也許你聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)喬伊斯的《尤利西斯》(Ulysses)很難讀,但是你知道他的另一部作品里長(zhǎng)達(dá)一百個(gè)字母的單詞嗎?字母e是英語(yǔ)中出現(xiàn)頻率最高的字母,但是你能想象一部長(zhǎng)達(dá)五萬(wàn)多詞的小說(shuō)通篇沒(méi)有這個(gè)字母嗎?在被英語(yǔ)里的各種動(dòng)詞形式折磨許多年后,你愿意讀一本兩百多頁(yè)的沒(méi)有一個(gè)動(dòng)詞的小說(shuō)嗎?如果你沒(méi)耐心讀長(zhǎng)篇,那一部由一千條短信構(gòu)成的小說(shuō)合不合你的胃口?書(shū)海浩瀚,無(wú)奇不有。觀賞這些奇書(shū)的體驗(yàn),或許不亞于一次大開(kāi)眼界的旅行……
You thought Moby Dick1) was tough reading? Try these on for size2): These are works of serious literature, where some are written without verbs, without punctuation ... Or even without the letter “e.”
James Joyce, Finnegan’s Wake (1939)
Joyce said that this opaque3) and multilayered text was meant “to keep the critics busy for three hundred years” (so check back4) with us in 2239, when all its secrets will presumably have been uncovered). The text draws inspiration from the historical theories of Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico; forms a closed narrative loop5), with the first sentence of the book completing the final sentence; and makes liberal use of invented words, derived from dozens of languages. Among these are a collection of hundred-letter words representing “thunderclaps,” which announce the start of each age of history. (Eg: Bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk6).) What could be simpler?
Ernest Vincent Wright, Gadsby: Champion of Youth (1939)
Though many writers had written shorter works under similar conditions, Wright challenged himself to write a complete novel without using the letter “e”: The 50,110-word Gadsby is the staggering result. The preface notes that as he wrote, “a whole army of little E’s gathered around my desk, all eagerly expecting to be called upon7).” Years later, Georges Perec8) accepted the same challenge, producing La Disparition (A Void) in 1969. The French original and English translation also omitted the letter “e”—but the Spanish translation omitted “a”, the most common letter in that language, instead.
Jerzy Andrzejewski, Gates of Paradise (1960)
Andrzejewski’s serious novella about the Children’s Crusade9) of 1212 clocks in at10) 40,000 words ... but only one sentence, with no punctuation except commas.
Vladimir Nabokov11), Pale Fire (1962)
The ostensible12) “text” of Nabokov’s peculiar book is a 1,000-line narrative poem (entitled “Pale Fire”) by the fictional poet John Shade—but the real story is told through accompanying commentary and footnotes that overwhelm the poem and comprise the bulk of the book.
William Gaddis, JR (1975)
Twenty years after publication of his über-13)challenging The Recognitions, Gaddis returned with this story about an 11-year-old who creates a business empire from a pay phone in his school—told in more than 700 pages of nearly pure dialogue, creating a symphony (or cacophony14), depending on your attention span15)) of interweaving voices and conversations.
Michel Thaler, The Train from Nowhere (2004)
Thaler’s 233-page novel offers plot, character, action ... but not a single verb. According to Thaler, “The verb is like a weed in a field of flowers. You have to get rid of it to allow the flowers to grow and flourish. Take away the verbs and the language speaks for itself.” In June 2004, the author (whose real name is Michel Dansel) even held a ceremony to “bury” the verb at Paris’s Sorbonne University.
Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves (2000)
This bizarre book—which seems to be equal parts of horror novel, film analysis, memoir, and collage16)—is about a house with more space inside than outside, hiding an unseen and presumably evil force. One of the book’s multiple narratives analyzes a film about the house, another analyzes that analysis ... and in the meantime, text flows in all directions on the page, interspersed17) with meandering footnotes and eye-straining layout tricks.
Hannu Luntiala, Last Messages (2007)
If a novel like this was going to be written, it was inevitably going to come from Finland, the home of Nokia: Luntiala’s book is written entirely in text messages—about 1,000 of them, covering more than 300 pages. We just hope that the main characters had bargain-basement18) rates on their cell-phone service.
DOGGONE IT19)
The original manuscript for On the Road was written on a 119-foot-long scroll of paper. Literature lovers have long been able to visit the scroll at exhibitions in museums and libraries across the country. However, no one knows exactly how long the manuscript was when Kerouac completed it or what the treatise20)’s original ending lines were. Kerouac’s handwriting appears at the end of the scroll, noting that a cocker spaniel21) belonging to Lucien Carr22), a friend (and the father of writer Caleb Carr), had eaten the last lines.
