WhyaclassicisaclassicArnoldBennet学习资料

1、Whyaclassicisaclassic(ArnoldBennet)WhyaClassicIsaClassicbyArnoldBennettThelargemajorityofourfellow-citizenscareasmuchaboutliteratureastheycareaboutaeroplanesortheprogrammeoftheLegislature.Theydonotignoreit;theyarenotquiteindifferenttoit.Buttheirinterestinitisfaintandperfunctory;or,iftheirinteresthap

2、penstobeviolent,itisspasmodic.Askthetwohundredthousandpersonswhoseenthusiasmmadethevogueofapopularnoveltenyearsagowhattheythinkofthatnovelnow,andyouwillgatherthattheyhaveutterlyforgottenit,andthattheywouldnomoredreamofreadingitagainthanofreadingBishopStubbsSelectsCharters.Probablyiftheydidreaditagai

3、ntheywouldnotenjoyitnotbecausethesaidnovelisawhitworsenowthanitwastenyearsago;notbecausetheirtastehasimprovedbutbecausetheyhavenothadsufficientpracticetobeabletorelyontheirtasteasameansofpermanentpleasure.Theysimplydonetdkanyotwotfhroemonnextwhatwillpleasethem.Inthefaceofthisonemayask:Whydoesthegrea

4、tanduniversalfameofclassicalauthorscontinue?Theansweristhatthefameofclassicalauthorsisentirelyindependentofthemajority.DoyousupposethatifthefameofShakespearedependedonthemaninthestreetitwouldsurviveafortnight?Thefameofclassicalauthorsisoriginallymade,anditismaintained,byapassionatefew.Evenwhenafirst

5、-classauthorhasenjoyedimmensesuccessduringhislifetime,themajorityhaveneverappreciatedhimsosincerelyastheyhaveappreciatedsecond-ratemen.Hehasalwaysbeenreinforcedbytheardourofthepassionatefew.Andinthecaseofanauthorwhohasemergedintogloryafterhisdeaththehappysequelhasbeenduesolelytotheobstinatepersevera

6、nceofthefew.Theycouldnotleavehimalone;theywouldnot.Theykeptonsavouringhim,andtalkingabouthim,andbuyinghim,andtheygenerallybehavedwithsucheagerzeal,andtheyweresoauthoritativeandsureofthemselves,thatatlastthemajoritygrewaccustomedtothesoundofhisnameandplacidlyagreedtothepropositionthathewasagenius;the

7、majorityreallydidnotcareverymucheitherway.Anditisbythepassionatefewthattherenownofgeniusiskeptalivefromonegenerationtoanother.Thesefewarealwaysatwork.Theyarealwaysrediscoveringgenius.Theircuriosityandenthusiasmareexhaustless,sothatthereislittlechanceofgeniusbeingignored.And,moreover,theyarealwayswor

8、kingeitherfororagainsttheverdictsofthemajority.Themajoritycanmakeareputation,butitistoocarelesstomaintainit.If,byaccident,thepassionatefewagreewiththemajorityinaparticularinstance,theywillfrequentlyremindthemajoritythatsuchandsuchareputationhasbeenmade,andthemajoritywillidlyconcur:“Ah,yes.Bytheway,m

9、ustnotforgetthatsuchandsuchareputationexists."Withoutthatpersistentmemory-joggingthereputationwouldquicklyfallintotheoblivionwhichisdeath.Thepassionatefewonlyhavetheirwaybyreasonofthefactthattheyaregenuinelyinterestedinliterature,thatliteraturematterstothem.Theyconquerbytheirobstinacyalone,byth

10、eireternalrepetitionofthesamestatements.DoyousupposetheycouldprovetothemaninthestreetthatShakespearewasagreatartist?Thesaidmanwouldnotevenunderstandthetermstheyemployed.Butwhenheistoldtenthousandtimes,andgenerationaftergeneration,thatShakespearewasagreatartist,thesaidmanbelievesnotbyreason,butbyfait

