ESCAPE AND INTERPRETATION逃避和解释.docx

ESCAPE AND INTERPRETATION逃避和解释.docx

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ESCAPEANDINTERPRETATION

Thefirstquestiontoaskaboutfictionis:

Whybothertoreadit?

Withlifeasshortasitis,withsomanypressingdemandsonourtime,withbooksofinformation,instruction,anddiscussionwaitingtoberead,whyshouldwespendprecioustimeonworksofimagination?

Theeternalanswerstothisquestionaretwo:

enjoymentandunderstanding.

Sincetheinventionoflanguage,menhavetakenpleasureinfollowingandparticipatingintheimaginaryadventuresandimaginaryexperiencesofimaginarypeople.Whatever-withoutcausingharm-servestomakelifelesstedious,tomakethehourspassmorequicklyandpleasurably,surelyneedsnothingelsetorecommendit.Enjoyment-andevermoreenjoyment-isthefirstaimandjustificationofreadingfiction.

But,unlessfictiongivessomethingmorethanpleasure,ithardlyjustifiesitselfasasubjectofcollegestudy.Unlessitexpandsorrefinesourmindsorquickensoursenseoffife,itsvalueisnotappreciablygreaterthanthatofminiaturegolf,bridge,orping-pong.Tohaveacompellingclaimonourattention,itmustyieldnotonlyenjoymentbutunderstanding.

Theexperienceofmenthroughtheagesisthatliteraturemayfurnishsuchunderstandinganddosoeffectively-thatthedepictionofimaginedexperiencescanprovideauthenticinsights.“Thetruesthistory,”saidDiderotofthenovelsofSamuelRichardson,“isfulloffalsehoods,andyourromanceisfulloftruths.”Butthebulkoffictiondoesnotpresentsuchinsights.Onlysomedoes.Initially,therefore,fictionmaybeclassifiedintotwobroadcategories:

literatureofescapeandliteratureofinterpretation.

ESCAPELITERATUREisthatwrittenpurelyforentertainment-tohelpuspassthetimeagreeably.INTERPRETIVELITERATUREiswrittentobroadenanddeepenandsharpenourawarenessoflife.Escapeliteraturetakesusawayfromtherealworld:

itenablesustemporarilytoforgetourtroubles.Interpretiveliteraturetakesus,throughourimagination,deeperintotherealworld:

itenablesustounderstandourtroubles.Escapeliteraturehasasitsonlyobjectpleasure.Interpretiveliteraturehasasitsobjectpleasureplusunderstanding.

Havingestablishedadistinction,however,wemustnotexaggerateoroversimplifyit.Escapeandinterpretationarenottwogreatbins,intooneortheotherofwhichwecantossanygivenstory.Rather,theyareoppositeendsofascale,thetwopolesbetweenwhichtheworldoffictionspins.Thedifferencebetweenthemdoesnotlieintheabsenceorpresenceofa“moral.”Thestorywhichinallofitsincidentsandcharactersisshallowmayhaveanunimpeachablemoral,whiletheinterpretivestorymayhavenomoralatallinanyconventionalsense.Thedifferencedoesnotlieintheabsenceorpresenceof“facts.”Thehistoricalromancemaybefullofhistoricalinformationandyetbepineescapeinitsdepictionofhumanbehavior.Thedifferencedoesnotlifeinthepresenceorabsenceofanelementoffantasy.Theescapestorymayhaveasurfaceappearanceofeverydayreality,whilethetaleofseemingwildestfancymaypresshomeonussomesuddentruth.Thedifferencebetweentwokindsofliteratureisdeeperandmoresubtlethananyofthesedistinctions.Astorybecomesinterpretiveasitilluminatessomeaspectofhumanlifeorbehavior.Aninterpretivestorymaypresentuswithaninsight-largeorsmall-intothenatureandconditionsofourexistence.Itgivesusakeenerawarenessofwhatitistobeahumanbeinginauniversesometimesfriendly,sometimeshostile.Ithelpsustounderstandourneighborsandourselves.

Perhapswecanclarifythedifferencebysuggestion.Theescapewriterislikeaninventorwhodevisesacontrivanceforourdiversion.Whenwepushthebutton,lightsflash,bellsring,andcardboardfiguresmovejerkilyacrossapaintedhorizon.Theinterpretivewriterisadiscoverer:

hetakesusoutintothemidstoflifeandsays,“Look,hereistheworld!

”Theescapewriterisfulloftricksandsurprises:

hepullsrabbitsoutofhats,sawsabeautifulwomanintwo,andsnatchesbrightlycoloredballsoutoftheair.Theinterpretivewritertakesusbehindthescenes,whereheshowsusthepropsandmirrorsandseekstomakecleartheillusions.Thisisnottosaythattheinterpretivewriterismerelyareporter.Moresurelythantheescapewriterhe

shapesandgivesformstohismaterials.Butheshapesandformsthemalwayswiththeintentthatwemayseeandfeelandunderstandthembetter,notfortheprimarypurposeoffurnishingentertainment.

Now,justastherearetwokindsoffiction,therearealsotwokindsofreader.Theimmatureorinexperiencedreaderseeksonlytoescape.Evenwhenhethinksheisreadingforinterpretationorsomeusefulmoral,heinsiststhatwhathereadsreturnhimalwayssomepleasantorexcitingimageoftheworldorsomeflatteringimage