2023年10月23日 星期一

HEART OF DARKNESS (1902). English was Joseph Conrad’sthird language after Polish and French「康拉德的鑑長群像」(Conrad’s Captains)典故

"Heart of Darkness" is a novella written by Joseph Conrad, first published in 1899. It tells the story of Charles Marlow, a British sailor who is hired by a Belgian trading company to captain a steamboat up the Congo River in Africa. The novella explores themes of colonialism, imperialism, and the darkness within human nature.
Summary:
Marlow's journey takes him into the heart of the African continent, where he encounters the brutal and dehumanizing effects of European colonialism. He witnesses the exploitation of the local African population and the utter moral decay of the European colonizers, particularly Kurtz, a station manager who has gone mad and is revered as a god by the natives. Marlow is repulsed by the savagery he witnesses and the darkness that seems to consume those who venture into this harsh environment.
Analysis:
1. Colonialism and Imperialism: "Heart of Darkness" critiques the European colonization of Africa. It portrays the cruelty, greed, and inhumanity of the European colonizers and the devastating impact of imperialism on native populations.
2. Psychological Darkness: The story delves into the darkness within the human psyche. Marlow's journey is not only a physical one but also a descent into the darkness of the human soul. This is symbolized by Kurtz, who represents the extreme moral degradation that can result from unchecked power and isolation.
3. Ambiguity and Moral Ambiguity: The novella is known for its ambiguity and moral complexity. It raises questions about the nature of good and evil, the morality of imperialism, and the ambiguity of truth and deception.
4. Narration: The story is narrated by Marlow, who provides a subjective perspective, making the events open to interpretation. His narration is fragmented and non-linear, adding to the sense of confusion and moral ambiguity.
"Heart of Darkness" has been the subject of much critical analysis and interpretation, and it continues to be studied for its exploration of complex themes and its powerful storytelling. It is considered a classic of English literature and is often discussed in the context of post-colonial and cultural studies.
可能是樹和顯示的文字是「 HEART OF DARKNESS JOSEPH CONRAD 」的藝術品






Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, better known as Joseph Conrad, was born on this day in 1857.
"Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision, — he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath — 'The horror! The horror!'"
―from HEART OF DARKNESS (1902)

Joseph Conrad, author of the novels "Heart of Darkness" and "Lord Jim", was born on December 3rd 1857. English was his third language after Polish and French; he felt that he was “adopted by the genius of the language”


Conrad was born on this day 1857
ECONOMIST.COM



我所知道的(一些)「康拉德的鑑長群像」(Conrad’s Captains)典故




幾年前讀羅素自傳,知道名小說家康拉德(Joseph Conrad,1857–1924.)是其孩子的「教父」。
我讀其作品受益最多的,倒不是某一所謂『20世紀百大英文小說全覽』之中的--康拉德 (Joseph Conrad)有兩本上榜:《諾斯特羅莫》 (Nostromo 1904,譯林出版社等)和《黑暗的心》(Heart of Darkness ,1902,此書中文版本很多,人民文學出版社本『黑暗深處』,參考日本翻譯:ジョーゼフ・コンラッド 『闇の奥』,中野好夫 訳,岩波文庫,1958。參考:http://www.isis.ne.jp/mnn/senya/senya1070.html)--而是其『文學與人生札記』中所流露出的情感和智慧;天津百花文藝的『大海如鏡』之附錄法國莫洛亞所寫的關於Conrad專文。

最近重讀 Calvino 的文章 Conrad’s Captains(「康拉德的鑑長群像」,其實他認為水手群準確地象徵人類社會的本質)-- 這篇發表在1954義大利的共產黨黨報(改名為 『統一報』(L’Unita),200 年8月 4日關門大吉),是紀念康拉德逝世 30 周年而作的。這背景的了解或許可以解釋Calvino 為什麼會舉馬克斯和列寧的讀名作家充實「革命之學問」。


我們讀一下Calvino傳記,可以瞭解他對Cconrad有研究,他的大學論文( 1947)是博覽 Conrad所有小說( 參考『巴黎隱士』(時報), p. 35 )。

