the nabob-第2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！


f　a　great　steamship　without　seeing　Jack　at　work　among　them。　But　the　fine；　pathetic　/Jack/　brings　us　to　the　finer；　more　pathetic　/Nabob/。

Whether　/The　Nabob/　is　Daudet's　greatest　novel　is　a　question　that　may　be　postponed；　but　it　may　be　safely　asserted　that　there　are　good　reasons　why　it　should　have　been　chosen　to　represent　Daudet　in　the　present　series。　It　has　been　immensely　popular；　and　thus　does　not　illustrate　merely　the　taste　of　an　inner　circle　of　its　author's　admirers。　It　is　not　so　subtle　a　study　of　character　as　/Numa　Roumestan/；　nor　is　it　a　drama　the　scene　of　which　is　set　somewhat　in　a　corner　removed　from　the　world's　scrutiny　and　full　comprehension；　as　is　more　or　less　the　case　with　/Kings　in　Exile/。　It　is　comparatively　unamenable　to　the　moral；　or；　if　one　will；　the　puritanical；　objections　so　naturally　brought　against　/Sapho/。　It　obviously　represents　Daudet's　powers　better　than　any　novel　written　after　his　health　was　permanently　wrecked；　and　as　obviously　represents　fiction　more　adequately　than　either　of　the　Tartarin　masterpieces；　which　belong　rather　to　the　literature　of　humour。　Besides；　it　is　probably　the　most　broadly　effective　of　all　Daudet's　novels；　it　is　fuller　of　striking　scenes；　and　as　a　picture　of　life　in　the　picturesque　Second　Empire　it　is　of　unique　importance。

Perhaps　to　many　readers　this　last　reason　will　seem　the　best　of　all。　However　much　we　may　moralize　about　its　baseness　and　hollowness；　whether　with　the　Hugo　of　/Les　Chatiments/　we　scorn　and　vituperate　its　charlatan　head　or　pity　him　profoundly　as　we　see　him　ill　and　helpless　in　Zola's　/Debacle/；　most　of　us；　if　we　are　candid；　will　confess　that　the　Second　Empire；　especially　the　Paris　of　Morny　and　Hausmann；　of　cynicism　and　splendour；　of　frivolity　and　chicane；　of　servile　obsequiousness　and　haughty　pretension；　the　France　and　the　Paris　that　drew　to　themselves　the　eyes　of　all　Europe　and　particularly　the　eyes　of　the　watchful　Bismarck；　have　for　us　a　fascination　almost　as　great　as　they　had　for　the　gay　and　audacious　men　and　women　who　in　them　courted　fortune　and　chased　pleasure　from　the　morrow　of　the　/Coup　d'Etat/　to　the　eve　of　Sedan。　A　nearly　equal　fascination　is　exerted　upon　us　by　a　book　which　is　the　best　sort　of　historical　novel；　since　it　is　the　product　of　its　author's　observation；　not　of　his　readinga　story　that　sets　vividly　before　us　the　political　corruption；　the　financial　recklessness；　the　social　turmoil；　the　public　ostentation；　the　private　squalor；　that　led　to　the　downfall　of　an　empire　and　almost　to　that　of　a　people。

