How (and why) to read William Faulkner - Sascha Morrell

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

You’re halfway through

這本書應該是二十世紀最棒的 小說之一，你已經看了一半，

what’s supposedly one of the greatest novels of the 20th century,

but nothing quite makes sense.

但還看不出所以然。

Narrating characters offer clashing versions of the same story

旁白角色對於同一個故事 提供的版本都相抵觸，

and often seem unsure who, what, or when they’re talking about.

且通常無法確定他們在講的 是誰、是什麼，或是何時。

Seemingly minor details trigger intense emotional reactions you don't understand.

看似微不足道的小細節觸發了 你無法理解的強烈情緒反應。

And the prose is loaded with convoluted sentences and outlandish imagery.

且議論的部分又滿是 複雜的句子和奇特的意象。

Confused? Good— that means you’re on the right track.

困惑嗎？很好——那表示 你走在正確的軌道上。

William Faulkner is considered one of America’s most remarkable

威廉‧福克納被認為是美國 最傑出且讓人費解的作家之一。

and perplexing writers.

Fortunately, he wasn’t just toying with his audience.

幸運的是，他並不只是 在玩弄他的觀眾。

Faulkner used confusion intentionally,

福克納會刻意運用困惑，

to explore the most mysterious parts of the human mind

來探索人類大腦中最神秘的部分，

and investigate pressing issues of personal, racial, and regional identity.

並探討個人、種族， 及地域身分的迫切議題。

The result is a body of work that’s shocking, inventive, and often hilarious—

其成果是一系列讓人震驚、 有創意，且通常很滑稽的作品——

but above all, challenging.

但最重要的是，都很有挑戰性。

So what clues should readers look for to navigate his literary labyrinths?

那讀者要尋找什麼線索才能 在他的文學迷宮中找到方向？

Many of Faulkner’s novels are set in the fictional county of Yoknapatawpha—

福克納的許多小說都是以虛構的 約克納帕塔法郡為背景——

a fantastical reimagining of Lafayette County, Mississippi,

由密西西比拉法葉郡重新 做奇幻想像設計出來的郡。

where he spent most of his life.

他一生大多待在拉法葉郡。

Born in 1897, Faulkner grew up steeped in oral storytelling traditions,

生於 1897 年，

福克納在口述故事傳統中長大，

from folklore and family histories to local legends of Civil War glory.

故事從民間傳說和家庭歷史， 到南北戰爭榮耀的當地傳說都有。

However, these grand myths didn’t match the messy reality of the American South,

然而，這些宏大的神話並不符合 美國南方的混亂現實：

divided by racist Jim Crow laws

被種族主義的吉姆‧克勞法律分裂，

and plagued by the legacies of slavery and colonial violence.

又為奴隸制度 和殖民暴力的遺產所苦，

All these tensions come alive inside Yoknapatawpha.

所有這些緊張都在 約克納帕塔法生動呈現。

Full of horror, humor, and human tragedy,

充滿了恐怖、幽默，和人類悲劇，

Faulkner’s stories feature many memorable characters,

福克納的故事有許多 讓人印象深刻的角色，

like the spurned bride who sleeps beside her would-be husband’s corpse,

比如被拋棄的新娘，她枕邊的 屍體是本來會成為她丈夫的人；

or the duped sharecropper obsessively hunting for imaginary coins.

或者被騙的佃農， 痴迷地獵尋虛構的硬幣。

At first glance, these characters seem grotesquely absurd.

乍看之下，這些角色似乎荒謬怪異，

But under the surface, they all reflect his obsession

但在表面之下，

這些角色都反映出他對人 處理過去的方式有多著迷——

with how people process the past—

what they stubbornly hold on to, unwittingly forget and willingly distort.

他們對什麼固執不肯放手、 不知不覺遺忘什麼，

以及情願扭曲什麼。

Much of Faulkner’s fiction is told from multiple perspectives,

福克納的小說多半從多重視角講述，

offering the reader several versions of the story’s events.

針對故事中的事件， 提供數個版本給讀者。

For example, “The Sound and the Fury” combines the narratives

比如，《喧嘩與騷動》 結合了這些人的說法：

of Benjy, Quentin, and Jason Compson,

班吉、昆丁，以及傑森‧康普森，

three brothers haunted by memories of their sister Caddy.

