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可幸我读《Oliver Twist》是在读《Poor Folk》之后。陀氏那毫无节制、滥情啰嗦的语言实在冲击得我头脑发昏,于是迪肯斯这简约、精致、用词委婉而讽刺直接、文雅而幽默的语言,就深得我敬服。我想我若能写出这样一环扣一环的讽刺,该多得意呀。
所谓一环扣一环的讽刺,以及用词委婉而讽刺直接、文雅而幽默,可引文中多处证明。
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Now, if, during this brief period, Oliver had been surrounded by careful grandmothers, anxious aunts, experienced nurses, and doctors of profound wisdom, he would most inevitably and indubitably have been killed in no time. There being nobody by, however, but a pauper old woman, who was rendered rather misty by an unwonted allowance of beer; and a parish surgeon who did such matters by contract; Oliver and Nature fought out the point between them. The result was, that, after a few struggles, Oliver breathed, sneezed, and proceeded to advertise to the inmates of the workhouse the fact of a new burden having been imposed upon the parish...
首先,作者写了一个“与常识极其明显地相反”的句子:如果有优良的条件,Oliver立马会死。然后赞赏Oliver的幸运:只有很差的条件,根本没人管他。这种写法有讽刺效果,且不沦落为煽情。“写法有讽刺效果”的产生,在于,当人们读到与常识相反的句子,或许不解,或许疑惑好奇,而立即又进入下一句子,读到Oliver出生的凄凉景象,立即明白了作者的意图,又是为这幽默发笑,又是为这贫穷落泪。又哭又笑的状态,不至于被那故意情绪化的、深邃的情感抒发和道德说教而束缚,而有了对社会嬉笑怒骂加以批判的动力,此为“不沦落为煽情”。相比之下,陀氏毫无幽默感,完全寄希望于煽情。
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he should be dispatched to a branch workhouse some three miles off, where twenty or thirty other juvenile offenders against the poor-laws, rolled about the floor all day, without the inconvenience of too much food or too much clothing, under the parental superintendence of an elderly female, who received the culprits at and for the consideration of sevenpence-halfpenny per small head per week. Sevenpence-halfpenny’s worth per week is a good round diet for a child; a great deal may be got for sevenpence-halfpenny, quite enough to overload its stomach, and make it uncomfortable. The elderly female was a
woman of wisdom and experience; she knew what was good for children; and she had a very accurate perception of what was good for herself. So, she appropriated the greater part of the weekly stipend to her own use, and consigned the rising parochial generation to even a shorter allowance than was originally provided for them. Thereby finding in the lowest depth a deeper still; and proving herself a very great experimental philosopher.
在这一句中,许多词语是独创的、极具讽刺意味的,比如“other juvenile offenders against the poor-laws”以及随后的“received the culprits",作者把Oliver说成offenders和culprits,把他挨饿、被虐待说成是他自己的错,如此不单单写了凄惨,更写了济贫院对孤儿的不理解和隔阂。造成这种隔阂的——随后的句子就让读者明白——是因济贫院为利益而牺牲道义。读者的觉悟却不来自作者的明示,而来自对反讽的理解。作者把自私的抚养者称赞为“ a woman of wisdom and experience”“a very great experimental philosopher”,表现她深谙利益计较,对道德这些虚名而无利的东西毫不放在眼里。读者的一切领悟都来自对反讽的、弦外之音的理解。细心的读者会因为发现一处反讽,理解了一种弦外之音而深感欣喜,这样的阅读快感,只可能来自迪肯斯这般精炼、幽默、文雅的语言,而不可能来自直白、滥情、罗嗦的语言。
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