美国文学选读(上册)_李宜燮、常耀信_9787310000609

　　《南开英美文学精品教材：美国文学选读（上）》是根据国家教委教材编写计划而编写的教科书。它的对象是大专院校英文系本科高年级学生和社会上有相当英语基础的美国文学爱好者。本书在编选作家及作品的过程中一直恪守重点突出的原则。每位作家项下都有作者介绍、作品介绍、原文和注释4部分。

　　美国文学是世界文学的重要组成部分。它对英国文学既有继承，又有创新。初期的美国文学曾有明显的模仿英国文学的迹象，但从19世纪中期开始，美国文学便异军突起，屹立于世界文学之林。它具有浓厚的民族气息和自己独特的风格，宛如世界文学园圃的一朵奇葩，散发出沁人心脾的幽香。近年来，我国对美国文学的介绍和研究臼益重视，不少大专院校已开设美国文学课程。

　　《美国文学选读》是根据国家教委教材编写计划而编写的教科书。全书共分两册：上册从17世纪至第一次世界大战前；下册苁第一次世界大战迄今。它的对象是大专院校英文系本科高年级学生和社会上有相当英语基础的美国文学爱好者。

　　本书在编选作家及作品的过程中一直恪守重点突出的原则。每位作家项下都有作者介绍、作品介绍、原文和注释4部分。作者介绍力求简短明了；作品介绍力求画龙点睛；原文的选择力求有代表性；注释力求深入浅出。所附评语尽量利用国内外评论界数十年来的研究成果，尤其重视介绍美国文学评论界近些年来的研究状况，但决不断章取义，不拘一人之见，不守一家之说。对所选作品采取谨慎的态度，以它对当代及后世的影响作为衡量准则。

　　本书由南开大学外文系英美文学研究室负责规划和选材。李宜燮、常耀信任主编。参加编写的有（以姓氏笔画为序）：马振铃、王蕴茹、刘士聪、谷启楠、柯文礼、徐齐平、高冬山、常耀信。

　　《美国文学选读》（上册）脱稿之后，国家教委高校外语专业教材编委会英语编审组根据1986年教材审稿计划，委托天津外国语学院钱自强院长主持召开审稿会，邀请上海师范大学陈冠商教授任主审，北京外国语学院钱青教授、北京大学李淑言副教授、天津外国语学院金隄教授、李美玉教授、钱自强副教授、关肇洪副教授参加审稿，他们对书稿提出了宝贵意见。谨在此表示衷心感谢。本书出版之后，受到读者热情欢迎。除用作本科生教材外，有些院校还将其作为研究生教材，或研究生入学考试的必读书之一：许多读者还致书编者，给予鼓励和奖誉，并提出了宝贵建议和评论，天津社会科学系统还授予本书1986—1989年社会科学研究科研奖，这些都使我们得到极大的鼓舞和帮助，我们借此书再版的机会表示由衷的感谢。

　　尽管我们尽了最大的努力，但由于水平有限，一定会有不妥和错误之处。我们诚恳地希望同行专家和广大读者不吝指正。

　　编者

　　1991年9月

　　FROM LETTER IXD

　　escription of Charleston；Thoughts on Slavery；on Physical Evil；a Melancholy Scene

　　Everywhere one part of出e human species are taught the art ofshedding the blood of the other，of se~ing fire to their dwellings，ofleveling the works of their industry，half of the existence of nationsregularly employed in destroying other nations．What liale politicalfelicity iS to be met with here and there，has cost oceans of blood topurchase．as if good was never to be the portion of unhappy man．Republics，kingdoms，monarchies，founded either on fraud or successfulviolence，increase by pursuing the steps of the same policy until they aredestroyed in their turn，either by the influence of their own crime．s or bymore successful but equally criminal enemies．

