今天一上咖啡,就看到。。。
遭灾
灾难
烂电影
嫌恶
皮肤病
哀郢
聊点别的吧?
最近在读 Flannery O'Connor,是她的 Complete Stories。咖啡里有人读她吗?我一般是不读短篇小说的,也很少读女性作家。但 O'Connor 的小说真好看 。她的风格算是 Southern Gothic。
This genre of writing is seen in the work of such famous Southern writers as William Faulkner, Erskine Caldwell, Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Harper Lee, Harry Crews, Lee Smith, John Kennedy Toole, Cormac McCarthy, Davis Grubb, Barry Hannah, Katherine Ann Porter, Lewis Nordan, Thomas Wolfe and William Gay among others. Tennessee Williams described Southern Gothic as a style that captured "an intuition, of an underlying dreadfulness in modern experience." However, the genre was itself open to criticism, even by its alleged practitioners. As Flannery O'Connor remarked, "anything that comes out of the South is going to be called grotesque by the northern reader, unless it is grotesque, in which case it is going to be called realistic." (Wiki)
我不知怎么,对美国南部的文学非常感兴趣。可能是没有直接接触过南部文化,觉得特遥远,特 exotic。加上宗教(天主教)的主题经常出现在 O'Connor 的小说里,刚让我着迷。大家在聊翻译 Faulkner。想知道 O'Connor 有没有中文的翻译?
抄一段(跟宗教有关的):
Mr. Head stood very still and felt the action of mercy touch him again but this time he knew that there were no words in the world that could name it. He understood that it grew out of agony, which is not denied to any man and which is given in strange ways to children. He understood it was all a man could carry into death to give his Maker and he suddenly burned with shame that he had so little of it to take with him. He stood appalled, judging himself with the thoroughness of God, while the action of mercy covered his pride like a flame and consumed it. He had never thought himself a great sinner before but he saw now that his true depravity had been hidden from him lest it cause him despair. He realized that he was forgiven for sins from the beginning of time, when he had conceived in his own heart the sin of Adam, until the present, when he had denied poor Nelson. He saw that no sin was too monstrous for him to claim as his own, and since God loved in proportion as He forgave, he felt ready at that instant to enter Paradise. (The Artificial Nigger)
不是完全懂,读了好多遍,觉得读起来特 intricate。
- posted on 10/18/2009
没看过。不过知道毕晓普欣赏她。两人通信来着。
-------------------------
南方
One of my favorite Southern singers: Dolly Parton.
这首她给电影Transamerica写的歌,Travelin' Thru. 电影好,歌也好。我以前不知道一个讲变性人的电影可以拍得这样感人。歌也可以写得这样深入人心。这算你提到的南部的宗教精神?DOLLY PARTON一直强调教堂经验对她的影响。这首歌写成这样一点也不令人吃惊。
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx_I-byng78
Well I can't tell you where I'm going, I'm not sure of where I've been
But I know I must keep travelin' till my road comes to an end
I'm out here on my journey, trying to make the most of it
I'm a puzzle, I must figure out where all my pieces fit
Like a poor wayfaring stranger that they speak about in song
I'm just a weary pilgrim trying to find what feels like home
Where that is no one can tell me, am I doomed to ever roam
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' on
Questions I have many, answers but a few
But we're here to learn, the spirit burns, to know the greater truth
We've all been crucified and they nailed Jesus to the tree
And when I'm born again, you're gonna see a change in me
God made me for a reason and nothing is in vain
Redemption comes in many shapes with many kinds of pain
Oh sweet Jesus if you're listening, keep me ever close to you
As I'm stumblin', tumblin', wonderin', as I'm travelin' thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru
Oh sometimes the road is rugged, and it's hard to travel on
But holdin' to each other, we don't have to walk alone
When everything is broken, we can mend it if we try
We can make a world of difference, if we want to we can fly
Goodbye little children, goodnight you handsome men
Farewell to all you ladies and to all who knew me when
And I hope I'll see you down the road, you meant more than I knew
As I was travelin', travelin', travelin', travelin', travelin' thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin'
Drifting like a floating boat and roaming like the wind
Oh give me some direction lord, let me lean on you
As I'm travelin', travelin', travelin', thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru
I'm just travelin', travelin', travelin', I'm just travelin' thru
Like the poor wayfaring stranger that they speak about in song
I'm just a weary pilgrim trying to find my own way home
Oh sweet Jesus if you're out there, keep me ever close to you
As I'm travelin', travelin', travelin', as I'm travelin' thru
- Re: 聊点别的。Flannery O'Connor (1925-1965)posted on 10/18/2009
How do you interpret the ending of "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"? What comments would you make on the personality of the old lady? - posted on 10/19/2009
A Good Man is Hard to Find... is this one of his most famous short stories? I learned about O'Connor from a serious lectures on American Fictions, and this story was selected as a representative of O'Connor. However, this is not my favorite, probably because I've heard the analysis before reading it.
