文/露西·豪森 譯/陳天怡

By Lucy Hounsom

Fantasy sinks its figurative talons1talon（鳥類，尤指猛禽的）爪。into us all. Its origins are ancient, with roots in the epic IcelandicEddur2《埃達》，冰島史詩，中古時期流傳下來的最重要的北歐文學經(jīng)典，也是在古希臘、古羅馬以外的西方神話源頭之一。and Old English poems likeBeowulf3《貝奧武甫》，古英格蘭敘事長詩，講述了斯堪的納維亞的英雄貝奧武甫的英勇事跡，歐洲文學的三大英雄史詩之一。. It owes a debt to Shakespeare, to the adventure narratives of the eighteenth century, to the Gothic movement, Romanticism,the medievalism of the Pre-Raphaelites4拉斐爾前派，19世紀中葉出現(xiàn)于英國的畫派，崇尚渾厚、扎實的寫實畫風，厭棄淺薄的實用主義藝術時尚，注重油畫的精神內(nèi)涵和中古時期的情調(diào)。and to thefin de siècle5原為法語，意思是世紀之末，指19世紀末期，尤指當時的藝術、文化和道德氛圍。. But perhaps it didn’t begin to be shaped as a distinct genre until authors such as George MacDonald (1824—1905), William Morris (1834—1896) and Lord Dunsany(1878—1957) popularised the creation of fantasy worlds. Among others, they mined the imaginative concepts that J.R. R. Tolkien would later forge into the first real commercial epic fantasy.

[2] This short summary alone reveals how deep fantasy runs in the human psyche6psyche心靈，精神。, how it drives human creativity.It is an elemental force, a willing immersion7immersion沉浸于，陷入。in the mythic8mythic如同神話般的。. We—and the stories we write—are shaped by its archetypes9archetype源自心理學家卡爾·榮格的名詞，指神話、宗教、夢境、幻想、文學中不斷重復出現(xiàn)的意象，它源自民族記憶和原始經(jīng)驗的集體潛意識。這種意象可以是描述性的細節(jié)、劇情模式或角色典型，能喚起觀眾或讀者潛意識中的原始經(jīng)驗，使其產(chǎn)生深刻、強烈、非理性的情緒反應。, allegories10allegory諷喻，指故事、劇本等作品中，以具體角色或情節(jié)來象征抽象的思想或品質(zhì)，如真理、死亡、邪惡。and emotions.So what attracts us to fantasy? What rough magic compels us to walk in the footsteps of heroes?

[3] I’d like to use a favourite quote fromMiddlemarch11全稱《米德爾馬契——當?shù)厣钛芯俊?，喬治·艾略特的代表作，描述了作者虛構的英國省城“米德爾馬契”發(fā)生的一出人生悲喜劇。, George Eliot’s classic, as a starting point to explore this rather enormous question. She writes:

If we had a keen feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence.

[4] Of course, even “ordinary”human life is anything but silence.Beneath that silent surface, hidden by what we do not or cannot say, there is a fast flowing current of the emotions,thoughts and perceptions that are a human’s birthright. It’s a dangerous current, were we to be swallowed by it. Our conscious mind protects us;truth distilled12distill吸取精華，提煉濃縮。in the unconscious is imparted13impart透露，傳達。gradually, with caution.Humans are complex beings, driven by powerful forces: desire, ambition,our spiritual and aesthetic principles,and we are constantly aware of our mortality.

[5] To understand why we’re drawn to fantasy, I think it’s first necessary to understand that the human mind functions on many levels, not all of them easily labelled or accessible.Creativity allows us to access the subconscious; to express the archetypes that we unknowingly utilise in our comprehension of the world. Alan Garner said,Mythis not entertainment,but rather the crystallisation of experience, and, far from being escapist, fantasy is an intensification of reality.Myths survive the passage of time because they embody14embody具體表現(xiàn)或體現(xiàn)（思想或品質(zhì)）。the archetypes of essential human behaviour. Our strengths, weaknesses,wisdoms and follies are recorded in stories that hopefully equip us with a better understanding of each other and our place in an ever-changing world.