這三兄弟都被他們姐妹 卡蒂的記憶所困擾。

One brother's narration will occasionally fill the gaps left by another's,

一位兄弟的描述偶爾能夠 填補另一位的描述不足之處，

but just as often, their accounts contradict each other.

但他們的說法也經常彼此矛盾。

To make things more confusing, Benjy’s narration is disjointed in time,

使一切更混亂的是，

班吉的描述在時間上是不連續的，

slipping between past and present without warning.

毫無預警地在過去與現在之間轉換。

Meanwhile, Quentin's section confuses fact and fantasy

同時，昆汀的部分 則是將事實與幻想混淆了，

as it jumps backward in time from the day of his untimely death.

敘事會跳回過去，從他 英年早逝的那一天說起，

Only the aggressive, money-hungry Jason attempts to embrace the present—

只有好鬥、愛錢的傑森 試圖擁抱現在——

but even he is constantly overtaken by past resentments.

但就連他，也常常 被過去的怨恨給追上。

Following these threads can be bewildering,

跟著這幾條線走下去 可能很人很混淆，

but Faulkner wants the audience to share in the characters’ confusion.

但福克納想要觀眾 一同感受角色的困惑。

This approach allows readers to understand the Compsons’

這個方法能讓讀者親身了解 康普森兄弟的偏見和盲點。

biases and blindspots firsthand.

And since his characters’ distortions of the past

且因為他的角色將過去扭曲的方式

often reflect larger denials of Southern history,

通常都反映出更廣的層面上 對南方歷史的否認，

it also allows Faulkner to explore his own anxieties about the South.

因此福克納得以探討 他自己對於南方的焦慮。

For example, his novel “Light in August” deliberately induces ambiguity

比如他的小說《八月之光》

就刻意針對一個角色的 種族源頭製造模糊，

about a character’s racial origins in ways that undermine rigid Jim Crow policies.

且用的方式能夠削弱 僵化的吉姆‧克勞政策。

And in “Absalom, Absalom!” narrating townsfolk

在《押沙龍，押沙龍！》中

講故事的鎮民說 「沒人知道怎麼辦到的」，

remark that “no one knew how”

a local landowner had come into his property,

一名當地的地主 就是取得了他的資產，

and that his house was built “apparently out of nothing.”

他的房子「明顯是從無到有」建造的。

This kind of evasive language shows how characters are desperate to cover up

這種迴避式的語言 說明了角色如何拼命

掩蓋該地區天理不容的歷史： 種族大屠殺和奴隸制度。

the region's intolerable history of genocide and slavery.

But even when exploring the heaviest topics,

但就連在探討最沉重的主題時，

Faulkner spellbinds readers with verbal acrobatics.

福克納也會用言辭雜技 讓讀者陶醉其中，

One particularly bewildering sentence in “Absalom, Absalom!”

在《押沙龍，押沙龍！》中 有個特別讓人困惑的句子，

runs 1,288 words long,

長度是一千兩百八十八個字，

and features locals haggling over “violently-colored candy,”

其中描繪了當地人爭論 「顏色鮮艷的糖果」、

a “cloudy swirl of chickens,” and a hard-drinking planter

「烏雲般的雞群」， 以及愛喝酒的農場主，

who’s compared to both a worn-out cannon and a showgirl.

這個農場主被比喻為 破舊的大砲以及舞女。

Even his jokes can breed more confusion,

連他的笑話也很讓人困惑，

such as when Benjy Compson conflates his sister Caddy with golf caddies.

比如班吉‧康普森將他的姐姐 凱蒂和高爾夫球童搞混了。

Reading Faulkner is rarely easy, but it is deeply rewarding.

通常福克納的作品都很難讀， 但也非常值得一讀。

He invites readers to contemplate the unreliable nature of history and memory.

他邀請讀者去思考歷史 與記憶的不可靠本質，

And in teaching us to embrace confusion

透過教導我們擁抱困惑，

and recognize the limits of our perception,

承認我們的感知有其限制，

Faulkner can help us listen for hidden meanings

福克納能協助我們傾聽我們

in the sound and fury that surround us.

周遭的聲音和憤怒隱藏了什麼意涵。