To introduce Maupassant to English readers with apologetic explanations as though his art were recondite1 and the tendency of his work immoral2 would be a gratuitous3 impertinence.
Maupassant’s conception of his art is such as one would expect from a practical and resolute4 mind; but in the consummate5 simplicity6 of his technique it ceases to be perceptible. This is one of its greatest qualities, and like all the great virtues7 it is based primarily on self-denial.
To pronounce a judgment9 upon the general tendency of an author is a difficult task. One could not depend upon reason alone, nor yet trust solely10 to one’s emotions. Used together, they would in many cases traverse each other, because emotions have their own unanswerable logic11. Our capacity for emotion is limited, and the field of our intelligence is restricted. Responsiveness to every feeling, combined with the penetration12 of every intellectual subterfuge13, would end, not in judgment, but in universal absolution. tout14 comprendre c’est tout pardonner. And in this benevolent15 neutrality towards the warring errors of human nature all light would go out from art and from life.
We are at liberty then to quarrel with Maupassant’s attitude towards our world in which, like the rest of us, he has that share which his senses are able to give him. But we need not quarrel with him violently. If our feelings (which are tender) happen to be hurt because his talent is not exercised for the praise and consolation17 of mankind, our intelligence (which is great) should let us see that he is a very splendid sinner, like all those who in this valley of compromises err16 by over-devotion to the truth that is in them. His determinism, barren of praise, blame and consolation, has all the merit of his conscientious18 art. The worth of every conviction consists precisely19 in the steadfastness20 with which it is held.
Except for his philosophy, which in the case of so consummate an artist does not matter (unless to the solemn and naive21 mind), Maupassant of all writers of fiction demands least forgiveness from his readers. He does not require forgiveness because he is never dull.
The interest of a reader in a work of imagination is either ethical22 or that of simple curiosity. Both are perfectly23 legitimate24, since there is both a moral and an excitement to be found in a faithful rendering25 of life. And in Maupassant’s work there is the interest of curiosity and the moral of a point of view consistently preserved and never obtruded26 for the end of personal gratification. The spectacle of this immense talent served by exceptional faculties27 and triumphing over the most thankless subjects by an unswerving singleness of purpose is in itself an admirable lesson in the power of artistic28 honesty, one may say of artistic virtue8. The inherent greatness of the man consists in this, that he will let none of the fascinations29 that beset30 a writer working in loneliness turn him away from the straight path, from the vouchsafed31 vision of excellence32. He will not be led into perdition by the seductions of sentiment, of eloquence33, of humour, of pathos34; of all that splendid pageant35 of faults that pass between the writer and his probity36 on the blank sheet of paper, like the glittering cortege of deadly sins before the austere37 anchorite in the desert air of Thebaide. This is not to say that Maupassant’s austerity has never faltered38; but the fact remains39 that no tempting40 demon41 has ever succeeded in hurling42 him down from his high, if narrow, pedestal.
It is the austerity of his talent, of course, that is in question. Let the discriminating43 reader, who at times may well spare a moment or two to the consideration and enjoyment44 of artistic excellence, be asked to reflect a little upon the texture45 of two stories included in this volume: “A Piece of String,” and “A Sale.” How many openings the last offers for the gratuitous display of the author’s wit or clever buffoonery, the first for an unmeasured display of sentiment! And both sentiment and buffoonery could have been made very good too, in a way accessible to the meanest intelligence, at the cost of truth and honesty. Here it is where Maupassant’s austerity comes in. He refrains from setting his cleverness against the eloquence of the facts. There is humour and pathos in these stories; but such is the greatness of his talent, the refinement46 of his artistic conscience, that all his high qualities appear inherent in the very things of which he speaks, as if they had been altogether independent of his presentation. Facts, and again facts are his unique concern. That is why he is not always properly understood. His facts are so perfectly rendered that, like the actualities of life itself, they demand from the reader the faculty47 of observation which is rare, the power of appreciation48 which is generally wanting in most of us who are guided mainly by empty phrases requiring no effort, demanding from us no qualities except a vague susceptibility to emotion. Nobody has ever gained the vast applause of a crowd by the simple and clear exposition of vital facts. Words alone strung upon a convention have fascinated us as worthless glass beads49 strung on a thread have charmed at all times our brothers the unsophisticated savages50 of the islands. Now, Maupassant, of whom it has been said that he is the master of the mot juste, has never been a dealer51 in words. His wares52 have been, not glass beads, but polished gems53; not the most rare and precious, perhaps, but of the very first water of their kind.