Synopsis: This story is about a grandmother traveling with her son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren in an automobile to Florida for vacation. The grandmother was self-absrobed, talkative, and liked to talk about the "old South". Their car took a wrong turn and broken down. They met with a Misfit, an escaped murderer that they had heard about on the radio earlier. The grandmother tried to talk with the Misfit to save her family. The Misfit ignored her, instructing his two accomplices to murder the entire family one by one. The grandmother and the Misfit discussed religion, and the Misfit explained his anger with God. In the end, the grandmother reached out to the Misfit, calling him her "child", causing the Misfit to shoot her to death.
It says that the old lady's final act is a moment of grace (a revelation of Truth). It might be so. But when I was reading the story, I was too focused in the tragedy of the family (including a baby!) to follow the religious undertone of the story. I find the message of grace in other stories more mysterious and crystal clear.
Often I wish I were a Catholic. I love all of Graham Greene's novels (I've read 12 so far). I love Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited. Now I fall in love with Flannery O'Connor. I find catholic faith blindingly beautiful, like the stained glass windows in a cathedral. Maybe one day I will convert to catholicism because of its beauty, but I worry it could be too much for me.
liaokang wrote:
How do you interpret the ending of "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"? What comments would you make on the personality of the old lady? - Re: 聊点别的。Flannery O'Connor (1925-1965)posted on 10/19/2009
是中文被译成奥康纳的美国女作家吗?她有两篇名作《好人难寻》(A Good Man is Hard to Find??)、《善良的乡下人》。应该是小说史上很独特的小说天才,可惜好像很早逝。这是我读马原《阅读大师》里面掌握的情报,我这在到处搜猎她的中译本小说,可惜没有找到。 - posted on 10/19/2009
Yes, it is "A Good Man is Hard to Find" that we are talking about. When I was teaching this story, most of my American students said that grandma was a nuisance nagging all the time, and her final act was a cowardly one trying in vain to save herself. The ending of the story always evokes good discussions.
守望古典 wrote:
是中文被译成奥康纳的美国女作家吗?她有两篇名作《好人难寻》(A Good Man is Hard to Find??)、《善良的乡下人》。应该是小说史上很独特的小说天才,可惜好像很早逝。这是我读马原《阅读大师》里面掌握的情报,我这在到处搜猎她的中译本小说,可惜没有找到。 - posted on 10/19/2009
明白了。我猜想你的学生大都不是 catholic,没有什么宗教体验。我也是挺讨厌那个老祖母的,导致全家人都被无辜谋杀了。
读了同个作家的其它小说,我们是可以看到她作品中的 common theme。不少小说都的主人公都遭到了很 violent 的死亡,比如在河里淹死,被拖拉机压死,谋杀,被牛拱死,中风,心脏病,石头砸死,等等。。。没有死的人物,也常常是突然受到了很残忍的事。但在小说最后,很多人物都得到了某种宗教的启示。再回头读 A Good Man is Hard to Find,发现这篇小说的宗教情结是非常明显的。这个挺讨人厌的老太太,因为她的一错再错,造成全家人被谋杀,但在她死前,她似乎感受到“即使是杀人犯,也都是我的孩子”这样的神的爱。
《善良的乡下人》讲的是一个农场上的女主人,跟女儿住。女儿三十多岁了,只有一只腿,到城里读过很多书,是哲学的博士,无神论者,老处女,因为有病,在家里住。一天来了个卖圣经的年轻小伙,是个善良纯朴的乡下人。他说起他也有慢性病,母亲就留了小伙吃饭。临走时,女儿想故意勾引小伙子,于是约了第二天见面。女儿带小伙子去了一个谷仓,爬到楼上,女儿开始勾引小伙。小伙爱上了女儿,让她把假腿拆下来看。女儿被小伙子的爱情感动了,对小伙子坦白说,她不信神。小伙子打开装圣经的箱子,里面却是酒和黄色书刊。女儿慌了,说,“你不是善良的乡下人吗?”小伙子说,他早就什么也不信了。他把女儿的假腿放到箱子里,跑了。
真的没有中译本?要不要我试尝翻译一篇?她的文字应该比 Faulkner 的容易。
liaokang wrote:
Yes, it is "A Good Man is Hard to Find" that we are talking about. When I was teaching this story, most of my American students said that grandma was a nuisance nagging all the time, and her final act was a cowardly one trying in vain to save herself. The ending of the story always evokes good discussions.