現在談的這篇文章(伊塔羅.卡爾維諾 (Italo Calvino )著《為什麼讀經典》 ( Why Read the Classics? 1991,(李桂蜜譯,臺北:時報出版,2005 ),pp.191-96),類似將心得濃縮本書中的六頁,真是舉重若輕,不過,正因為如此,因此翻譯或許需要詳注,才可能幫助讀者。可惜,這篇漢譯竟然一 反本書作法,無一譯注,這有點令人出乎意外。當然,這問題或許是因為台灣一般讀者,通常只知道Conrad的一二本作品和生平大要—反之,我們可以從網路 和本篇知道,義大利和日本等國,幾乎都有康拉德作品全集出版(大陸可能差一二本)。

舉一例,Calvino 說的;「我很高興發現『海之鏡』也在(義大利文翻譯—hc注)其中,以純粹的形式,非小說的作品出現,這是一本以海洋為主題的選集:包含關於繫泊與出航、 拋錨、揚帆與貨物重量等等的技巧……」(李譯)由於這本 The Mirror of the Sea有翻譯本(『大海如鏡』,天津百花文藝,2000。可惜此翻譯的文字很不理想),我們可以看一下另一翻譯:「靠岸與啟航、下錨與起錨(Conrad 在文章中「拋錨」用法錯誤,因為錨不是隨便拋的)、(接下來的一篇Conrad取名『蛛網與蛛絲』,它談的是整體船隊,我懷疑Calvino採用 sails 是記憶)、負荷的重量等等」

沒有全集或重要的的研究論文,就很難了解Calvino本篇中所說的「船長們」,譬如說, Tom LINGARD者,其實是其早期三部作品的主角(CONRAD’S LINGARD TRILOGY)。本篇談的幾個重要的船長,譯文也一反慣例,沒附原文,如麥克霍爾(MacWhirr,『颱風』之船長,Calvino用 impassive形容他,不知道為什麼許多人採用容易引起誤解的「無動於衷」來翻譯它,或許用「處變(颱風、沉船)不驚、泰然自若」比較好)。

我認為還要注解的還不少,譬如說,Italo Calvino在本篇第一段說的法國文學界之精英在他過世約半年出版紀念專刊,這類似於將Conrad的遺體海葬,其實這是比喻,他是埋在英國的 (Joseph Conrad died of a heart attack, and was interred in Canterbury Cemetery, Canterbury, England, with three mistakes in his name on the gravestone.)。


其他諸如列寧怎樣「讀」(利用)托爾斯泰,以及馬克斯怎樣「讀」(利用)巴爾扎克;基本上,列寧「讀」(利用)托爾斯泰對於舊俄的貴族和農民的生活描述, 而馬克斯利用巴爾扎克對於帝國時期的巴黎萬花筒社會現象。同樣的,英國的海上霸權、殖民、專業敬業的航海倫理道德等等時代氛圍精神,乃是Calvino所 說的Conrad作品之要點。

這點我舉文末為例說明一下。「……他是一位根深柢固的反動主義者,不過今日能完全了解他的教訓的人,只有那些對人類力量有信念的人,他們相信那些在自己的 工作中認出自身高貴性的人,這些人知道康拉德所珍視的『忠實原則』不只適用於過去而已。」(李譯,pp. 195-96)

嚴格說,這段翻譯不太好,大部分讀者可能看不懂。我想「反動主義者」用「社經政治上保守者」或許比較好。而我覺得更重要的是『忠實原 則』(Principle of fidelity),它是Conrad的基本價值觀,是「這個非永恆社會建立在幾個自古以來即有之的簡單原則之第一原則」,我們必須了解它。用他的話來 說,「人的社會要穩定只有通過忠誠,也就是說通過自願的誓約,不背判自己細心考慮過所參加的組織。」(天津百花文藝的『大海如鏡』之附錄法國莫洛亞所寫的 專文。)

這些道理,Herbert A. Simon在他的『管理行為』中有所論述。

我還有些地方看不太懂。Calvino反對Virginia Woolf將 J. Conrad 界定為”顯赫的訪客”(illustrious visitor)。不過,我們查The Common Reader (chapter19) ,並沒有這字眼,只有simple visitor等等。又譬如說,要幫忙讀者了解Conrad與所謂頹廢主義的一些健匠過往從密和所謂「被詛咒的唯美主義者」。上周四知道大陸有本博士論文 『康拉德作品的空間處理』(英文本,這書名是記憶力,不可靠,因為我決定不買它。)

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