That he took trouble with his gems, taking them up in the rough and polishing each facet54 patiently, the publication of the two posthumous55 volumes of short stories proves abundantly. I think it proves also the assertion made here that he was by no means a dealer in words. On looking at the first feeble drafts from which so many perfect stories have been fashioned, one discovers that what has been matured, improved, brought to perfection by unwearied endeavour is not the diction of the tale, but the vision of its true shape and detail. Those first attempts are not faltering56 or uncertain in expression. It is the conception which is at fault. The subjects have not yet been adequately seen. His proceeding57 was not to group expressive58 words, that mean nothing, around misty59 and mysterious shapes dear to muddled60 intellects and belonging neither to earth nor to heaven. His vision by a more scrupulous61, prolonged and devoted62 attention to the aspects of the visible world discovered at last the right words as if miraculously63 impressed for him upon the face of things and events. This was the particular shape taken by his inspiration; it came to him directly, honestly in the light of his day, not on the tortuous64, dark roads of meditation65. His realities came to him from a genuine source, from this universe of vain appearances wherein we men have found everything to make us proud, sorry, exalted66, and humble67.
Maupassant’s renown68 is universal, but his popularity is restricted. It is not difficult to perceive why. Maupassant is an intensely national writer. He is so intensely national in his logic, in his clearness, in his aesthetic69 and moral conceptions, that he has been accepted by his countrymen without having had to pay the tribute of flattery either to the nation as a whole, or to any class, sphere or division of the nation. The truth of his art tells with an irresistible70 force; and he stands excused from the duty of patriotic71 posturing72. He is a Frenchman of Frenchmen beyond question or cavil73, and with that he is simple enough to be universally comprehensible. What is wanting to his universal success is the mediocrity of an obvious and appealing tenderness. He neglects to qualify his truth with the drop of facile sweetness; he forgets to strew74 paper roses over the tombs. The disregard of these common decencies lays him open to the charges of cruelty, cynicism, hardness. And yet it can be safely affirmed that this man wrote from the fulness of a compassionate75 heart. He is merciless and yet gentle with his mankind; he does not rail at their prudent76 fears and their small artifices77; he does not despise their labours. It seems to me that he looks with an eye of profound pity upon their troubles, deceptions78 and misery79. But he looks at them all. He sees — and does not turn away his head. As a matter of fact he is courageous80.
Courage and justice are not popular virtues. The practice of strict justice is shocking to the multitude who always (perhaps from an obscure sense of guilt) attach to it the meaning of mercy. In the majority of us, who want to be left alone with our illusions, courage inspires a vague alarm. This is what is felt about Maupassant. His qualities, to use the charming and popular phrase, are not lovable. Courage being a force will not masquerade in the robes of affected81 delicacy82 and restraint. But if his courage is not of a chivalrous83 stamp, it cannot be denied that it is never brutal84 for the sake of effect. The writer of these few reflections, inspired by a long and intimate acquaintance with the work of the man, has been struck by the appreciation of Maupassant manifested by many women gifted with tenderness and intelligence. Their more delicate and audacious souls are good judges of courage. Their finer penetration has discovered his genuine masculinity without display, his virility85 without a pose. They have discerned in his faithful dealings with the world that enterprising and fearless temperament86, poor in ideas but rich in power, which appeals most to the feminine mind.
It cannot be denied that he thinks very little. In him extreme energy of perception achieves great results, as in men of action the energy of force and desire. His view of intellectual problems is perhaps more simple than their nature warrants; still a man who has written Yvette cannot be accused of want of subtlety87. But one cannot insist enough upon this, that his subtlety, his humour, his grimness, though no doubt they are his own, are never presented otherwise but as belonging to our life, as found in nature, whose beauties and cruelties alike breathe the spirit of serene88 unconsciousness.
Maupassant’s philosophy of life is more temperamental than rational. He expects nothing from gods or men. He trusts his senses for information and his instinct for deductions89. It may seem that he has made but little use of his mind. But let me be clearly understood. His sensibility is really very great; and it is impossible to be sensible, unless one thinks vividly90, unless one thinks correctly, starting from intelligible91 premises92 to an unsophisticated conclusion.