你覺(jué)得《白鯨記》晦澀難讀?試試這些作品怎么樣:它們都是嚴(yán)肅文學(xué)作品,有的不用動(dòng)詞,有的沒(méi)有標(biāo)點(diǎn)……有的甚至不出現(xiàn)字母e。
詹姆斯·喬伊斯,《芬尼根守靈夜》(1939)
喬伊斯表示,這部晦澀難懂、有多重含義的作品旨在“讓評(píng)論家忙上300年”(因此到2239年記得回來(lái)找我們,那時(shí)候書(shū)中的一切秘密應(yīng)該都已經(jīng)揭開(kāi)了)。這部作品的靈感來(lái)自意大利哲學(xué)家詹巴蒂斯塔·維柯的歷史理論。全書(shū)的敘事構(gòu)成一個(gè)封閉循環(huán),末句與首句連成一個(gè)完整的句子。書(shū)中還大量使用源于多種語(yǔ)言的自創(chuàng)詞。其中有一些用一百個(gè)字母拼成的單詞,表示“雷聲”,用于宣告每個(gè)歷史時(shí)代的開(kāi)端(如:Bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthurnuk.)。還有比這更簡(jiǎn)單的嗎?
歐內(nèi)斯特·文森特·賴特,《加茲比:青年冠軍》(1939)
雖然許多作家寫(xiě)過(guò)相似的短篇作品,但賴特卻向自己發(fā)起挑戰(zhàn),寫(xiě)了一部通篇不含字母e的完整的長(zhǎng)篇小說(shuō)。這部令人瞠目結(jié)舌的作品就是長(zhǎng)達(dá)50,110個(gè)單詞的小說(shuō)《加茲比》。小說(shuō)的前言中提到,作者在寫(xiě)作時(shí),“一支字母E的全軍集結(jié)圍繞在我的桌旁,眼巴巴地期待我的征召”。多年后,喬治·佩雷克接受了同樣的挑戰(zhàn),在1969年寫(xiě)出了小說(shuō)《消失》。該書(shū)的法文原著和英文譯本都沒(méi)有用字母e,而西班牙譯本則沒(méi)有用該語(yǔ)言最常見(jiàn)的字母a。
耶日·安杰耶夫斯基,《天堂之門》(1960)
安杰耶夫斯基的這部中篇嚴(yán)肅小說(shuō)記錄了1212年的兒童十字軍東征,篇幅長(zhǎng)達(dá)四萬(wàn)詞……但只用一句話寫(xiě)成,除了逗號(hào)沒(méi)有其他標(biāo)點(diǎn)。(編注:這部小說(shuō)其實(shí)共有兩句話,第二句只有四個(gè)單詞。)
弗拉基米爾·納博科夫,《微暗的火》(1962)
從表面看,納博科夫這本奇書(shū)的“正文”是一首題為《微暗的火》的千行敘事詩(shī),由虛構(gòu)的詩(shī)人約翰·謝德所寫(xiě)。但是,真正的故事卻是通過(guò)附帶的評(píng)注和腳注來(lái)講述的,它們比詩(shī)本身長(zhǎng)得多,構(gòu)成了全書(shū)的主體。
威廉·加迪斯,《小大亨》(1975)
在加迪斯極富挑戰(zhàn)性的著作《承認(rèn)》出版20年后,他攜本書(shū)回歸文壇。故事講述了一個(gè)11歲的孩子從學(xué)校的投幣式公用電話起家,建立了自己的商業(yè)帝國(guó)。全書(shū)有七百多頁(yè),幾乎全部以對(duì)話形式呈現(xiàn),創(chuàng)造了一部聲音與對(duì)話交織混雜的交響曲(或是雜音,取決于你的注意力持續(xù)時(shí)間長(zhǎng)短)。
米歇爾·塔萊,《從無(wú)處來(lái)的列車》(2004)
塔萊這本233頁(yè)的小說(shuō)有情節(jié)、角色、動(dòng)作……但是沒(méi)有一個(gè)動(dòng)詞。根據(jù)塔萊的說(shuō)法,“動(dòng)詞就像花圃里的雜草。你必須除掉雜草,鮮花才能成長(zhǎng)、茂盛。去掉動(dòng)詞,語(yǔ)言會(huì)不言自明”。2004年6月,作者(其真名為米歇爾·當(dāng)塞爾)甚至舉辦了一場(chǎng)葬禮,在巴黎索邦大學(xué)“埋葬”了動(dòng)詞。
馬克·Z·丹尼爾維斯基,《書(shū)頁(yè)之屋》(2000)
這本怪書(shū)看上去像是恐怖小說(shuō)、影片分析、回憶錄、拼貼畫(huà)的集合體,它描述了一棟內(nèi)部空間大于外部空間的房子,房中藏著一種看不見(jiàn)的、或許是邪惡的力量。書(shū)中有多重?cái)⑹?,其中一重?cái)⑹路治隽岁P(guān)于這棟房子的一部電影,另一重?cái)⑹聞t分析了這篇影片分析……與此同時(shí),書(shū)頁(yè)上的文本向各個(gè)方向蔓延,其間點(diǎn)綴著蜿蜒而行的腳注和令人眼花繚亂的布局技巧。
漢努·倫蒂亞拉,《最后的信息》(2007)
如果說(shuō)哪里會(huì)出現(xiàn)這樣一部小說(shuō),那必然是諾基亞的故鄉(xiāng)芬蘭。倫蒂亞拉的書(shū)完全由短信構(gòu)成,有一千條左右,長(zhǎng)達(dá)三百多頁(yè)。我們只希望主角們的手機(jī)有短信優(yōu)惠套餐。
見(jiàn)鬼!