守望古典 wrote:
是中文被译成奥康纳的美国女作家吗?她有两篇名作《好人难寻》(A Good Man is Hard to Find??)、《善良的乡下人》。应该是小说史上很独特的小说天才,可惜好像很早逝。这是我读马原《阅读大师》里面掌握的情报,我这在到处搜猎她的中译本小说,可惜没有找到。 - posted on 10/19/2009
其实我并不同意我学生的意见。老太太是有些讨厌,但她也有可爱之处。另外,我认为不能说是她导致全家人都被无辜谋杀了。哈,这又是一个可讨论的问题。
阿姗 wrote:
明白了。我猜想你的学生大都不是 catholic,没有什么宗教体验。我也是挺讨厌那个老祖母的,导致全家人都被无辜谋杀了。
读了同个作家的其它小说,我们是可以看到她作品中的 common theme。不少小说都的主人公都遭到了很 violent 的死亡,比如在河里淹死,被拖拉机压死,谋杀,被牛拱死,中风,心脏病,石头砸死,等等。。。没有死的人物,也常常是突然受到了很残忍的事。但在小说最后,很多人物都得到了某种宗教的启示。再回头读 A Good Man is Hard to Find,发现这篇小说的宗教情结是非常明显的。这个挺讨人厌的老太太,因为她的一错再错,造成全家人被谋杀,但在她死前,她似乎感受到“即使是杀人犯,也都是我的孩子”这样的神的爱。
《善良的乡下人》讲的是一个农场上的女主人,跟女儿住。女儿三十多岁了,只有一只腿,到城里读过很多书,是哲学的博士,无神论者,老处女,因为有病,在家里住。一天来了个卖圣经的年轻小伙,是个善良纯朴的乡下人。他说起他也有慢性病,母亲就留了小伙吃饭。临走时,女儿想故意勾引小伙子,于是约了第二天见面。女儿带小伙子去了一个谷仓,爬到楼上,女儿开始勾引小伙。小伙爱上了女儿,让她把假腿拆下来看。女儿被小伙子的爱情感动了,对小伙子坦白说,她不信神。小伙子打开装圣经的箱子,里面却是酒和黄色书刊。女儿慌了,说,“你不是善良的乡下人吗?”小伙子说,他早就什么也不信了。他把女儿的假腿放到箱子里,跑了。
真的没有中译本?要不要我试尝翻译一篇?她的文字应该比 Faulkner 的容易。 - posted on 10/20/2009
本来想聊点别的,可是还是说到了谋杀,死亡等更残忍的话题。
我觉得作者很显然的想说,那个老太太直接导致全家人的灾难,因为作者一而再,再而三的让老太太做非常错误的决定。开始老太太虽然不同意去度假,但还是决定跟家人去了。她为了满足怀旧的愿望,建议全家 take a detour 去看一个老庄园(1),还骗两个孩子说那里有宝藏(2),让孩子来缠着父亲去看庄园。车子走上一条荒凉的小路后,老太太意识到自己记错了(3),那个庄园是在另外一个州。她不想承认错误(4),惊慌之际(5),让怀里的猫跳了出来。本来是不要带猫旅行的,但老太太自作主张,把猫藏在车上(6)。结果那个猫跳到开车的父亲身上,父亲失去控制,车子翻了,大家都摔出来,母亲也受了伤。等那几个罪犯过来,老太太认出是正在通报的在逃杀人犯。她挺骄傲的指了出来(7),使得杀人犯要杀人灭口。我数了上面有老太太的七个错误决定,其中一个不成立,都不会造成灭门之灾。我想作者故意把老太太写成这样(当然,可爱也是有的,老太太这个人物的性格很真实),使得她最后的顿悟更加 dramatic。
廖康老师还教美国文学?真厉害!我一直以为你只是教中文的。请问这篇小说是在什么课上讨论的?
