heretics-第39章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





or　inexpressive　touch　within　the　limits　of　the　frame。



He　would　begin　again　a　hundred　times　over　rather　than　attempt



by　patching　to　make　his　work　seem　better　than　it　was。〃







No　one　will　blame　Professor　Raleigh；　who　had　to　read　a　sort　of　funeral



oration　over　Whistler　at　the　opening　of　the　Memorial　Exhibition；



if；　finding　himself　in　that　position；　he　confined　himself　mostly



to　the　merits　and　the　stronger　qualities　of　his　subject。



We　should　naturally　go　to　some　other　type　of　composition



for　a　proper　consideration　of　the　weaknesses　of　Whistler。



But　these　must　never　be　omitted　from　our　view　of　him。



Indeed；　the　truth　is　that　it　was　not　so　much　a　question　of　the　weaknesses



of　Whistler　as　of　the　intrinsic　and　primary　weakness　of　Whistler。



He　was　one　of　those　people　who　live　up　to　their　emotional　incomes；



who　are　always　taut　and　tingling　with　vanity。　　Hence　he　had



no　strength　to　spare；　hence　he　had　no　kindness；　no　geniality；



for　geniality　is　almost　definable　as　strength　to　spare。



He　had　no　god…like　carelessness；　he　never　forgot　himself；



his　whole　life　was；　to　use　his　own　expression；　an　arrangement。



He　went　in　for　〃the　art　of　living〃a　miserable　trick。



In　a　word；　he　was　a　great　artist；　but　emphatically　not　a　great　man。



In　this　connection　I　must　differ　strongly　with　Professor　Raleigh　upon



what　is；　from　a　superficial　literary　point　of　view；　one　of　his　most



effective　points。　　He　compares　Whistler's　laughter　to　the　laughter



of　another　man　who　was　a　great　man　as　well　as　a　great　artist。



〃His　attitude　to　the　public　was　exactly　the　attitude　taken　up　by



Robert　Browning；　who　suffered　as　long　a　period　of　neglect　and　mistake；



in　those　lines　of　‘The　Ring　and　the　Book'







　〃‘Well；　British　Public；　ye　who　like　me　not；



　　　（God　love　you！）　and　will　have　your　proper　laugh



　　　At　the　dark　question；　laugh　it！　　I'd　laugh　first。'