This is literary honesty. It may be remarked that it does not differ very greatly from the ideal honesty of the respectable majority, from the honesty of law-givers, of warriors93, of kings, of bricklayers, of all those who express their fundamental sentiment in the ordinary course of their activities, by the work of their hands.
The work of Maupassant’s hands is honest. He thinks sufficiently94 to concrete his fearless conclusions in illuminative95 instances. He renders them with that exact knowledge of the means and that absolute devotion to the aim of creating a true effect — which is art. He is the most accomplished96 of narrators.
It is evident that Maupassant looked upon his mankind in another spirit than those writers who make haste to submerge the difficulties of our holding-place in the universe under a flood of false and sentimental97 assumptions. Maupassant was a true and dutiful lover of our earth. He says himself in one of his descriptive passages: “Nous autres que seduit la terre . . . ” It was true. The earth had for him a compelling charm. He looks upon her august and furrowed98 face with the fierce insight of real passion. His is the power of detecting the one immutable99 quality that matters in the changing aspects of nature and under the ever-shifting surface of life. To say that he could not embrace in his glance all its magnificence and all its misery is only to say that he was human. He lays claim to nothing that his matchless vision has not made his own. This creative artist has the true imagination; he never condescends100 to invent anything; he sets up no empty pretences101. And he stoops to no littleness in his art — least of all to the miserable102 vanity of a catching103 phrase.
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1
recondite
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| adj.深奥的，难解的 | |
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immoral
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| adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的 | |
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gratuitous
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| adj.无偿的，免费的；无缘无故的，不必要的 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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penetration
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| n.穿透，穿人，渗透 | |
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subterfuge
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| n.诡计；藉口 | |
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tout
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| v.推销，招徕；兜售；吹捧，劝诱 | |
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benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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err
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| vi.犯错误，出差错 | |
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consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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conscientious
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| adj.审慎正直的，认真的，本着良心的 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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steadfastness
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| n.坚定，稳当 | |
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naive
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| adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的 | |
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ethical
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| adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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obtruded
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| v.强行向前，强行，强迫( obtrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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fascinations
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| n.魅力( fascination的名词复数 )；有魅力的东西；迷恋；陶醉 | |
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beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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pageant
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| n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧 | |
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probity
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| n.刚直；廉洁，正直 | |
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austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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discriminating
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| a.有辨别能力的 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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dealer
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| n.商人，贩子 | |
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wares
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| n. 货物, 商品 | |
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gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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facet
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| n.(问题等的)一个方面；(多面体的)面 | |
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posthumous
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| adj.遗腹的；父亡后出生的；死后的，身后的 | |
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faltering
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| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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muddled
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| adj.混乱的；糊涂的；头脑昏昏然的v.弄乱，弄糟( muddle的过去式)；使糊涂；对付，混日子 | |
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scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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miraculously
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| ad.奇迹般地 | |
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tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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aesthetic
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| adj.美学的，审美的，有美感 | |
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irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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posturing
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| 做出某种姿势( posture的现在分词 ) | |
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cavil
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| v.挑毛病，吹毛求疵 | |
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strew
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| vt.撒；使散落；撒在…上，散布于 | |
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compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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artifices
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| n.灵巧( artifice的名词复数 )；诡计；巧妙办法；虚伪行为 | |
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deceptions
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| 欺骗( deception的名词复数 )； 骗术，诡计 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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virility
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| n.雄劲，丈夫气 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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subtlety
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| n.微妙，敏锐，精巧；微妙之处，细微的区别 | |
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serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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89
deductions
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| 扣除( deduction的名词复数 )； 结论； 扣除的量； 推演 | |
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90
vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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91
intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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92
premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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93
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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94
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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95
illuminative
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| adj.照明的，照亮的，启蒙的 | |
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96
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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97
sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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98
furrowed
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| v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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99
immutable
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| adj.不可改变的，永恒的 | |
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100
condescends
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的第三人称单数 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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101
pretences
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| n.假装( pretence的名词复数 )；作假；自命；自称 | |
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102
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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103
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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