[6] Fantasy expresses this in its purest form, uncluttered15uncluttered不包含過多繁瑣事物或細節(jié)的。by contemporary living. Archetypes are present in every creative endeavour, but in fantasy they tend to be unclothed:clarifiednotsimplified. Like myth, we can tap into fantasy and are rewarded with comprehension on the most important,fundamental level. Fantasy doesn’t shroud16shroud隱藏，遮蓋。itself in intellectualisms17intellectualism理智主義，唯智論。.It doesn’t use metaphor for the sake of metaphor. It goes much deeper to uncover and bring to light the very essence of progress, the determination to shape our environment, to undertake the journey across distant, perilous lands in a quest to understand the Self.

[7] This is why we identify with the hero archetype. They are on the same quest as us; they strive to shape their destinies as we do. We live and die beside them. We mourn their passing as we mourn our own. And we rejoice in their accomplishments because therein lies the possibility of coming that little bit closer to grasping the elusive truth at the heart of existence.

[8] There is a place of wonder and danger just beyond our sight, a life of intensity that calls to those who listen. Some of us catch glimpses of it in dappled sunlight, or in the cloud shadows that darken the hills. We yearn towards that life. Surrounded by it, we can confront the aspects of ourselves that frighten or confuse us. Characters have the ability to guide us, Dante-esque18這里應為作者借用但丁《神曲》的故事情節(jié)。后綴-esque指“如……一般的”。, through the internal challenges we face. They show us that we’re not alone.Our thoughts have been thought before.

[9] The camaraderie19camaraderie（同事或長時間想處的人之間的）友情，情誼。we feel with well-crafted characters—of shared trials while questing—is one of the reasons I started reading fantasy. The physical and psychological transition from childhood to adulthood is the hardest we face as individuals, and many of us find ourselves reaching out to others in the same situation. I found myself reaching out to characters that lived in entirely different worlds.

[10] Unlike Garner, I won’t deny that there is an element of escapism involved. The fantasy genre is not alone in offering us a means to briefly transcend everyday life, but it is famously suited to that purpose.

[11] The number ofWorld of Warcraftsubscribers for example(7.7 million at last count), reveals a compelling desire to create an alter-ego and then to invest real time and money inhabiting it. I think that this kind of investment in a fantasy alter-ego is different to roleplaying games set in carbon copies of modern society.

[12] The things that drew me toWoWfirst and foremost were its fantasy characters and fantasy world…and all the adventures they engendered.

Who wouldn’t want to fly on drakes,be a warlock or warrior and kick ass in Naxxramas for epics? This kind of immersion fulfils us on several psychological levels, but it is also dangerously addictive.

[13] The same addiction runs throughout fantasy as a genre. Once you embark on that quest, it’s hard to pause in your exploration, or retain a sense of perspective20a sense of perspective理智、客觀地看待問題的能力。. Fantasy deals in powerful symbols and exploits the most inescapable yearnings of human nature.It is a bridge over the river Imagination,whose far bank tempts us with the impossible.

[14] Why should we not enjoy being able to fly, possess super-powers, speak to magical creatures? We can interact with history. Past ages appeal by virtue of21by virtue of由于，憑借。their being not now. But that distant bank promises darker, more morally complex things like immortality or apotheosis22apotheosis尊奉為神，神化。, even control over time itself. This is the realm where normal rules do not apply. This is the realm where you can live forever, be rich, rule an empire, heal or kill with a thought. In a realm such as this, it’s about holding onto your humanity in the midst of chaos. Thus stories are born.

[15] I began this article by saying that fantasy has its talons in us all.Even if you don’t feel an affinity with the genre, you reference it whenever you express a wish for something to be other than it is. If you’re anything like me, however, who lives each day on the fringes of fantasy, you’ll know how it colours everything you see. A walk in woodland conjures images of elves or fae. The rocky tors23tor石山。on Dartmoor conceal a knight’s tomb or a troll hoard.Antique shops are home to cursed masks or paintings, or a prophecy hidden in a newspaper from 1925.Imbuing the everyday with24imbue with使充滿。the power of fantasy brings to me a kind of clarity of observation, as if I am seeing things for what in essence they are.