11、h.AndhetoorepeatsthatShakespearewasagreatartist,andhebuysthecompleteworksoShakespeareandputsthemonhisshelves,andhegoestoseethemarvellousstage-effectswhichaccompaKyngLearorHamlet,andcomesbackreligiouslyconvincedthatShakespearewasagreatartist.AllbecausethepassionatefewcouldnotkeeptheiradmirationofShak

12、espearetothemselves.Thisisnotcynicism;buttruth.Anditisimportantthatthosewhowishtoformtheirliterarytasteshouldgraspit.Whatcausesthepassionatefewtomakesuchafussaboutliterature?Therecanbeonlyonereply.Theyfindakeenandlastingpleasureinliterature.Theyenjoyliteratureassomemenenjoybeer.Therecurrenceofthispl

13、easurenaturallykeepstheirinterestinliteratureverymuchalive.Theyareforevermakingnewresearches,foreverpractisingonthemselves.Theylearntounderstandthemselves.Theylearntoknowwhattheywant.Theirtastebecomessurerandsurerastheirexperiencelengthens.Theydonotenjoyto-daywhatwillseemtedioustothemto-morrow.Whent

14、heyfindabooktedious,noamountofpopularclatterwillpersuadethemthatitispleasurable;andwhentheyfinditpleasurablenochillsilenceofthestreet-crowdswillaffecttheirconvictionthatthebookisgoodandpermanent.Theyhavefaithinthemselves.Whatarethequalitiesinabookwhichgivekeenandlastingpleasuretothepassionatefew?Thi

15、sisaquestionsodifficultthatithasneveryetbeencompletelyanswered.Youmaytalklightlyabouttruth,insight,knowledge,wisdom,humour,andbeauty.Butthesecomfortablewordsdonotreallycarryyouveryfar,foreachofthemhastobedefined,especiallythefirstandlast.ItisallverywellforKeatsinhisairymannertoassertthatbeautyistrut

16、h,truthbeauty,andthatthatisallheknowsorneedstoknow.I,forone,needtoknowalotmore.AndInevershallknow.Nobody,notevenHazlittnorSainte-Beuve,haseverfinallyexplainedwhyhethoughtabookbeautiful.Itakethefirstfinelinesthatcometohand-ThewoodsofArcadyaredead,AndoveristheirantiquejoyandIsaythatthoselinesarebeauti

17、ful,becausetheygivemepleasure.Butwhy?Noanswer!Ionlyknowthatthepassionatefewwill,broadly,agreewithmeinderivingthismysteriouspleasurefromthoselines.Iamonlyconvincedthatthelivelinessofourpleasureinthoseandmanyotherlinesbythesameauthorwillultimatelycausethemajoritytobelieve,byfaith,thatW.B.Yeatsisageniu

18、s.Theonereassuringaspectoftheliteraryaffairisthatthepassionatefewarepassionateaboutthesamethings.Acontinuanceofinterestdoes,inactualpractice,leadultimatelytothesamejudgments.Thereisonlythedifferenceinwidthofinterest.Someofthepassionatefewlackcatholicity,or,rather,thewholeoftheirinterestisconfinedtoo

19、nenarrowchannel;theyhavenoneleftover.Thesemenhelpspeciallytovitalisethereputationsofthenarrowergeniuses:suchasCrashaw.Buttheiractivepredilectionsnevercontradictthegeneralverdictofthepassionatefew;rathertheyreinforceit.Aclassicisaworkwhichgivespleasuretotheminoritywhichisintenselyandpermanentlyintere

20、stedinliterature.Itlivesonbecausetheminority,eagertorenewthesensationofpleasure,iseternallycuriousandisthereforeengagedinaneternalprocessofrediscovery.Aclassicdoesnotsurviveforanyethicalreason.Itdoesnotsurvivebecauseitconformstocertaincanons,orbecauseneglectwouldnotkillit.Itsurvivesbecauseitisasourceofpleasure,andbecausethepassionatefewcannomoreneglectitthanabeecanneglectaflower.Thepassionatefew