Daudet　drew　on　his　experiences；　and　on　the　notes　he　was　always　accumulating；　more　strenuously　than　he　should　have　done。　He　assures　us　that　he　laboured　over　/The　Nabob/　for　eight　months；　mainly　in　his　bed…　room；　sometimes　working　eighteen　consecutive　hours；　often　waking　from　restless　sleep　with　a　sentence　on　his　lips。　Yet；　such　is　the　irony　of　literary　history；　the　novel　is　loosely　enough　put　together　to　have　been　written；　one　might　suppose；　in　bursts　of　inspiration　or　else　more　or　less　methodicallyalmost　with　the　intention；　as　Mr。　James　has　noted；　of　including　every　striking　phase　of　Parisian　life。　For　it　is　a　series　of　brilliant；　effective　episodes　and　scenes；　not　a　closely　knit　drama。　Jenkins's　visit　to　Monpavon　at　his　toilet；　the　/dejeuner/　at　the　Nabob's；　the　inspection　of　the　OEuvre　de　Bethleemwhich　would　have　delighted　Dickensthe　collapse　of　the　fetes　of　the　Bey；　the　Nabob's　thrashing　Moessard；　the　death　of　Mora；　Felicia's　attempt　to　escape　the　funeral　of　the　duke；　the　interview　between　the　Nabob　and　Hemerlingue；　the　baiting　in　the　Chamber；　the　suicide　of　that　supreme　man　of　tone；　Monpavon；　the　Nabob's　apoplectic　seizure　in　the　theatrethese　and　many　other　scenes　and　episodes；　together　with　descriptions　and　touches；　stand　out　in　our　memories　more　distinctly　and　impressively　than　the　characters　doperhaps　more　so　than　does　the　central　motive；　the　outrageous　exploitation　of　the　naive　hero。　For　from　the　beginning　of　his　career　to　the　end　Daudet's　eye；　like　that　of　a　genuine　but　not　supereminent　poet；　was　chiefly　attracted　by　colour；　movement；　effective　posein　other　words；　by　the　surfaces　of　things。　One　may　almost　say　that　he　was　more　of　a　landscape　engineer　than　of　an　architect　and　builder；　although　one　must　at　once　add　that　he　could　and　did　erect　solid　structures。　But　the　reader　at　least　helps　greatly　to　lay　the　foundations；　for；　to　drop　the　metaphor；　Daudet　relied　largely　on　suggestion；　contenting　himself　with　the　belief　that　a　capable　imagination　could　fill　up　the　gaps　he　left　in　plot　and　character　analysis。　Thus；　for　example；　he　indicated　and　suggested　rather　than　detailed　the　way　in　which　Hemerlingue　finally　triumphed　over　the　Nabob；　Jansoulet。　To　use　another　figure；　he　drew　the　spider；　the　fly；　and　a　few　strands　of　the　web。　The　Balzac　whose　bust　looked　satirically　down　upon　the　two　adventurers　in　Pere　la　Chaise　would　probably　have　given　us　the　whole　web。　This　is　not　quite　to　say　that　Daudet　is　plausible；　Balzac　inevitable；　but　rather　that　we　stroll　with　the　former　master　and　follow　submissively　in　the　footsteps　of　the　latter。　Yet　a　caveat　is　needed；　for　the　intense　interest　we　take　in　the　characters　of　a　novel　like　/The　Nabob/　scarcely　suggests　strolling。

For　although　Daudet；　in　spite　of　his　abounding　sympathy；　which　is　one　reason　of　his　great　attractiveness；　cannot　fairly　be　said　to　be　a　great　character　creator；　he　had　sufficient　flexibility　and　force　of　genius　to　set　in　action　interesting　personages。　Part　of　the　early　success　of　/The　Nabob/　was　due　to　this　fact；　although　the　brilliant　description　of　the　Second　Empire　and　the　introduction　of　exotic　elements；　the　Tunisian　and　Corsican　episodes　and　characters；　counted；　probably；　for　not　a　little。　Readers　insisted　upon　seeing　in　the　book　this　person　and　that　more　or　less　thinly　disguised。　The　Irish　adventurer…physician；　Jenkins；　was　supposed　to　be　modelled　upon　a　popular　Dr。　Olliffe；　the　arsenic　pills　were　derived　from　another　source；　as　was　also　the　goat's…milk　hospital　for　infants。　Felicia　Ruys　was　thought　by　some　to　be　Sarah　Bernhardt；　and　originals　were　easily　provided　for　Monpavon　and　the　other　leading　figures。　But　Daudet　confessed　to　only　two　important　originals；　and　if　one　does　not　take　an　author's　word　in　such　matters　one　soon　finds　one's　self　in　a　maze　of　conjectures　and　contradictions。

The　two　characters　drawn　from　life　in　a　special　sensefor　Daudet；　like　most　other　writers　of　fiction；　had　human　life　in　general　constantly　before　himare　Jansoulet　and　Mora；　precisely　the　most　effective　personages　in　the　book；　and　scarcely　surpassed　in　the　whole　range　of　Daudet's　fiction。　The　Nabob　was　Francois　Bravay；　who　rose　from　poverty　to　wealth　by　devious　transactions　in　the　Orient；　and　came　to　grief　in　Paris；　much　as　Jansoulet　did。　He　survived　the　Empire；　and　his　relatives　are　said　to　have　been　incensed　at　the　treatment　given　him　in　the　novel；　an　attitude　on　their　part　which　is　explicable　but　scarcely　justifiable；　since　Daudet's　sympathy　for　his　hero　could　not　well　have　been　greater；　and　since　the　adventurer　had　already　attained　a　notoriety　that　was　not　likely　to　be　completely　forgotten。　Whether　Daudet　was　as　much　at　liberty　to　make　free　with　the　character　of　his　benefactor　Morny　is　another　matter。　He　himself　thought　that　he　was；　and　he　was　a　man　of　delicate　sensitiveness。　Probably　he　was　right　in　claiming　that　the　natural　son　of　Queen　Hortense；　the　intrepid　soldier；　the　author　of　the　/Coup　d'Etat/　that　set　his　weaker　half…brother　on　the　throne；　the　dandy；　the　libertine；　the　leader　of　fashion；　the　cynical　statesmanin　short；　the　〃Richelieu…Brummel〃　who　drew　the　eyes　of　all　Europe　upon　himself；　would　not　have　been　in　the　least　disconcerted　could　he　have　known　that　thirteen　years　after　his　death　the　public　would　be　discussing　him　as　the　prototype　of　the　Mora　of　his　young　/protege's/　masterpiece。　In　fact；　it　is　easy　to　agree　with　those　critics　who　think　that　Daudet's　kindly　nature　caused　him　to　soften　many　features　of　Morny's　unlovely　character。　Mora　does　not；　indeed；　win　our　love　or　our　esteem；　but　we　confess　him　to　have　been　in　every　respect　an　exceptional　man；　and　there　is　not　a　page　in　which　he　appears　that　is　not　intensely　interesting。　He　must　be　an　unimpressionable　reader　who　soon　forgets　the　death…room　scenes；　the　destruction　of　the　compromising　letters；　the　spectacular　funeral。