[16] Writing is about making the familiar unfamiliar. It’s about crossing the bridge to find the stories that, as long as there are people to hear them,will live forever. And it’s about the truth that remains with us after the last page is turned. When I first finishedThe Lord of the Rings, I was devastated, knowing that I couldn’t sail to Valinor with Frodo. I had to leave the Fellowship behind. Although our own lives call us back at the end of every adventure, I’d like to think we return a little bit wiser.Ultimately, and as Gandalf so rightly says,all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. ■

奇幻文學以其象征的利爪緊緊攫住我們每一個人。其源頭深遠，萌芽于冰島史詩《埃達》和類似《貝奧武甫》的古英格蘭詩歌。它借鑒了莎士比亞的作品、18世紀的冒險故事、哥特運動、浪漫主義、拉斐爾前派的中世紀精神和世紀之末的整體氛圍。但或許直到喬治·麥克唐納（1824—1905）、威廉·莫里斯（1834—1896）和鄧薩尼爵士（1878—1957）等作家推廣了奇幻世界的創(chuàng)作，奇幻文學才開始成為一種獨特的文體。這些作家所挖掘的奇思妙想，后由J. R. R. 托爾金融入了第一部真正意義上的商業(yè)化史詩奇幻巨作。

[2]從上文簡短的概述即可看出，奇幻深深扎根于人類精神世界，并激發(fā)著人類的創(chuàng)作能力。它是一種重要的力量，一種對浸入神話的憧憬。我們，和我們筆下的故事，均以其意象、諷喻和情感為原型。那奇幻文學又是依靠什么吸引我們？是怎樣原始而狂野的魔法促使我們追隨英雄的腳步？

[3]我想借用喬治·艾略特的經(jīng)典著作《米德爾馬契》中我最喜愛的一段文字作為切入點，來探索這一宏大的命題。她這樣寫道：

倘若我們對一切尋常的人類生活都有著敏銳的感知，就像能聽見小草的生長和松鼠的心跳，我們便會因著這寂靜背面的喧嘩而死去。

[4]當然，即使“尋?！钡娜祟惿钜步^不會是寂靜的。在寂靜的表象下，在我們不會訴說或無法訴說的言語中，暗藏著一條激流，裹挾著人類與生俱來的情感、思想和覺知。這條激流危機四伏，有可能將我們吞沒。我們的顯意識保護著我們，讓潛意識中提煉的真理審慎地逐漸顯露。人類是復雜的存在，受到多股強大力量的驅(qū)動：欲望、野心、精神信念和美學原則，以及揮之不去的死亡陰影。

[5]要理解我們緣何受到奇幻文學的吸引，就必須先了解人的大腦是在多個層面運作的，并非所有層面都能輕易標記和接觸。創(chuàng)造力令我們能觸及自己的潛意識，表達我們在理解世界的過程中不自覺使用的意象。艾倫·加納說，神話并非娛樂，而是體驗的結晶，奇幻文學也遠非對現(xiàn)實的逃避，而是對現(xiàn)實的加強。神話能經(jīng)受住時間的考驗，因為它描繪了人類核心行為的意象。故事記錄下我們的強大、脆弱、智慧和愚昧，以期幫助我們更好地理解彼此，并確立自身在這瞬息萬變的世界中的位置。

[6]奇幻文學拋卻當代生活的種種瑣碎，以最純粹的形式加以展現(xiàn)。一切創(chuàng)作行為都離不開意象，但奇幻文學中的意象往往是不加掩飾的：凈化而非簡化。我們探索奇幻文學，就如同進入神話世界，收獲的是最重要、最根本的領悟。奇幻文學不會假借理智主義的外衣隱藏自己，不會為隱喻而隱喻。它更為深入地發(fā)掘并揭露進步的本質(zhì)，即改變環(huán)境的決心，為讀懂“自我”而踏上漫漫險途。

[7]正因如此，我們會對英雄的意象產(chǎn)生共鳴。他們和我們一樣，走在探尋自我的路上，努力書寫著自己的命運。他們就在我們左右，與我們同生共死。我們仿佛哀慟自己的死亡一般哀慟他們的逝去。我們?yōu)樗麄兊某删蜌g欣鼓舞，因這成就或許能讓我們稍稍接近生活核心那難以捉摸的真理。

