第 1 节
作者:津鸿一瞥      更新:2021-10-16 18:44      字数:9322
  Erewhon (Revised Edition)
  by Samuel Butler
  OR OVER THE RANGE
  PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
  The Author wishes it to be understood that Erewhon is pronounced as
  a word of three syllables; all shortthus; E…re…whon。
  PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION
  Having been enabled by the kindness of the public to get through an
  unusually large edition of 〃Erewhon〃 in a very short time; I have
  taken the opportunity of a second edition to make some necessary
  corrections; and to add a few passages where it struck me that they
  would be appropriately introduced; the passages are few; and it is
  my fixed intention never to touch the work again。
  I may perhaps be allowed to say a word or two here in reference to
  〃The Coming Race;〃 to the success of which book 〃Erewhon〃 has been
  very generally set down as due。  This is a mistake; though a
  perfectly natural one。  The fact is that 〃Erewhon〃 was finished;
  with the exception of the last twenty pages and a sentence or two
  inserted from time to time here and there throughout the book;
  before the first advertisement of 〃The Coming Race〃 appeared。  A
  friend having called my attention to one of the first of these
  advertisements; and suggesting that it probably referred to a work
  of similar character to my own; I took 〃Erewhon〃 to a well…known
  firm of publishers on the 1st of May 1871; and left it in their
  hands for consideration。  I then went abroad; and on learning that
  the publishers alluded to declined the MS。; I let it alone for six
  or seven months; and; being in an out…of…the…way part of Italy;
  never saw a single review of 〃The Coming Race;〃 nor a copy of the
  work。  On my return; I purposely avoided looking into it until I
  had sent back my last revises to the printer。  Then I had much
  pleasure in reading it; but was indeed surprised at the many little
  points of similarity between the two books; in spite of their
  entire independence to one another。
  I regret that reviewers have in some cases been inclined to treat
  the chapters on Machines as an attempt to reduce Mr。 Darwin's
  theory to an absurdity。   Nothing could be further from my
  intention; and few things would be more distasteful to me than any
  attempt to laugh at Mr。 Darwin; but I must own that I have myself
  to thank for the misconception; for I felt sure that my intention
  would be missed; but preferred not to weaken the chapters by
  explanation; and knew very well that Mr。 Darwin's theory would take
  no harm。  The only question in my mind was how far I could afford
  to be misrepresented as laughing at that for which I have the most
  profound admiration。  I am surprised; however; that the book at
  which such an example of the specious misuse of analogy would seem
  most naturally levelled should have occurred to no reviewer;
  neither shall I mention the name of the book here; though I should
  fancy that the hint given will suffice。
  I have been held by some whose opinions I respect to have denied
  men's responsibility for their actions。   He who does this is an
  enemy who deserves no quarter。  I should have imagined that I had
  been sufficiently explicit; but have made a few additions to the
  chapter on Malcontents; which will; I think; serve to render
  further mistake impossible。
  An anonymous correspondent (by the hand…writing presumably a
  clergyman) tells me that in quoting from the Latin grammar I should
  at any rate have done so correctly; and that I should have written
  〃agricolas〃 instead of 〃agricolae〃。  He added something about any
  boy in the fourth form; &c。; &c。; which I shall not quote; but
  which made me very uncomfortable。  It may be said that I must have
  misquoted from design; from ignorance; or by a slip of the pen; but
  surely in these days it will be recognised as harsh to assign
  limits to the all…embracing boundlessness of truth; and it will be
  more reasonably assumed that EACH of the three possible causes of
  misquotation must have had its share in the apparent blunder。  The
  art of writing things that shall sound right and yet be wrong has
  made so many reputations; and affords comfort to such a large
  number of readers; that I could not venture to neglect it; the
  Latin grammar; however; is a subject on which some of the younger
  members of the community feel strongly; so I have now written
  〃agricolas〃。  I have also parted with the word 〃infortuniam〃
  (though not without regret); but have not dared to meddle with
  other similar inaccuracies。
  For the inconsistencies in the book; and I am aware that there are
  not a few; I must ask the indulgence of the reader。  The blame;
