旅行的藝術(shù):動機 Ⅲ 異國情調(diào)-4

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先來考察一下福樓拜對法國的情感，這對我們更好地理解他為何能在埃及發(fā)現(xiàn)異國情調(diào)應(yīng)該是不無幫助的。在埃及，那些讓他既感新奇又覺得有意義的異國情調(diào)的方方面面，在法國則往往讓他覺得極度的憤怒。讓他們感覺憤怒的也就是法國小資產(chǎn)階級的信仰和行為。早在拿破侖王朝傾覆之前，小資產(chǎn)階級便已成為社會的主導(dǎo)力量——決定著法國新聞、政治、行為方式和公眾生活的總體趨勢。在福樓拜看來，法國小資產(chǎn)階級是一個極端虛偽、勢利、自鳴得意、虛夸和歧視其他種族的社會階層。“奇怪的是，這些小資產(chǎn)階級最陳腐的論調(diào)有時竟讓我感到驚詫，”他強壓憤怒，抱怨說，“這些小資產(chǎn)階級讓我覺得不可理解！我全然不能明白他們的一些手勢、他們中一些人發(fā)出的聲音，還有他們讓我覺得眩暈的愚蠢論調(diào)……”盡管如此，他還是用了三十多年的時間來理解這一切，其努力體現(xiàn)在他的著作《成見詞典》一書中。該詞典帶有強烈的諷刺意味，收錄了法國資產(chǎn)階級最明顯的一些偏見。

To understand why Flaubert found Egypt exotic, it may therefore be useful first to examine his feelings towards France. What would strike him as exotic-that is, both new and valuable-about Egypt was in many ways the obverse of what had driven him to rage at home. And these were, baldly stated, the beliefs and behaviour of the French bourgeoisie, which had, since the fall of Napoleon, become the dominant force in society, determining the tenor of the press, politics, manners and public life. For Flaubert, the French bourgeoisie was a repository of the most extreme prudery, snobbery, smugness, racism and pomposity. 'It's strange how the most banal utterances ［of the bourgeoisie］ sometimes make me marvel,' he complained in stifled rage. 'There are gestures, sounds of people's voices, that I cannot get over, silly remarks that almost give me vertigo … the bourgeois … is for me something unfathomable.' He nevertheless spent thirty years trying to fathom it, most comprehensively in his Dictionary of Received Ideas , a satirical catalogue of the French bourgeoisie's more striking sheep-like prejudices.

這里只是按主題將詞典中的一些詞條進行歸類，從中可以看出他對法國不滿的方方面面，而這也正是他對埃及充滿狂熱的根本原因。

To group only a few of these dictionary entries into themes indicates the direction of his complaints against his homeland, upon which his enthusiasm for Egypt would be built.

對藝術(shù)事業(yè)的懷疑

A SUSPICION OF ARTISTIC ENDEAVOUR

苦艾酒： 劇毒液體，一杯下去，即可致命。記者寫報道時常喜歡飲用。因它而死的士兵遠比流浪漢多。

ABSINTHEExceptionally violent poison: one glass and you're a dead man. Journalists drink it while writing their articles. Has killed more soldiers than the bedouins.

建筑師： 都很弱智；總是忘記在建筑物內(nèi)設(shè)計樓梯。

ARCHITECTS-All idiots; they always forget to put staircases in houses.

INTOLERANCE AND IGNORANCE OF OTHER

對異國（及其動物）的偏執(zhí)和無知

COUNTRIES (and their animals)

英國女人： 對她們能生育漂亮孩子表示驚訝。

ENGLISH WOMEN-Express surprise that they can have pretty children.

駱駝： 有雙峰，而單峰駝只有一個駝峰；也許是駱駝只有單峰，而單峰駝有雙峰——沒有人能記得清楚孰單孰雙。

CAMELHas two humps and the dromedary one; or else the camel has one and the dromedary two-nobody can ever remember which.

大象： 因其記性和對太陽的崇拜而著稱。

ELEPHANTS-Noted for their memories and worship the sun.

法國人： 世界上最偉大的民族。

FRENCH-The greatest people in the world.

酒店： 只有瑞士才有第一流的酒店。

HOTELS-Are first-rate only in Switzerland.

意大利人： 都懂些音樂，都不可靠。

ITALIANS-All musical. All treacherous.

約翰牛： 如果你不知道一個英國人的名字，叫他約翰牛。

JOHN BULL-When you don't know an Englishman's name, call him John Bull.

古蘭經(jīng)： 穆罕默德著述，全部內(nèi)容都與女人相關(guān)。

KORAN-Book by Mohammed, which is all about women.

黑人： 對自己白色的唾液感到奇怪，并因自己能講法語而詫異的人。

BLACKS-Express surprise that their saliva is white and that they can speak French.

黑種女人： 比白種女人更熱辣的女人（請參見詞條“黑發(fā)黑膚女人”和“金發(fā)白膚女人”）。

BLACK WOMEN-Hotter than white women (see also Brunettes and Blondes ).

