How Should One Read a Book 应该怎样读书儿童英汉双语故事.docx

How Should One Read a Book 应该怎样读书儿童英汉双语故事.docx

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HowShouldOneReadaBook应该怎样读书儿童英汉双语故事

HowShouldOneReadaBook?

应该怎样读书_儿童英汉双语故事

HowShouldOneReadaBook?

byVirginiaWoolf（1882-1941）fromTheSecondCommonReader

BorninEngland,VirginiaWoolfwasthedaughterofLeslieStephen,awell-knownscholar.Shewaseducatedprimarilyathomeandattributedherloveofreadingtotheearlyandcompleteaccessshewasgiventoherfatherslibrary.Withherhusband,LeonardWoolf,shefoundedtheHogarthPressandbecameknownasmemberoftheBloomsburygroupofintellectuals,whichincludedeconomistJohnMaynardKeynes,biographerLyttonStrachey,novelistE.M.Forster,andarthistorianCliveBell.AlthoughshewasacentralfigureinLondonliterarylife,Woolfoftensawherselfasisolatedfromthemainsstreambecauseshewasawoman.Woolfisbestknownforherexperimental,modernistnovels,includingMrs.Dalloway（1925）andTotheLighthouse（1927）whicharewidelyappreciatedforherbreakthroughintoanewmodeandtechnique--thestreamofconsciousness.InherdiaryandCRIticalessaysshehasmuchtosayaboutwomenandfiction.Her1929bookARoomofOnesOwndocumentsherdesireforwomentotaketheirrightfulplaceinliteraryhistoryandasanessayistshehasoccupiedahighplacein20thcenturyliterature.ThecommonReader（1925firstseries;1932secondseries）hasacquiredclassicstatus.Shealsowroteshortstoriesandbiographies.ProfessionsforWomentakenfromThecollectedEssaysVol2.isoriginallyapaperWoolfreadtotheWomensServiceLeague,anorganizationforprofessionalwomeninLondon.

Inthefirstplace,Iwanttoemphasizethenoteofinterrogationattheendofmytitle.EvenifIcouldanswerthequestionformyself,theanswerwouldapplyonlytomeandnottoyou.Theonlyadvice,indeed,thatonepersoncangiveanotheraboutreadingistotakenoadvice,tofollowyourowninstincts,touseyourownreason,tocometoyourownconclusions.Ifthisisagreedbetweenus,thenIfeelatlibertytoputforwardafewideasandsuggestionsbecauseyouwillnotallowthemtofetterthatindependencewhichisthemostimportantqualitythatareadercanpossess.Afterall,whatlawscanbelaiddownaboutbooks?

ThebattleofWaterloo[1]wascertainlyfoughtonacertainday;butisHamletabetterplaythanLear?

Nobodycansay.Eachmustdecidethatquestionforhimself.Toadmitauthorities,howeverheavilyfurredandgowned,intoourlibrariesandletthemtellushowtoread,whattoread,whatvaluetoplaceonwhatweread,istodestroythespiritoffreedomwhichisthebreathofthosesanctuaries.Everywhereelsewemaybeboundbylawsandconventionstherewehavenone.

Buttoenjoyfreedom,iftheplatitudeispardonable,wehaveofcoursetocontrolourselves.Wemustnotsquanderourpowers,helplesslyandignorantly,squirtinghalfthehouseinordertowaterasinglerose-bush;wemusttrainthem,exactlyandpowerfully,hereontheveryspot.This,itmaybe,isoneofthefirstdifficultiesthatfacesusinalibrary.Whatistheveryspot?

Theremaywellseemtobenothingbutaconglomerationandhuddleofconfusion.Poemsandnovels,historiesandmemoirs,dictionariesandblue-books;bookswritteninalllanguagesbymenandwomenofalltempers,races,andagesjostleeachotherontheshelf.Andoutsidethedonkeybrays,thewomengossipatthepump,thecoltsgallopacrossthefields.Wherearewetobegin?

Howarewetobringorderintothismultitudinouschaosandgetthedeepestandwidestpleasurefromwhatweread?

Itissimpleenoughtosaythatsincebookshaveclasses--fiction,biography,poetry--weshouldseparatethemandtakefromeachwhatitisrightthateachshouldgiveus.Yetfewpeopleaskfrombookswhatbookscangiveus.Mostcommonlywecometobookswithblurredanddividedminds,askingoffictionthatitshallbetrue,ofpoetrythatitshallbefalse,ofbiographythatitshallbeflattering,ofhistorythatitshallenforceourownprejudices.Ifwecouldbanishallsuchpreconceptionswhenweread,thatwouldbeanadmirablebeginning.Donotdictatetoyourauthor;trytobecomehim.Behisfellow-workerandaccomplice.Ifyouhangback,andreserveandCRIticizeatfirst,youarepreventingyourselffromgettingthefullestpossiblevaluefromwhatyouread.Butifyouopenyourmindaswidelyaspossible,thesignsandhintsofalmostimperceptiblefineness,fromthetwistandturnofthefirstsentences,willbringyouintothepresenceofahumanbeingunlikeanyother.Steepyourselfinthis,acquaintyourselfwiththis,andsoonyouwillfindthatyourauthorisgivingyou,orattemptingtogiveyou,somethingfarmoredefinite.Thethirty-twochaptersofanovelifweconsiderhowtoreadanovelfirst--areanattempttomakesomethingasformedandcontrolledasabuilding:

butwordsaremoreimpalpablethanbricks;readingisalongerandmorecomplicatedprocessthanseeing.Perhapsthequickestwaytounderstandtheelementsofwhatanovelistisdoingisnottoread,buttowrite;tomakeyourownexperimentwiththedangersanddifficultiesofwords.Recall,then,someeventthathasleftadistinctimpressiononyouhowatthecornerofthestreet,perhaps,youpassedtwopeopletalking.Atreeshook;anelectriclightdanced;thetoneofthetalkwascomic,butalsotragic;awholevision;anentireconception,seemedcontainedinthatmoment.

