登陆注册
15685100000071

第71章 LAPSES AND ERRORS IN CRITICISM(2)

It is a pity, too, that Mr Hammerton has no records of some portions of the life at Davos Platz.Not only was Stevenson ill there in April 1892, but his wife collapsed, and the tender concern for her made havoc with some details of his literary work.It is good to know this.Such errata or omissions throw a finer light on his character than controlling perfection would do.Ah, I remember how my old friend W.B.Rands ("Matthew Browne" and "Henry Holbeach") was wont to declare that were men perfect they would be isolated, if not idiotic, that we are united to each other by our defects - that even physical beauty would be dead like later Greek statues, were these not departures from the perfect lines.The letter given by me at p.28 transfigures in its light, some of his work at that time.

And then what an opportunity, we deeply regret to say, Mr Hammerton wholly missed, when he passed over without due explanation or commentary that most significant pamphlet - the ADDRESS TO THE SCOTTISH CLERGY.If Mr Hammerton had but duly and closely studied that and its bearings and suggestions in many directions, then he would have written such a chapter for true enlightenment and for interest as exactly his book - attractive though it is in much -

yet specially lacks.It is to be hoped that Mr Sidney Colvin will not once more miss the chance which is thus still left open to him to perfect his LIFE OF STEVENSON, and make it more interpretive than anything yet published.If he does this, then, a dreadful LACUNA in the EDINBURGH EDITION will also be supplied.

Carefully reading over again Mr Arthur Symons' STUDIES IN TWO

LITERATURES - published some years ago - I have come across instances of apparent contradiction which, so far as I can see, he does not critically altogether reconcile, despite his ingenuity and great charm of style.One relates to Thoreau, who, while still "sturdy" as Emerson says, "and like an elm tree," as his sister Sophia says, showed exactly the same love of nature and power of interpreting her as he did after in his later comparatively short period of "invalidity," while Mr Symons says his view of Nature absolutely was that of the invalid, classing him unqualifiedly with Jefferies and Stevenson, as invalid.Thoreau's mark even in the short later period of "invalidity" was complete and robust independence and triumph over it - a thing which I have no doubt wholly captivated Stevenson, as scarce anything else would have done, as a victory in the exact ROLE he himself was most ambitious to fill.For did not he too wrestle well with the "wolverine" he carried on his back - in this like Addington Symonds and Alexander Pope? Surely I cannot be wrong here to reinforce my statement by a passage from a letter written by Sophia Thoreau to her good friend Daniel Ricketson, after her brother's death, the more that R.L.

Stevenson would have greatly exulted too in its cheery and invincible stoicism:

"Profound joy mingles with my grief.I feel as if something very beautiful had happened - not death; although Henry is with us no longer, yet the memory of his sweet and virtuous soul must ever cheer and comfort me.My heart is filled with praise to God for the gift of such a brother, and may I never distrust the love and wisdom of Him who made him and who has now called him to labour in more glorious fields than earth affords.You ask for some particulars relating to Henry's illness.I feel like saying that Henry was never affected, never reached by it.I never before saw such a manifestation of the power of spirit over matter.Very often I heard him tell his visitors that he enjoyed existence as well as ever.The thought of death, he said, did not trouble him.

His thoughts had entertained him all his life and did still....He considered occupation as necessary for the sick as for those in health, and accomplished a vast amount of labour in those last few months."

A rare "invalidity" this - a little confusing easy classifications.

I think Stevenson would have felt and said that brother and sister were well worthy of each other; and that the sister was almost as grand and cheery a stoic, with no literary profession of it, as was the brother.

The other thing relates to Stevenson's HUMAN SOUL.I find Mr Symons says, at p.243, that Stevenson "had something a trifle elfish and uncanny about him, as of a bewitched being who was not actually human - had not actually a human soul" - in which there may be a glimmer of truth viewed from his revelation of artistic curiosities in some aspects, but is hardly true of him otherwise;

and this Mr Symons himself seems to have felt, when, at p.246, he writes: "He is one of those writers who speak TO US ON EASY TERMS, with whom we MAY EXCHANGE AFFECTIONS." How "affections" could be exchanged on easy terms between the normal human being and an elfish creature actually WITHOUT A HUMAN SOUL (seeing that affections are, as Mr Matthew Arnold might have said, at least, three-fourths of soul) is more, I confess, than I can quite see at present; but in this rather MALADROIT contradiction Mr Symons does point at one phase of the problem of Stevenson - this, namely that to all the ordinary happy or pleasure-endings he opposes, as it were of set purpose, gloom, as though to certain things he was quite indifferent, and though, as we have seen, his actual life and practice were quite opposed to this.

I am sorry I CANNOT find the link in Mr Symons' essay, which would quite make these two statements consistently coincide critically.

As an enthusiastic, though I hope still a discriminating, Stevensonian, I do wish Mr Symons would help us to it somehow hereafter.It would be well worth his doing, in my opinion.