liaokang wrote:
其实我并不同意我学生的意见。老太太是有些讨厌,但她也有可爱之处。另外,我认为不能说是她导致全家人都被无辜谋杀了。哈,这又是一个可讨论的问题。
阿姗 wrote:
明白了。我猜想你的学生大都不是 catholic,没有什么宗教体验。我也是挺讨厌那个老祖母的,导致全家人都被无辜谋杀了。
读了同个作家的其它小说,我们是可以看到她作品中的 common theme。不少小说都的主人公都遭到了很 violent 的死亡,比如在河里淹死,被拖拉机压死,谋杀,被牛拱死,中风,心脏病,石头砸死,等等。。。没有死的人物,也常常是突然受到了很残忍的事。但在小说最后,很多人物都得到了某种宗教的启示。再回头读 A Good Man is Hard to Find,发现这篇小说的宗教情结是非常明显的。这个挺讨人厌的老太太,因为她的一错再错,造成全家人被谋杀,但在她死前,她似乎感受到“即使是杀人犯,也都是我的孩子”这样的神的爱。
《善良的乡下人》讲的是一个农场上的女主人,跟女儿住。女儿三十多岁了,只有一只腿,到城里读过很多书,是哲学的博士,无神论者,老处女,因为有病,在家里住。一天来了个卖圣经的年轻小伙,是个善良纯朴的乡下人。他说起他也有慢性病,母亲就留了小伙吃饭。临走时,女儿想故意勾引小伙子,于是约了第二天见面。女儿带小伙子去了一个谷仓,爬到楼上,女儿开始勾引小伙。小伙爱上了女儿,让她把假腿拆下来看。女儿被小伙子的爱情感动了,对小伙子坦白说,她不信神。小伙子打开装圣经的箱子,里面却是酒和黄色书刊。女儿慌了,说,“你不是善良的乡下人吗?”小伙子说,他早就什么也不信了。他把女儿的假腿放到箱子里,跑了。
真的没有中译本?要不要我试尝翻译一篇?她的文字应该比 Faulkner 的容易。 - posted on 10/20/2009
我在读英文博士时,当助教,教过美国本科生写作和文学课,主要是短篇小说(这篇是每次必选的),也教过两个长篇。我以前在此发过一篇教霍桑Young Goodman Brown的经历。
讨论这惨案的原因,要区分直接原因和间接原因。你提到的这些原因或按你说的错误都是间接原因,而且原意图并不坏(猫出来是因为孩子踢椅子造成父亲刹车,我记得)。只有“老太太认出那受到通报的在逃杀人犯并骄傲地指了出来”这一错误可以说根子源于骄傲,臭显她聪明。惨案的直接原因是Misfit凶残,向世人报复。对他,老太太仍以德报怨,与Misfit恰恰相反,所以她在精神上胜了(怎么听上去有点阿Q?),所以Misfit才暴躁起来,对吗?Misfit 的心理活动展示得很妙。
阿姗 wrote:
本来想聊点别的,可是还是说到了谋杀,死亡等更残忍的话题。
我觉得作者很显然的想说,那个老太太直接导致全家人的灾难,因为作者一而再,再而三的让老太太做非常错误的决定。开始老太太虽然不同意去度假,但还是决定跟家人去了。她为了满足怀旧的愿望,建议全家 take a detour 去看一个老庄园(1),还骗两个孩子说那里有宝藏(2),让孩子来缠着父亲去看庄园。车子走上一条荒凉的小路后,老太太意识到自己记错了(3),那个庄园是在另外一个州。她不想承认错误(4),惊慌之际(5),让怀里的猫跳了出来。本来是不要带猫旅行的,但老太太自作主张,把猫藏在车上(6)。结果那个猫跳到开车的父亲身上,父亲失去控制,车子翻了,大家都摔出来,母亲也受了伤。等那几个罪犯过来,老太太认出是正在通报的在逃杀人犯。她挺骄傲的指了出来(7),使得杀人犯要杀人灭口。我数了上面有老太太的七个错误决定,其中一个不成立,都不会造成灭门之灾。我想作者故意把老太太写成这样(当然,可爱也是有的,老太太这个人物的性格很真实),使得她最后的顿悟更加 dramatic。
廖康老师还教美国文学?真厉害!我一直以为你只是教中文的。请问这篇小说是在什么课上讨论的? - Re: 聊点别的。Flannery O'Connor (1925-1965)posted on 10/20/2009
liaokang wrote:
我在读英文博士时,当助教,教过美国本科生写作和文学课,主要是短篇小说(这篇是每次必选的),也教过两个长篇。我以前在此发过一篇教霍桑Young Goodman Brown的经历。
老廖教Lolita吗? I have so many questions reg. this novel. - Re: 聊点别的。Flannery O'Connor (1925-1965)posted on 10/20/2009
没教过。什么问题?提出来让大家讨论嘛。 - Re: 聊点别的。Flannery O'Connor (1925-1965)posted on 10/20/2009
说起 Lolita,昨晚我看的 O'Connor 的小说,讲的正好是一个 Nymphomaniac 的故事 The Comforts of Home。我只看了个开头,结果整晚做的梦都是廖康老师和 nymphomaniac(不是同时出现)。
