我們時常譴責追名逐利的人,說他們道德敗壞。今天向各位推介的V字首名著,便是以諷刺手法,精彩地描畫這點。書名是《Vanity Fair》,中譯作《浮華世界》,也常譯作《名利場》,作者是英國著名諷刺作家薩克萊(William Makepeace Thackeray,1811-1863);當中的Vanity讀作VAN-na-tee,而Makepeace的確讀如MAKE-peace,至於Thackeray則讀作THACK-ka-ree。愛讀流行雜誌的朋友,大概知道美國有一本著名時尚雜誌也叫《Vanity Fair》,名字便是源自這本小說。
放眼世界 悲從中來
小說一開始,作者便把世界比作舞台,並在Before the Curtain(開幕以前的幾句話)一節中,詳細描畫花花世界,值得我們細讀:「As the manager of the Performance sits before the curtain on the boards and looks into the Fair, a feeling of profound melancholy comes over him in his survey of the bustling place(領班坐在戲台上幔子前面,對著底下鬧哄哄的市場,瞧了半晌,心裡不覺悲傷起來).」
貪婪之人 無處不在
他為何悲從中來呢?「There is a great quantity of eating and drinking, making love and jilting, laughing and the contrary, smoking, cheating, fighting, dancing and fiddling(市場上的人有的在吃喝,有的在調情,有的得了新寵就丟了舊愛;有在笑的,也有在哭的,還有在抽煙的、騙人的、打架的、跳舞的、拉提琴的); there are bullies pushing about, bucks ogling the women, knaves picking pockets, policemen on the look-out, quacks (OTHER quacks, plague take them!) bawling in front of their booths(有些是到處橫行的強梁漢子;有些是對女人飛眼兒的花花公子,也有扒手和到處巡邏的警察,還有走江湖吃十方的,在自己攤子前面扯起嗓子嚷叫(這些人偏和我同行,真該死!)), and yokels looking up at the tinselled dancers and poor old rouged tumblers, while the light-fingered folk are operating upon their pockets behind(跳舞的穿著渾身發亮的衣服,可憐的翻筋斗老頭兒塗著兩腮幫子胭脂,引得那些鄉下佬睜著眼瞧,不提防後面就有三隻手的傢伙在掏他們的口袋).」
浮華空虛 應引為鑑
原來是因為世界到處都是貪婪、自私、糊塗的人。作者因而開始說出這個世界的名字和特質:「Yes, this is VANITY FAIR; not a moral place certainly; nor a merry one, though very noisy(是了,這就是我們的浮華世界。這裡雖然是個熱鬧去處,卻是道德淪亡,說不上有甚麼快活).」
至於故事內容,主要是描述多名主角如何在社會中向上爬,如何見高拜、見低踩,如何過著浮華而空虛的生活,值得我們引以為鑑。 ■余 功
逢周五見報
|