shortcomings

塞缪尔·约翰逊文学理论新说

【摘要】塞缪尔·约翰逊主编的《莎士比亚集》，有校勘、注释

和评论。约翰逊认为戏剧基于想象，各幕之间在空间和时间上的变

异是应该允许的。他认为三一律之中，只有行动的一致性是重要的，

空间的一致性和时间的一致性是虚妄的。莎士比亚不受这一规则的

束缚，正是伟大之处。本文对莎士比亚的道德缺失，粗俗语言和情

节安排混乱进行讨论。

【关键词】塞缪尔·约翰逊；《莎士比亚全集》；个人经历；社会；

宗教

uctiontosamueljohnsonandprefacetoshakespeare

samueljohnsonwasanenglishauthorwhomadelasting

contributionstoenglishliteratureasaessayist，poet，

moralist，biographer，literarycritic，editorand

nwasadevoutanglicanandcommitted

tory，andhasbeendescribedas“themostdistinguishedman

oflettersinenglishhistory”andthesubjectof“themost

famoussingleworkofbiographicalartinthewholeof

literature”.

johnson’sprefacetoshakespeareexpresshisgrounding

ofcriticaljudgmentonmoralityandhisideathatpoets

shouldconcernthemlveswithreprentinggeneralnature

g-sustainedexperienceof

mankindisjohnson’stestforolderwritersandshakespeare

ispreeminentbecauheisthepoetof“generalnature.”

shakespeare’sappealrestsonhisabilitytoportrayhuman

nature，shakespeare’s“mirror

oflife”thathasstoodthetestoftimeandthatnarrower

criticshavemisunderstood.

aboveall，johnsonpointsoutshakespeare’sthree

shortcomingsinprefacetoshakespeare--thatis--

shakespeare’slackofmorality，hisvulgarityandhis

carelessnessincraftingplotsandhisoccasional

ho

areaccustomedtothebeliefthatshakespearecoulddono

wrongmaybesurpridbyjohnson’sstrictlyjudicial

appraisalofthebard’nal

thesis，ihavecollectedmanymaterialstopleadfor

nalyzehisshortcomingsfrom

shakespeare’spersonalexperienceandthesocietyinhis

times.

ationsforshakespeare’sshortcomings

2.1shakespeare’spersonalexperience

shakespearewasborninstratford-upon-avonandbaptized

ghnoattendancerecordsfor

theperiodsurvive，mostbiographersagreethatshakespeare

wasprobablyeducatedattheking’snewschoolinstratford.

grammarschoolsvariedinqualityduringtheelizabethanera，

butthegrammarcurriculumwasstandardizedbyroyaldecree

throughoutengland，andtheschoolwouldhaveprovidedan

intensiveeducationinlatingrammarbaduponlatin

geof13，shakespearedroppedout

hisschooltohelphisparentstoremaininbusinessafter

n1585and1592，hebegan

asuccessfulcareerinlondonasanactor，writer，andpart

ownerofaplayingcompanycalledthelordchamberlain’smen，

laterknownastheking’smen.

shakespeare’arlyplaysweremainlycomediesand

historiesincludingall’swellthatendswell，asyoulike

it，measureformeasure，amidsummernight’sdreamandso

acetoshakespeare，johnsonmentionsthatthe

plotsinshakespeare’splaysareoftenloolyformed，that

averyslightconsiderationmayimprovethemandsocarelessly

pursuedthatheemsnotalwaysfullytocomprehendhisown

tion，johnsonsaysthatwhenshakespearefound

himlfneartheendofhiswork，heshortenedthelaborto

oreheremitshiffortswherehe

shouldmostvigorouslyexertthemandhiscatastropheis

improbablyproducedorimperfectlyreprented.

afterafullystudyaboutshakespeare’arlylife，we

canunderstandhiscarelessnessandvulgarityincraftingthe

dinsuchabigfamilyandhewasresponsible

pearewasinterestedin

plays，sohebegantoearnmoneybyplayingaroleonstages.

laterhehadanideathathecanearnmoneybywritingplays

inion，mostofshakespeare’arlywritings

canonlyreprentacommonyounger’sinterestinwriting

eresignificantly

vitalforyoungshakespeare，sohedidn’thaveenoughtime

ore，someloo

plotsinhiarlycomediesmaybeneglectedbyhimlf.

what’smore，occasionallooplotsdon’thavea

considerablybadeffectonhiscomedies.

2.2socialstatusinshakespeare’stimes

there’rethreestagesinshakespeare’screationofplays.

theanalysisofshakespeare’swritingstagescanhelpusto

understandthechangesofshakespeare’

prefacetoshakespeare，johnsonmentionsthat“thecensure

whichhehasincurredbymixingcomicandtragicscenes，as

itextendstoallhisworks，dervesmoreconsideration.”

ithinkthatafterstatingtheclearpartitionof

shakespeare’swritingperiod，icantrytodefendjohnson’s

statement.

itisfrom1590to1600thatelizabeth’srulereachedits

time，allovertheukwereprosperousand

flourishingwhichhadaninfluenceonshakespeare’stoneof

oncludeshakespeare’swriting

y，withtheattitudeof

thereality，shakespeare’splaysfocusonpraising

humanisticnewideas，andnewethics，whichisparticularly

ly，hehasshapedaries

ofidealcharacters，suchashenryv--inhistoricalplays

agloriousmonarchwhogovernshimpireorderly，andportia

andviola，h

moldingtheimages，theauthorexpressthatheadvocates

theunityofhiscountryandhealsoprentshisfreedomin

y，fortheconflictsinplays，he

usmisunderstandingsandcoincidencetoweavetheplot，

andprentthecharacters.