前不久开始看 Nabakov 的自传 Speak, Memory,看了个开头,觉得好难,特别绕。不记得 Lolita 的文字是那么复杂的。读不下去,放下,以后再读吧。
廖老师教的长篇小说是哪两篇? - Re: 聊点别的。Flannery O'Connor (1925-1965)posted on 10/20/2009
嗯,不是同时出现还好。
我教的长篇是英文版的《水浒》和《西游记》。有工夫我会评评《西游记》。 - posted on 10/21/2009
真巧了。我们房东这星期刚从 Savannah, Georgia 开车过来,住一个月,亲手修理房子。她们是一对 lesbian couple。今天请其中一人帮我看孩子。她看到我正在看的 Flannery O'Connor 的书,兴奋的说,O'Connor 是在 Savannah 出生的,离房东的母亲住的地方特近。我问她有没有读 O'Connor,她说,全读了,一本都没漏。
读了那个有 nymphomaniac 的小说 The Comforts of Home,不太喜欢,比 Lolita 差远了。作者对 nymphomaniac 的描写很直接,近乎浅薄。不知这个角色是否有原型?还是作者臆想的。当然小说主角和主线不是她,她只是提供一个背景。
大学里我只上过一堂英文/写作课,是必修课,老师是 part time 的,没心思教,学生也没心思学。只记得阅读和分析了一篇小说,James Joyce 的 Araby。因为好多同学都不读书,这篇小说花了大半个学期才完成。结果全班只有三个学生拿 A,都是香港来的,美国学生反而不行。后来我为了省钱,考了个写作的试,跳过高年级的英语课没读。所以我也算没上过文学欣赏、批评的课。 这两年听了一点 Teaching Company 的文学讲座,甚有收获。
在美国上写作和文学课,可以读英文版的《水浒》和《西游记》?真有意思。
- posted on 10/21/2009
James Joyce's Araby 我也教过,但只是2个小时的课。你们学半个学期,太奢侈了,可讲什么呀?我教的短篇,都是英美和几个欧洲的翻译作品,但长篇是译自中文的,得有点特色嘛。
阿姗 wrote:
真巧了。我们房东这星期刚从 Savannah, Georgia 开车过来,住一个月,亲手修理房子。她们是一对 lesbian couple。今天请其中一人帮我看孩子。她看到我正在看的 Flannery O'Connor 的书,兴奋的说,O'Connor 是在 Savannah 出生的,离房东的母亲住的地方特近。我问她有没有读 O'Connor,她说,全读了,一本都没漏。
读了那个有 nymphomaniac 的小说 The Comforts of Home,不太喜欢,比 Lolita 差远了。作者对 nymphomaniac 的描写很直接,近乎浅薄。不知这个角色是否有原型?还是作者臆想的。当然小说主角和主线不是她,她只是提供一个背景。
大学里我只上过一堂英文/写作课,是必修课,老师是 part time 的,没心思教,学生也没心思学。只记得阅读和分析了一篇小说,James Joyce 的 Araby。因为好多同学都不读书,这篇小说花了大半个学期才完成。结果全班只有三个学生拿 A,都是香港来的,美国学生反而不行。后来我为了省钱,考了个写作的试,跳过高年级的英语课没读。所以我也算没上过文学欣赏、批评的课。 这两年听了一点 Teaching Company 的文学讲座,甚有收获。
在美国上写作和文学课,可以读英文版的《水浒》和《西游记》?真有意思。
- Re: 聊点别的。Flannery O'Connor (1925-1965)posted on 10/21/2009
liaokang wrote:OK。
Yes, it is "A Good Man is Hard to Find" that we are talking about. When I was teaching this story, most of my American students said that grandma was a nuisance nagging all the time, and her final act was a cowardly one trying in vain to save herself. The ending of the story always evokes good discussions.
中译本目前国内找不到,阿珊请出手,可以把《好人难寻》翻出来一睹为快,先谢!
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