  however; lies chiefly with the Erewhonians themselves; for they
  were really a very difficult people to understand。  The most
  glaring anomalies seemed to afford them no intellectual
  inconvenience; neither; provided they did not actually see the
  money dropping out of their pockets; nor suffer immediate physical
  pain; would they listen to any arguments as to the waste of money
  and happiness which their folly caused them。  But this had an
  effect of which I have little reason to complain; for I was allowed
  almost to call them life…long self…deceivers to their faces; and
  they said it was quite true; but that it did not matter。
  I must not conclude without expressing my most sincere thanks to my
  critics and to the public for the leniency and consideration with
  which they have treated my adventures。
  June 9; 1872
  PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION
  My publisher wishes me to say a few words about the genesis of the
  work; a revised and enlarged edition of which he is herewith laying
  before the public。  I therefore place on record as much as I can
  remember on this head after a lapse of more than thirty years。
  The first part of 〃Erewhon〃 written was an article headed 〃Darwin
  among the Machines;〃 and signed Cellarius。  It was written in the
  Upper Rangitata district of the Canterbury Province (as it then
  was) of New Zealand; and appeared at Christchurch in the Press
  Newspaper; June 13; 1863。  A copy of this article is indexed under
  my books in the British Museum catalogue。  In passing; I may say
  that the opening chapters of 〃Erewhon〃 were also drawn from the
  Upper Rangitata district; with such modifications as I found
  convenient。
  A second article on the same subject as the one just referred to
  appeared in the Press shortly after the first; but I have no copy。
  It treated Machines from a different point of view; and was the
  basis of pp。 270…274 of the present edition of 〃Erewhon。〃 {1} This
  view ultimately led me to the theory I put forward in 〃Life and
  Habit;〃 published in November 1877。  I have put a bare outline of
  this theory (which I believe to be quite sound) into the mouth of
  an Erewhonian philosopher in Chapter XXVII。 of this book。
  In 1865 I rewrote and enlarged 〃Darwin among the Machines〃 for the
  Reasoner; a paper published in London by Mr。 G。 J。 Holyoake。  It
  appeared July 1; 1865; under the heading; 〃The Mechanical
  Creation;〃 and can be seen in the British Museum。  I again rewrote
  and enlarged it; till it assumed the form in which it appeared in
  the first edition of 〃Erewhon。〃
  The next part of 〃Erewhon〃 that I wrote was the 〃World of the
  Unborn;〃 a preliminary form of which was sent to Mr。 Holyoake's
  paper; but as I cannot find it among those copies of the Reasoner
  that are in the British Museum; I conclude that it was not
  accepted。  I have; however; rather a strong fancy that it appeared
  in some London paper of the same character as the Reasoner; not
  very long after July 1; 1865; but I have no copy。
  I also wrote about this time the substance of what ultimately
  became the Musical Banks; and the trial of a man for being in a
  consumption。  These four detached papers were; I believe; all that
  was written of 〃Erewhon〃 before 1870。  Between 1865 and 1870 I
  wrote hardly anything; being hopeful of attaining that success as a
  painter which it has not been vouchsafed me to attain; but in the
  autumn of 1870; just as I was beginning to get occasionally hung at
  Royal Academy exhibitions; my friend; the late Sir F。 N。 (then Mr。)
  Broome; suggested to me that I should add somewhat to the articles
  I had already written; and string them together into a book。  I was
  rather fired by the idea; but as I only worked at the MS。 on
  Sundays it was some months before I had completed it。
  I see from my second Preface that I took the book to Messrs。
  Chapman & Hall May 1; 1871; and on their rejection of it; under the
  advice of one who has attained the highest rank among living
  writers; I let it sleep; till I took it to Mr。 Trubner early in
  1872。  As regards its rejection by Messrs。 Chapman & Hall; I
  believe their reader advised them quite wisely。  They told me he
  reported that it was a philosophical work; little likely to be
  popular with a large circle of readers。  I hope that if I had been
  their reader; and the book had been submitted to myself; I should
  have advised them to the same effect。
  〃Erewhon〃 appeared with the last day or two of March 1872。  I
  attribute its unlooked…for success mainly to two early favourable
  reviewsthe first in the Pall Mall Gazette of April 12; and the
  second in the Spectator of April 20。  There was al