Of　the　other　characters　there　is　little　space　to　speak　here。　Nearly　all　have　their　good　points；　as　might　be　expected　of　the　creator　of　his　two　fellow　Provencals；　Numa　and　Tartarin；　the　latter　being　probably　the　only　really　cosmopolitan　figure　in　recent　literature；　but　some；　like　the　Hemerlingues；　verge　upon　mere　sketches；　others；　like　Jansoulet's　obese　wife；　upon　caricatures。　The　old　mother　is　excellently　done；　however；　and　Monpavon；　especially　in　his　suicide；　is　nothing　short　of　a　triumph　of　art。　It　is　the　more　or　less　romantic　or　sentimental　personages　that　give　the　critic　most　qualms。　Daudet　seems　to　have　introduced　themDe　Gery；　the　Joyeuse　family；　and　the　restas　a　concession　to　popular　taste；　and　on　this　score　was　probably　justified。　A　fair　case　may　also　be　made　out　for　the　use　of　idyllic　scenes　as　a　foil　to　the　tragical；　for　the　Shakespearian　critics　have　no　monopoly　of　the　overworked　plea；　〃justification　by　contrast。〃　Nor　could　a　French　analogue　of　Dickens　easily　resist　the　temptation　to　give　us　a　fatuous　Passajon；　an　ebullient　Pere　Joyeusewho　seems　to　have　been　partly　modelled　on　a　real　personan　exemplary　〃Bonne　Maman；〃　a　struggling　but　eventually　triumphant　Andre　Maranne。　The　home…lover　Daudet　also　felt　the　necessity　of　showing　that　Paris　could　set　the　Joyeuse　household；　sunny　in　its　poverty；　over　against　the　stately　elegance　of　the　Mora　palace；　the　walls　of　which　listened　at　one　and　the　same　moment　to　the　music　of　a　ball　and　the　death…rattle　of　its　haughty　owner。　But　when　all　is　said；　it　remains　clear　that　/The　Nabob/　is　open　to　the　charge　that　applies　to　all　the　greater　novels　save　/Sapho/the　charge　that　it　exhibits　a　somewhat　inharmonious　mixture　of　sentimentalism　and　naturalism。　Against　this　charge；　which　perhaps　applies　most　forcibly　to　that　otherwise　almost　perfect　work　of　art；　/Numa　Roumestan/；　Daudet　defended　himself；　but　rather　weakly。　Nor　does　Mr。　Henry　James；　who　in　the　case　of　the　last…named　novel　comes　to　his　help　against　Zola；　much　mend　matters。　But　the　fault；　if　fault　it　be；　is　venial；　especially　in　a　friend；　though　not　strictly　a　coworker；　of　Zola's。

Naturally　an　elaborate　novel　like　/The　Nabob/　lends　itself　indefinitely　to　minute　comment；　but　we　must　be　sparing　of　it。　Still　it　is　worth　while　to　call　attention　to　the　skill　with　which；　from　the　opening　page；　the　interest　of　the　reader　is　controlled；　indeed；　to　the　remarkable　art　displayed　in　the　whole　first　chapter　devoted　to　the　morning　rounds　of　Dr。　Jenkins。　The　note　of　romantic　extravagance　is　on　the　whole　avoided　until　the　Nabob　brings　out　his　check…book；　when　the　money　flies　with　a　speed　for　which；　one　fancies；　Daudet　could　have　found　little　justification　this　side　of　Timon　of　Athens。　In　the　description　of　the　/Caisse　Territoriale/　given　by　Passajon　this　note　is　relieved　by　a　delicate　irony；　but　seems　still　somewhat　incongruous。　One　turns　more　willingly　to　the　description　of　Jansoulet's　sitting　down　to　play　/ecarte/　with　Mora；　to　the　story　of　how　he　gorge