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

譯者: Dai-Yun Wu 審譯者: Sylvia He

「要學習，就得虛心。 然而人生就是一位偉大的老師。」

--- 詹姆斯·喬伊斯的《尤利西斯》

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

詹姆斯·喬伊斯的《尤利西斯》 被廣泛認為既是文學傑作，

and one of the hardest works of literature to read.

也是最難讀的文學作品之一。

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

它激發人們創立一年一度的 「布魯姆日」，

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

在這天，來自世界各地的成千上萬人 會打扮成書中角色，

take to the streets,

走到街上

and read the book aloud.

大聲朗讀這本書。

And some even make a pilgrimage to Dublin

有些人甚至會到都柏林朝聖，

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

就為了參觀那些喬伊斯書中 栩栩如生的場景。

So what is it about this famously difficult novel

究竟這本出了名難讀的小說

that inspires so many people?

是如何啟發這麼多人？

There's no one simple answer to that question,

這個問題沒有簡單的解答，

but there are a few remarkable things about the book

但這本書有其非凡之處

that keep people coming back.

吸引人們不斷回味它。

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

書中情節描述一天內發生的事，

is a story of three characters:

故事圍繞著三位主角：

Stephen Dedalus, reprised from Joyce's earlier novel,

史蒂芬．迪達勒斯， 是喬伊斯早期小說

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

《一位青年藝術家的畫像》 裡同一個角色。

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

李奧波德．布魯姆－半猶太人， 是位都柏林報紙推銷商。

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

布魯姆的太太－茉莉 在故事中有段風流韻事。

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

近來，史蒂芬對於母親的死很沮喪。

Meanwhile, Bloom wanders throughout the city.

在此同時，布魯姆在城市裡遊蕩。

He goes to a funeral,

他前後參加了一場喪禮， 去工作，去酒吧的等等。

his work,

a pub,

and so on,

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

他逃避回家，因為茉莉就要出軌。

Where it really starts to get interesting, though,

然而，作者說故事的方法

is how the story's told.

讓故事開始變得有趣。

Each chapter is written in a different style.

每個章節都以不同風格寫成。

15 is a play,

第十五章是個劇本，

13 is like a cheesy romance novel,

第十三章像部老套的浪漫小說，

12 is a story with bizarre, exaggerated interruptions,

第十二章是個古怪、 充滿誇張打岔的故事，

11 uses techniques, like onomatopoeia, repetitions, and alliteration

第十一章運用寫作技巧

例如擬聲法、重複 與押頭韻來呈現樂聲。

to imitate music,

and 14 reproduces the evolution of English literary prose style,

而第十四章則重現 英國文學寫作風格的演進，

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

以盎格魯撒克遜為開端， 一路到二十世紀。

That all culminates in the final chapter

而這些鋪陳到最後一章到達頂點，

which follows Molly's stream of consciousness

循著茉莉的意識流，

只用了八段很長的段落，

as it spools out in just eight long paragraphs

with almost no punctuation.

幾乎沒有標點符號。

The range of styles Joyce uses in "Ulysses"

喬伊斯在《尤利西斯》中 使用的一系列風格

is one of the things that makes it so difficult,

是讓它變得難讀的原因之一。

but it also helps make it enjoyable.

然而這也使它讀來更耐人尋味，

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

這也是這部作品成功的原因之一。

as one of the key texts of literary modernism,

它是文學現代化的一個重要的文本，

a movement characterized by overturning traditional modes of writing.

也是顛覆傳統寫作方法的經典。

Joyce fills his narrative gymnastic routines

喬伊斯的寫作模式中，

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

充滿最富想像力的語言。

Take, for instance,

舉例來說，

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

「坐在圓塔下巨石上的那個人，

was that of a broadshouldered deepchested stronglimbed frankeyed redhaired

肩寬胸厚、四肢強壯、 神情坦率、一頭紅髮、

freelyfreckled shaggybearded widemouthed largenosed longheaded deepvoiced

滿臉雀斑、鬍子凌亂、闊嘴大鼻、 頭很長、嗓音低沈、光著膝蓋、

barekneed brawnyhanded hairlegged ruddyfaced sinewyarmed hero."