　　If from this general review of human nature，we descend to theexamination of what is called civilized society；there the combination ofevery natural and artificial want makes US pay very dear for what littleshare of political felicity we enJoy．It is a strange heterogeneousassemblage of vices，and vi~ues，and of a variety of other principles，forever at war，forever jarring，forever producing some dangerous，soreedistressing extreme。Where do you conceive then that nature intended weshould be happy？Would you prefer the state of men in the woods to that．of men in a more improved situation？Evil preponderates in both；in thefirst they often eat each other for want of food，and in the other they oftenstarve each other for want of room．For my‘part，I think the vices andrniseries to be found in the〕atter exceed those of the former，in which realevi〕is more scarce，more supportable，and less enormous．Yet we wish tosee the earth peopled，to accomplish the happiness of kingdoms，which issaid to consist in numbers．Gracious God！T0 what end is the introductionof SO many beings into a mode of existence in which they must gropeamidst as many errors，commit as many crimes，and meet with as manydiseases，wants，and sufferings！

　　Thc following scene wil！I hope account for”dlese melancholyreflections and apologize for the gloomy thoughts with which I have filledthis letter；my mind is and always has been，oppressed since became awitness to it．1 was not long since invited to dine with a planter who livedthree miles from．”where he then resided．In order to avoid the heat ofthe sun．I resolved to go on foot，sheltered in a small path leading througha pleasant wood．1 was leisurely traveling along，attentively examiningsome peeufiar plants which I had collected．when all at once I felt the山Tstrongly agitated，though the day was perfectly calm and sultry．1immediately cast my eyes toward the cleared ground。from which 1 wasbut at a small distance．in order tO see whether it was not occasioned by asudden shower，when at that instant a sound resembling a deep roughvoice，uttered。as I thought，a few inarticulate monosyllables．Alarmed andsurprised．I precipitately looed all round，when I perceived at about Slxrods distance something resembling a cage，suspended to the limbs of tree，all the branches of which appeared covered with large birds of preyfluttering about and anxiously endeavouring tO perch on the cage Actuated by an involuntary motion of my hands，more than by any designof my mind，I fired at them；they all flew to a short distance，with a mosthideous noise，when，horrid to think and painful to repeat，I perceived aNegro，suspended in the cage and left there to expire！I shudder when Irecollect that the birds had already picked out his eyes，his cheek boneswere bare．his arms had been attacked in several places，and his bodyseemed covered with a multitude of wounds．From the edges of thehollow sockets and from the lacerations with which he was disfigured，theblood slowly dropped and tinged the ground beneath．No sooner were thebirds flown．than swarms of insects covered the whole body of thisunfortunate wretch．eager to fCcd on his mangled flesh and to dhnk hisblood．I found myself suddenly arrested by the power of affright and terror；my nerves were convulsed；I trembled；I stood motionless，involuntarilycontemplating the fate of this Negro，in all its dismal latitude．The livingspecter，though deprived of his eyes，could still distinctly hear，and in hisuncouth dialect begged me to give him some water to allay his thirst．Humanity herself would have recoiled back with horror；she would havebalanced whether to〕essen such reliefless distress or mercifully with oneblow to end this dreadful scene of agonizing torture！”Had I had a ballinmy gun，I certainly should have despatched him；but finding myself unableto perform SO kind an office，“I sought，though trembling，to relieve himas well as I could．A shell ready fixed to a pole，which had been used bysome Negroes．presented itself to me；I filled it with water，and withtrembling hands I guided it to the quivering lips of the wretched sufferer．Urged by the irresistible power of thirst，he endeavoured to meet it，as heinstinctively guessed its approach by the noise it made in passing throughthe bars of the cage．‘’Tanke．一you white man，tanke you，pure somepoison and give me．”“How long have you been hanging there？”I askedhim．“Two days，and me no die；the birds，the birds；aaah me！“Oppressedwith the reflections which thiS shocking spectacle afforded me，I mustered strength enough to walk away and soon reached the house at which Iintended to dine．There I heard that the reason for this slave being thuspunished，was on account of his having killed the overseer of theplantation．They told me that the laws of self-preservation rendered suchexecutions necessary"and supported the doctrine of slavery with thearguments generally made rise of to justify the practice，with the repetitionof which I Shall not trouble you at present．

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