同类推荐
  • 易林补遗

    易林补遗

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 太平经合校

    太平经合校

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 送徐大夫赴南海

    送徐大夫赴南海

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 仙杂记

    仙杂记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • Iphigenia in Tauris

    Iphigenia in Tauris

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 通神仙逆

    通神仙逆

    神通、修力、穿越,一部另类的修真经典!一个有着位面商人和异能者双重身份的少年,穿越重生在仙逆的宇宙时空中,成了一个废物巨魔族少爷!族人的陷害嘲讽,信仰异能,神通世界,看他走着一条通天逆神的道途!
  • 废柴逆天小神医:魔帝的小医妃

    废柴逆天小神医:魔帝的小医妃

    她,冷漠果断,杀人如麻,有着绝世美貌,却穿越成了最丑风家创始人神溟天的小主子神落倾,可他却慧眼识珠在众多女人看中了她。他,冷酷嗜血,却对她展开笑颜。“你,今生今世,不,是永远,你的一切都是我的”她勾起邪恶的微笑“那是自然,我的身子也是”他捉住她的手从她身上从上慢慢往下移……这二人能怎样的擦枪走火呢?
  • 冷魅女皇:邪出盛世

    冷魅女皇:邪出盛世

    她遭人陷害本以为必死无疑,却在废物身上涅槃重生。家人陷害?她百倍偿还!遭人追杀?她灭那人门派!说她妖女?她还就是妖女了!她冷酷绝魅,妖艳无比,她是黑暗,又是光明,她是天之骄女,她以为这世界上没人能锁住她,可后面的那位是谁?他笑着看着她一步步走上巅峰,俯视苍穹!
  • 再见,兵大叔

    再见,兵大叔

    他是一个退伍兵,人到中年,面临中年危机,曾经遇到年青美丽的她,一见钟情。爱情逝去,留下的是什么?本文是短篇合集,书名以第一个故事为准。
  • 用我半世繁华,换你一袭婚纱

    用我半世繁华,换你一袭婚纱

    "恋了五年的未婚夫欠钱被抓,我不顾一切跑去救他。却不曾想,那本身就是他安排的一场陷阱,他竟然为了十万块就将我送上了别人的床。从那一刻起,我就坠入了万丈深渊。裴岩锐的出现是我人生中的一道曙光,初次相遇,他说:“把我说成一个随便和女人约炮的男人,转身就想走?”出卖与背叛,痴缠与阴谋,像一层层谜网,把我困在网中。遇上他,到底是幸还是不幸,到底是我的救赎还是我的魔咒。他说:“是幸还是不幸,现在下结论还太早。”"
  • 秀木修森

    秀木修森

    人非圣贤,孰能无过;人非草木,孰能无情;人生若是场修行,注定不甘寂寞者居多;论情爱,无人幸免;论对错,无人断言;论情爱的对错,无人看得分明;人生是场修行,不必甘于寂寞。
  • 艾爱,笑笑

    艾爱,笑笑

    艾家有两女,大女艾晴,父母的骄傲。小女艾爱,父母的败笔。所有人说,艾晴是父母的福气。艾爱是父母的霉运。不管别人怎么说,不管父母的感情如何,妈妈对艾爱极好。父亲对艾爱也说的过去。厄运还是来了,艾爱十岁的时候母亲去世,艾爱的家,毁了。没了母亲的艾爱,性格越发孤僻。艾晴以为结婚后的艾爱会幸福的。可是妹妹的笑容更加的少了。艾爱,笑笑!
  • 星河洗剑录

    星河洗剑录

    挟着仇恨与重技重返地球,却发现地球已是面目全非,邪恶横行,昔日的仇人已经外强中干,坠入魔道,地球面临大劫难。国仇家恨中,心中的爱神却力主大义,本无意大任,却是天有意,原来拯救宇宙之大任系于此身。功成名就,回过头来,发现此方为大道!
  • 非纯勿扰:修真女配要翻身

    非纯勿扰:修真女配要翻身

    别人家的小伙伴:她微微一笑,却是毅然挡住了那把剑!她的身子软软的倒下,脸上却挂着解脱的笑:“水水,原谅我。”自己家的小伙伴:她马步一迈,手臂一挥,却是向着相反的方向跑了:“凌歌!我会把你的骨灰带回去的!”别人家的初吻:覆上她柔软的唇瓣,似能尝到她身上身上兰花一般的香气:他不愿浅尝辄止,又加深了这个吻……(以下内容十八禁)。自己家的初吻:凌歌重心不稳,一下子就倒在他身上,那么巧的,两人的唇稳稳相接,他反应过来,直直的跳起,惊恐的吼道:“凌歌我们是姐弟啊!”凌歌摔!为什么自己的配置远不如玛丽苏高大上!这时,始作俑者幽幽的道:“因为你是女配啊。”
  • 腹黑 慢慢爱

    腹黑 慢慢爱

    如果喜欢我的作品,记得收藏哦!谢谢!http://novel.hongxiu.com/a/602275/