Butwhenyouattempttoreconstructitinwords,youwillfindthatitbreaksintoathousandconflictingimpressions.Somemustbesubdued;othersemphasized;intheprocessyouwilllose,probably,allgraspupontheemotionitself.ThenturnfromyourblurredandlitteredpagestotheopeningpagesofsomegreatnovelistDefoe,JaneAusten,orHardy.Nowyouwillbebetterabletoappreciatetheirmastery.ItisnotmerelythatweareinthepresenceofadifferentpersonDefoe,JaneAusten,orThomasHardybutthatwearelivinginadifferentworld.Here,inRobinsonCrusoe,wearetrudgingaplainhighroad;onethinghappensafteranother;thefactandtheorderofthefactisenough.ButiftheopenairandadventuremeaneverythingtoDefoetheymeannothingtoJaneAusten.Hersisthedrawing-room,andpeopletalking,andbythemanymirrorsoftheirtalkrevealingtheircharacters.Andif,whenwehaveaccustomedourselvestothedrawing-roomanditsreflections,weturntoHardy,weareoncemorespunaround.Theothersideofthemindisnowexposedthedarksidethatcomesuppermostinsolitude,notthelightsidethatshowsincompany.Ourrelationsarenottowardspeople,buttowardsNatureanddestiny.Yetdifferentastheseworldsare,eachisconsistentwithitself.Themakerofeachiscarefultoobservethelawsofhisownperspective,andhowevergreatastraintheymayputuponustheywillneverconfuseus,aslesserwriterssofrequentlydo,byintroducingtwodifferentkindsofrealityintothesamebook.ThustogofromonegreatnovelisttoanotherfromJaneAustentoHardy,fromPeacock[2]toTrollope,[3]fromScotttoMeredith[4]istobewrenchedanduprooted;tobethrownthiswayandthenthat.Toreadanovelisadifficultandcomplexart.Youmustbecapablenotonlyofgreatfinesseofperception,butofgreatboldnessofimaginationifyouaregoingtomakeuseofallthatthenovelistthegreatartistgivesyou.

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Wehaveonlytocomparewiththosewordsthecatisoutofthebag,andthetruecomplexityofreadingisadmitted.Thefirstprocess,toreceiveimpressionswiththeutmostunderstanding,isonlyhalftheprocessofreading;itmustbecompleted,ifwearetogetthewholepleasurefromabook,byanother.Wemustpassjudgmentuponthesemultitudinousimpressions;wemustmakeofthesefleetingshapesonethatishardandlasting.Butnotdirectly.Waitforthedustofreadingtosettle;fortheconflictandthequestioningtodiedown;walk,talk,pullthedeadpetalsfromarose,orfallasleep.Thensuddenlywithoutourwillingit,foritisthusthatNatureundertakesthesetransitions,thebookwillreturn,butdifferently.Itwillfloattothetopofthemindasawhole.Andthebookasawholeisdifferentfromthebookreceivedcurrentlyinseparatephrases.Detailsnowfitthemselvesintotheirplaces.Weseetheshapefromstarttofinish;itisabarn,apig-sty,oracathedral.Nowthenwecancomparebookwithbookaswecomparebuildingwithbuilding.Butthisactofcomparisonmeansthatourattitudehaschanged;wearenolongerthefriendsofthewriter,buthisjudges;andjustaswecannotbetoosympatheticasfriends,soasjudgeswecannotbetoosevere.AretheynotCRIminals,booksthathavewastedourtimeandsympathy;aretheynotthemostinsidiousenemiesofsociety,corrupters,defilers,thewritersoffalsebooks,fakedbooks,booksthatfilltheairwithdecayanddisease?

Letusthenbesevereinourjudgments;letuscompareeachbookwiththegreatestofitskind.TheretheyhanginthemindtheshapesofthebookswehavereadsolidifiedbythejudgmentswehavepassedonthemRobinsonCrusoe,Emma,TheReturnoftheNative.Comparethenovelswiththeseeventhelatestandleastofnovelshasarighttobejudgedwiththebest.AndsowithpoetrywhentheintoxicationofrhythmhasdieddownandthesplendourofwordshasfadedavisionaryshapewillreturntousandthismustbecomparedwithLear,withPhedre,[5]withThePrelude;[6]orifnotwiththese,withwhateveristhebestorseemstoustobethebestinitsownkind.Andwemaybesurethatthenewnessofnewpoetryandfictionisitsmostsuperficialqualityandthatwehaveonlytoalterslightly,nottorecast,thestandardsbywhichwehavejudgedtheold.

Itwouldbefoolish,then,topretendthatthesecondpartofreading,tojudge