手臂壯碩、腳上多毛、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

喬伊斯在此誇飾了一位 酒吧裡的粗鄙男人，

to make him seem like an improbably gigantesque hero.

好讓他看起來似乎 是個頂天立地的英雄。

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

這部作品裡有些部分 乍看之下的確複雜難解，

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

但它取決於讀者用什麼眼光去詮釋 或深入研究它。

or break out a shovel and dig in.

And once you start excavating the text,

一旦你開始深入研究這部作品，

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

你會發現這本書 簡直是百科全書般的知識寶庫。

It's filled with all manner of references and allusions

作品中充滿引文與典故,

from medieval philosophy to the symbolism of tattoos,

從中古哲學至刺青的象徵意義,

and from Dante to Dublin slang.

從但丁到都柏林俚語。

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

如同書名顯示， 有些典故來自荷馬的《奧德賽》，

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

每一章節的名稱都是 以《奧德賽》裡的角色或章節命名。

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

然而這些文學引用經常是含糊、 具爭議性、諷刺，或偽裝的。

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

舉例來說，荷馬筆下的奧德修斯 在經過了二十年漫長而艱辛的旅程後，

returns home to Ithaca and reunites with his faithful wife.

回到位於綺色佳（Ithaca）的家 與其忠貞的妻子團聚。

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

相較之下, 喬伊斯筆下的布魯姆 則是在都柏林遊蕩了一整天，

and returns home to his unfaithful wife.

最後才回到他那不忠的妻子身邊。

It's a very funny book.

這是本非常有趣的書，

It has highbrow intellectual humor,

它有高深複雜的幽默。

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

然而如果你有耐心深究 喬伊斯所引用的文獻典故，

and more lowbrow dirty jokes.

你會發現他還開了些低俗的玩笑，

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

還有某些人認為是過分的性暗示。

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

在美國，這本書在刊完之前 就被審判、禁止和審查刪改，

before it had even been completed

because it was originally published as a serial novel.

因它最初是以連載小說的形式刊出的。

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

作者不僅帶領《尤利西斯》的讀者們 體驗多樣化的文學風格，

They're also given a rich and shockingly accurate tour

也帶他們經歷豐富 且令人震驚的精確遊覽，

of a specific place at a time:

前往這個特定的時空：

Dublin in 1904.

1904 年的都柏林。

Joyce claimed that if Dublin were to be destroyed,

喬伊斯曾說過， 倘若都柏林哪天被摧毀了,

it could be recreated from the pages of this book.

單憑這本書中的描述， 就能夠將它重建。

While such a claim is not exactly true,

儘管這樣的主張可能言過其實，

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

但這也顯示喬伊斯 精準地呈現細節的苦心。

both large and small, of his home city.

關於這個家鄉城市， 大大小小的細節。

No small feat considering he wrote the entire novel

鑑於他寫書時不在愛爾蘭本土生活，

while living outside of his native Ireland.

此書更凸顯出他的功力。

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

《尤利西斯》這本困難的書 驗證了喬伊斯出眾的天賦。

Some people find it impenetrable without a full book of annotations

有些人認為這本書 在沒有註解幫助的情況下，

to help them understand what Joyce is even talking about.

令人難以理解喬伊斯 究竟想表達什麼。

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

但閱讀它是是一個充滿樂趣的過程，

more than just unpacking allusions and solving puzzles.

而樂趣不僅僅來自發現文章裡的典故 與解開書中難題的謎底。

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

若你覺得它讀來困難、挫折感十足、 亦或是有趣，

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

那是因為人生正是如此， 或者更甚。

Responding to some criticism of "Ulysses,"

《尤利西斯》剛出版時曾遭受許多批評，

and there was a lot when it was first published,

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

喬伊斯曾回應說， 若《尤利西斯》不值得閱讀，

then life isn't worth living.

那人生也就不值得活了。