of annotations

有啲人冇本註解旁手

to help them understand what Joyce is even talking about.

根本睇唔明呢本書

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

但係，呢本書唔只係揾出 其中嘅典故或謎題嘅答案

more than just unpacking allusions and solving puzzles.

仲會帶畀你好多樂趣

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

如果你覺得呢本書難懂，令人失意

又或者好好笑

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

噉其實生活本身亦應該係咁 甚至個程度仲係過之而無不及

Responding to some criticism of "Ulysses,"

《尤利西斯》發行之後批評如潮

and there was a lot when it was first published,

喬伊斯回應話係

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

如果《尤利西斯》唔值得讀

then life isn't worth living.

咁人一世就唔值得過嘞