黑： 前面總有“烏木般的”作為限定詞。

BLACK-Always followed by 'as ebony'.

綠洲： 沙漠中的客棧。

OASIS-An inn in the desert.

共夫的女子： 所有東方女人都是共夫的女子。

HAREM WOMEN-All Oriental women are harem women.

棕櫚樹： 體現(xiàn)地方色彩。

PALM TREE-Lends local colour.

男子氣概，莊重

MACHISMO， EARNESTNESS

拳頭： 統(tǒng)治法國需要鐵拳。

FIST-To govern France, an iron fist is needed.

槍： 在鄉(xiāng)下切記帶槍。

GUN-Always keep one in the countryside.

胡須： 力量的象征；胡須過多會禿頭；可以保護領(lǐng)結(jié)。

BEARD-Sign of strength. Too much beard causes baldness. Helps to protect ties.

1846年8月，福樓拜寫給路易斯·科萊的信中有這樣的描述：我本質(zhì)上是一個嚴(yán)肅的人，但是，我發(fā)覺自己非?；闹?，而且不是滑稽劇中的那類小的荒謬，我的荒謬幾乎是人類生活中固有的，且體現(xiàn)在最簡單的行為和最常見的手勢之中，這使我覺得自己不是一個嚴(yán)肅的人。比如說，我修面時總要發(fā)笑，這看起來很傻，但實際情形就是這樣，很難解釋。

Flaubert to Louise Colet, August 1846: What stops me from taking myself seriously, even though I'm essentially a serious person, is that I find myself extremely ridiculous, not in the sense of the small-scale ridiculousness of slapstick comedy, but rather in the sense of a ridiculousness that seems intrinsic to human life and that manifests itself in the simplest actions and most ordinary gestures. For example, I can never shave without starting to laugh, it seems so idiotic. But all this is very difficult to explain …

多愁善感

SENTIMENTALITY

動物： “動物能夠開口說話就好了，它們中一定會有一些比人更聰明。”

ANIMALS'-If only animals could speak! There are some which are more intelligent than humans.'

圣餐： 第一次圣餐：人一生中最重要的一天。

COMMUNION-One's first communion: the greatest day of one's life.

（詩的）靈感： 源肇于視野中的大海、愛情、女人，等等。

INSPIRATION (POETIC)-Aroused by: the sight of the sea, love, women, etc.

幻覺： 裝出曾經(jīng)有過太多，并抱怨自己而今一無所有。

ILLUSIONS-Pretend to have had a great many, and complain that you have lost them all.

相信進步，夸耀科技

FAITH IN PROGRESS， PRIDE IN TECHNOLOGY

鐵路： 有人喜形于色地說道：“先生，我現(xiàn)在可以同你交談，可就是今天上午，我還在X地。我乘火車到X地，在那里處理完事務(wù)，到X點鐘時，我又回到了這里。”

RAILWAYS-Enthuse about them, saying, 'I, my dear sir, who am speaking to you now, was at X this morning. I took the train to X, I transacted my business there, and by X o'clock I was back here.'

做作

PRETENSION

《圣經(jīng)》： 世上最古老的的書。

BIBLE-The oldest book in the world.

臥室： 在一個古老的城堡里，亨利四世總在那里過夜。

BEDROOM-In an old castle: Henri IV always spent a night in it.

蘑菇： 只能在市場里買到。

MUSHROOMS-Should be bought only at the market.

十字軍： 使威尼斯的商貿(mào)獲益。

CRUSADES-Benefited Venetian trade.

狄德羅： 總是和達朗貝爾這個稱呼連在一起。

DIDEROT-Always followed by d'Alembert.

甜瓜： 主餐后談話的好題材。它是蔬菜還是水果？英國人把它當(dāng)飯后甜點，不可思議！

MELON-Nice topic for dinner-time conversation. Is it a vegetable or a fruit? The English eat it for dessert, which is astonishing.

散步： 飯后總要散步，這有助于消化。

STROLL-Always take one after dinner, it helps with digestion.

蛇： 都是有毒的。

SNAKES-All poisonous.

老人： 只要討論洪水、暴風(fēng)雨等，老人們都會說這是他們所見過的最猛烈、最糟糕的一次。

OLD PEOPLE-When discussing a flood, thunderstorm, etc., they cannot remember ever having seen a worse one.

假道學(xué)，壓抑的性欲

PRISSINESS, REPRESSED SEXUALITY

金發(fā)白膚女人： 比黑發(fā)黑膚女人更熱辣（參見詞條“黑發(fā)黑膚女人”）。

BLONDES-Hotter than brunettes (see also Brunettes ).

黑發(fā)黑膚女人： 比金發(fā)白膚女人更熱辣（參見詞條“金發(fā)白膚女人”）。

BRUNETTES-Hotter than blondes (see also Blondes ).

性： 忌用語，以“發(fā)生過的親密接觸”來委婉表示。

SEX-Word to avoid. Say instead, 'Intimacy occurred…'