〃Mr。　Whistler；〃　adds　Professor　Raleigh；　〃always　laughed　first。〃



The　truth　is；　I　believe；　that　Whistler　never　laughed　at　all。



There　was　no　laughter　in　his　nature；　because　there　was　no　thoughtlessness



and　self…abandonment；　no　humility。　　I　cannot　understand　anybody



reading　〃The　Gentle　Art　of　Making　Enemies〃　and　thinking　that　there



is　any　laughter　in　the　wit。　　His　wit　is　a　torture　to　him。



He　twists　himself　into　arabesques　of　verbal　felicity；　he　is　full



of　a　fierce　carefulness；　he　is　inspired　with　the　complete　seriousness



of　sincere　malice。　　He　hurts　himself　to　hurt　his　opponent。



Browning　did　laugh；　because　Browning　did　not　care；　Browning　did



not　care；　because　Browning　was　a　great　man。　　And　when　Browning



said　in　brackets　to　the　simple；　sensible　people　who　did　not　like



his　books；　〃God　love　you！〃　he　was　not　sneering　in　the　least。



He　was　laughingthat　is　to　say；　he　meant　exactly　what　he　said。







There　are　three　distinct　classes　of　great　satirists　who　are　also　great　men



that　is　to　say；　three　classes　of　men　who　can　laugh　at　something　without



losing　their　souls。　　The　satirist　of　the　first　type　is　the　man　who；



first　of　all　enjoys　himself；　and　then　enjoys　his　enemies。



In　this　sense　he　loves　his　enemy；　and　by　a　kind　of　exaggeration　of



Christianity　he　loves　his　enemy　the　more　the　more　he　becomes　an　enemy。



He　has　a　sort　of　overwhelming　and　aggressive　happiness　in　his



assertion　of　anger；　his　curse　is　as　human　as　a　benediction。



Of　this　type　of　satire　the　great　example　is　Rabelais。　　This　is



the　first　typical　example　of　satire；　the　satire　which　is　voluble；



which　is　violent；　which　is　indecent；　but　which　is　not　malicious。



The　satire　of　Whistler　was　not　this。　　He　was　never　in　any　of　his



controversies　simply　happy；　the　proof　of　it　is　that　he　never　talked



absolute　nonsense。　　There　is　a　second　type　of　mind　which　produces　satire



with　the　quality　of　greatness。　　That　is　embodied　in　the　satirist　whose



passions　are　released　and　let　go　by　some　intolerable　sense　of　wrong。



He　is　maddened　by　the　sense　of　men　being　maddened；　his　tongue



becomes　an　unruly　member；　and　testifies　against　all　mankind。



Such　a　man　was　Swift；　in　whom　the　saeva　indignatio　was　a　bitterness



to　others；　because　it　was　a　bitterness　to　himself。　　Such　a　satirist



Whistler　was　not。　　He　did　not　laugh　because　he　was　happy；　like　Rabelais。



But　neither　did　he　laugh　because　he　was　unhappy；　like　Swift。







The　third　type　of　great　satire　is　that　in　which　he　satirist　is　enabled



to　rise　superior　to　his　victim　in　the　only　serious　sense　which



superiority　can　bear；　in　that　of　pitying　the　sinner　and　respecting



the　man　even　while　he　satirises　both。　　Such　an　achievement　can　be



found　in　a　thing　like　Pope's　〃Atticus〃　a　poem　in　which　the　satirist



feels　that　he　is　satirising　the　weaknesses　which　belong　specially



to　literary　genius。　　Consequently　he　takes　a　pleasure　in　pointing



out　his　enemy's　strength　before　he　points　out　his　weakness。



That　is；　perhaps；　the　highest　and　most　honourable　form　of　satire。



That　is　not　the　satire　of　Whistler。　　He　is　not　full　of　a　great　sorrow



for　the　wrong　done　to　human　nature；　for　him　the　wrong　is　altogether



done　to　himself。







He　was　not　a　great　personality；　because　he　thought　so　much



about　himself。　　And　the　case　is　stronger　even　than　that。



He　was　sometimes　not　even　a　great　artist；　because　he　thought



so　much　about　art。　　Any　man　with　a　vital　knowledge　of　the　human



psychology　ought　to　have　the　most　profound　suspicion　of　anybody



who　claims　to　be　an　artist；　and　talks　a　great　deal　about　art。



Art　is　a　right　and　human　thing；　like　walking　or　saying　one's　prayers；



but　the　moment　it　begins　to　be　talked　about　very　solemnly；　a　man



may　be　fairly　certain　that　the　thing　has　come　into　a　congestion



and　a　kind　of　difficulty。







The　artistic　temperament　is　a　disease　that　afflicts　amateurs。



It　is　a　disease　which　arises　from　men　not　having　sufficient　power　of



expression　to　utter　and　get　rid　of　the　element　of　art　in　their　being。



It　is　healthful　to　every　sane　man　to　utter　the　art　within　him；



it　is　essential　to　every　sane　man　to　get　rid　of　the　art　within　him



at　all　costs。　　Artists　of　a　large　and　wholesome　vitality　get　rid



of　their　art　easily；　as　they　breathe　easily；　or　perspire　easily。



But　in　artists　of　less　force；　the　thing　becomes　a　pressure；



and　produces　a　definite　pain；　which　is　called　the　artistic　temperament。



Thus；　very　great　artists　are　able　to　be　ordinary　men



men　like　Shakespeare　or　Browning。　　There　are　many　real　tragedies



of　the　artistic　temperament；　tragedies　of　vanity　or　violence　or　fear。



But　the　great　tragedy　of　the　artistic　temperament　is　that　it　cannot



produce　any　art。







Whistler　could　produce　art；　and　in　so　far　he　was　a　great　man。



But　he　could　not　forget　art；　and　in　so　far　he　was　only　a　man　with



the　artistic　temperament。　　There　can　be　no　stronger　manifestation



of　the　man　who　is　a　really　great　artist　than　the　fact　that　he　can



dismiss　the　subject　of　art；　that　he　can；　upon　due　occasion；



wish　art　at　the　bottom　of　the　sea。　　Similarly；　we　should　always



be　much　more　inclined　to　trust　a　solicitor　who　did　not　talk　about



conveyancing　over　the　nuts　and　wine。　　What　we　really　desire　of　any



man　conducting　any　business　is　that　the　full　force　of　an　ordinary



man　should　be　put　into　that　particular　study。　　We　do　not　desire



that　the　full　force　of　that　study　should　be　put　into　an　ordinary　man。



We　do　not　in　the　least　wish　that　our　particular　law…suit　should



pour　its　energy　into　our　barrister's　games　with　his　children；



or　rides　on　his　bicycle；　or　meditations　on　the　morning　star。



But　we　do；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　desire　that　his　games　with　his　children；



and　his　rides　on　his　bicycle；　and　his