[8]在我們看不見的地方，有一片神奇而兇險的土地，激動人心的生活呼喚著所有側(cè)耳傾聽的人。有的人在斑駁的陽光或是籠罩山坡的云影之中，瞥見它轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝的蹤跡。我們渴望那樣的生活，在它的懷抱中，我們得以直面內(nèi)心令自己恐懼疑惑的一面。故事中的角色好似但丁所寫的那般，引領我們直面內(nèi)在的挑戰(zhàn)。他們讓我們懂得，自己并非孤立無援，我們的所思所想也曾棲居于前人的腦海。

[9]我開始閱讀奇幻小說的原因之一，便是出于對精心設計角色的惺惺相惜之情——我們在探尋的路上共患難。從兒童到成人的生理與心理轉(zhuǎn)變，是我們作為個體所面臨的最艱巨的考驗，許多人會選擇尋找處境相同的人。我則選擇了生活在截然不同的世界中的角色。這是他們的天賦之一。

[10]與加納不同的是，我并不否認奇幻文學帶有一絲逃避主義的色彩。雖然并非只有奇幻文學這一種體裁能夠讓我們短暫地超越日常生活，但在這一點上，奇幻文學的確當仁不讓。

[11]以《魔獸世界》為例，從其用戶數(shù)量（最新統(tǒng)計人數(shù)達770萬）可以看出，人們迫切想創(chuàng)造另一個自我，并投入現(xiàn)實中的時間和金錢來成為虛構的自己。我認為這種對幻想自我的投資，不同于翻版現(xiàn)代社會場景中的角色扮演。

[12]奇幻的人物、奇幻的世界……和由此衍生的所有冒險，是《魔獸世界》最初吸引我的地方，也是其最大的魅力所在。誰不想騎著公鴨翱翔，化身武士或術士，如史詩描寫一般橫掃納克薩瑪斯？沉浸于這樣的體驗之中，我們能獲得多層次的心理滿足，但也面臨著上癮的危險。

[13]所有奇幻類作品都有這種危險。一旦開啟征程，便再難停下探索的腳步，或保持清醒。奇幻文學利用強有力的符號，挖掘人性中最難以逃脫的渴望，就好像是架于“想象”之河上的小橋，種種不可思議的事物在遙遠的彼岸引誘著我們。

[14]恣意飛翔、擁有超能力、與魔法生物交流，又有何不可呢？我們可以與歷史對話。過去的時光正因其有別于當下而引人入勝。然而，在遙遠的河對岸，也有著更為黑暗、更具道德復雜性的事物，比如永生和神化，甚至對時間本身的掌控。在那個國度，常規(guī)一概失效，你可以長生不死，富甲一方，也可以成為一代帝王，生殺大權系于一念。在這樣的國度，你必須在無邊的混亂中不放棄自己的人性。故事便由此誕生了。

[15]在文章開頭，我曾寫道，奇幻文學以其象征的利爪緊緊攫住我們每一個人。即使你并不熟悉這一體裁，只要你希望任何事物和現(xiàn)狀不同，就已經(jīng)進入了奇幻文學的領域。不過，若你跟我這整日游走在奇幻邊緣的人有任何共通之處，就會知道它是如何令目之所及都變得五彩紛呈。走在樹林中會想到精靈和仙子；達特姆爾高原上的石山隱匿著某位騎士的墓穴或是地精的秘窖；古董店里擺放著被詛咒的面具和畫作，也許還有1925年的舊報紙，里頭藏著一個預言。當日常生活充滿奇幻的魔力，我對事物的觀察就變得愈發(fā)清楚，仿佛一眼便能看透其本質(zhì)。

[16]寫作是為了讓熟悉的事物變得陌生，是跨過小橋去搜尋故事，只要還有人愿意聆聽，這些故事便永恒不滅。寫作是為了在我們合上書本之后，真理仍然與我們同在。第一次讀完《魔戒》時，我知道自己無法和弗羅多一起坐船前往維林諾后，悲慟欲絕。我不得不和我的“小伙伴們”就此道別。雖然冒險過后，總要接受現(xiàn)實生活的召喚，我仍愿相信歸來的我們智慧已有所增長。最終，借用甘道夫的金玉良言，我們唯一需要決定的就是如何度過有限的人生。 □