《在路上》的原始手稿寫(xiě)在一個(gè)119英尺(編注:約36米)長(zhǎng)的紙卷上。長(zhǎng)期以來(lái),文學(xué)愛(ài)好者都能在全國(guó)各地博物館和圖書(shū)館的展覽上見(jiàn)到它。但沒(méi)有人確切地知道,凱魯亞克剛寫(xiě)完這部作品時(shí)手稿有多長(zhǎng),還有原稿最后幾行寫(xiě)的是什么。紙卷末尾有凱魯亞克的筆跡,他寫(xiě)道:最后幾行字被朋友盧西恩·卡爾(作家卡勒布·卡爾之父)的小可卡犬吃掉了。
1.Moby Dick:《白鯨記》,美國(guó)小說(shuō)家赫爾曼·麥爾維爾(Herman Melville, 1819~1891)發(fā)表于1851年的小說(shuō)。小說(shuō)場(chǎng)面宏闊博大,思想內(nèi)涵復(fù)雜,哲理性很強(qiáng),而且文筆沉郁瑰奇,堪稱杰作。
2.try sth. on for size:測(cè)試某物或思考某一觀點(diǎn)看是否可用
3.opaque [???pe?k] adj. 難懂的,晦澀的
4.check back:再聯(lián)系,再接洽
5.《芬尼根守靈夜》的結(jié)尾結(jié)束在定冠詞“the”上:“A way a lone a last a loved a long the”。這個(gè)結(jié)尾與小說(shuō)的開(kāi)頭“river run, past Eve and Adam’s”連成了一句,構(gòu)成了小說(shuō)的循環(huán),表示“生生不息”的輪回。
6.該詞模擬雷聲不斷,由十多種不同語(yǔ)言中表示“雷”的詞組成。
7.據(jù)說(shuō)賴特為規(guī)避字母e,可謂煞費(fèi)苦心,甚至-ed詞尾和火雞(turkey)等詞都要另尋表達(dá)。他最終成功了。但遺憾的是,賴特并沒(méi)有看到這本書(shū)面市。該書(shū)在他66歲生日當(dāng)天出版,他則于同一日去世。
8.Georges Perec:?jiǎn)讨巍づ謇卓耍?936~1982),法國(guó)當(dāng)代著名的先鋒小說(shuō)家,他的小說(shuō)以任意交叉錯(cuò)結(jié)的情節(jié)和獨(dú)特的敘事風(fēng)格見(jiàn)長(zhǎng)。
9.Children’s Crusade:兒童十字軍,是于1212年在第四次和第五次十字軍東征之間興起的由兒童組成的十字軍隊(duì)伍。傳統(tǒng)和現(xiàn)代的史學(xué)觀點(diǎn)在該事件的真實(shí)性上有較大分歧,關(guān)于這件事情的真實(shí)情況現(xiàn)在仍有較大爭(zhēng)論。
10.clock in at:達(dá)到……(時(shí)間、數(shù)量等)
11.Vladimir Nabokov:弗拉基米爾·納博科夫(1899~1977),俄裔美國(guó)作家。他在1955年用英語(yǔ)完成的《洛麗塔》(Lolita)使他成為享有世界級(jí)聲譽(yù)的偉大作家。
12.ostensible [??stens?b(?)l] adj. 表面的,貌似真實(shí)的
13.über- [u?b?(r)] pref. 〈德〉超級(jí),非常
14.cacophony [k??k?f?ni] n. 刺耳的聲音;不和諧音
15.attention span:[心]注意廣度(指注意力耐久集中的時(shí)間長(zhǎng)度)
16.collage [?k?lɑ??] n. 拼貼畫(huà)
17.intersperse [??nt?(r)?sp??(r)s] vt. 點(diǎn)綴
18.bargain-basement:極便宜的
19.doggone it:去你的(God damn的委婉詞)
20.treatise [?tri?t?z] n. 專著;〈古〉敘事
21.cocker spaniel:可卡犬,一種短腿長(zhǎng)毛垂耳小獵犬
22.Lucien Carr:盧西恩·卡爾(1925~2005),與凱魯亞克同為20世紀(jì)40年代紐約“垮掉的一代”核心成員,是后文提到的作家卡勒布·卡爾(1955~)的父親。