那天太太看鲁豫采访罗翔的视频忽然停下问我，你现在看的书是不是叫《长日将尽》？是，我说。那几天我正在读《The Remains of the Day》，就是石黑一雄《长日将尽》的英文原版。原来是鲁豫和罗翔的访谈中聊到了这本书，我便坐下听了一会儿。罗翔说这本书写的是“人类的伪善”，鲁豫说男主人公的“冷漠”无法让中国读者共情。关于“伪善”和“冷漠”的评语，我不甚认同。
小说以第一人称叙事，男主人公Stevens是一位英国管家。叙事的起点是1956 年，但主要故事发生在一战后到二战前的英国，叙事以类似日记的形式通过回忆展开。Stevens的东家是身份显赫的Lord Darlington。故事平行地展开两条线，一条是Lord Darlington 的政治线，一条是男主人公的感情线，而贯穿全书、同时撑起这两条线的是男主人公Stevens对管家这个职业怀抱着的神圣情怀和他不可思议的敬业精神。
用“伪善”定性Stevens 我觉得不合适。他虔诚地把做个Great Butler当作人生的最高追求，因此他不对Lord Darlington的亲纳粹行为做任何价值评判，即便他不同意，不理解，也绝不质疑。比如当Lord Darlington 让他解雇两个犹太女佣时，他很吃惊，但只是问了句“I beg you pardon, Sir?”，就去执行了。在他心里，管家的天职就是为雇主服务，而像Darlington 这样“伟大的雇主”做出的一切决定自然有他的道理。与其说Stevens伪善，更贴切的评价大概是被他崇高化了的职业信仰让他放弃了每个个体的道德坚持。
即便他因为敬业不顾临终的父亲，因为敬业牺牲了跟女管家Miss Kenton的爱情，我觉得说他冷漠也是不妥当的。他平静、无动于衷的外表下其实压抑着深刻的感情。但因为作者选择了高度克制的叙述方式（而这种方式跟男主的身份、训练和他极端的敬业精神完美契合），或许让读者产生Stevens冷漠的印象。
Stevens 的父亲也是个管家，年迈之后来到Lord Darlington 家在儿子Stevens手下工作。在Stevens 心里他父亲是个“伟大的管家”，是管家的榜样。他父亲病世的那天晚上，他在为一个盛大的晚会忙碌，因而把父亲留在病榻让 Miss Kenton照顾。Stevens 相信他父亲在那样的场合一定也会那样做。叙事人，即Stevens自己，出于敬业精神，一字未提自己的心情，但作者从别人的嘴里让读者看到了Stevens 的状态，比如这段：
I turned to find the young Mr Cardinal beaming happily at me. I smiled also and said: "Fish, sir?"
"When I was young, I used to keep all sorts of tropical fish in a tank. Quite a little aquarium it was. I say, Stevens, are you all right?"
I smiled again. "Quite all right, thank you, sir."
"As you so rightly pointed out, I really should come back here in the spring. Darlington Hall must be rather lovely then. The last time I was here, I think it was winter then too. I say, Stevens, are you sure you're all right there?"
"Perfectly all right, thank you, sir."
"Not feeling unwell, are you?"
"Not at all, sir. Please excuse me."
I proceeded to serve port to some other of the guests. …… I felt something touch my elbow and turned to find Lord Darlington.
"Stevens, are you all right?"
"Yes, sir. Perfectly."
"You look as though you're crying."
I laughed and taking out a handkerchief, quickly wiped my face. "I'm very sorry, sir. The strains of a hard day."
Stevens 和Miss Kenton 一起工作，逐渐亲密，但他把两人的关系控制在工作范畴。Miss Kenton得到她姑妈的死讯那天，Stevens 一直想找个机会安慰她，但职业习惯让他无从启齿，每次开口都从工作琐碎说起，最后话题转向对Miss Kenton 工作疏忽的挑剔。Miss Kenton 决定订婚出嫁也正逢 Darlington 家有重要会议。她把这件事告诉了Stevens，而Stevens 只是平静地表示祝贺就去忙自己的事了。后来他经过 Miss Kenton 房门时直觉告诉他Miss Kenton在里面哭泣。有这样一段叙述。
As I approached Miss Kenton's door, I saw from the light seeping around its edges that she was still within. And that was the moment, I am now sure, that has remained so persistently lodged in my memory - that moment as I paused in the dimness of the corridor, the tray in my hands, an ever-growing conviction mounting within me that just a few yards away, on the other side of that door, Miss Kenton was at that moment crying. As I recall, there was no real evidence to account for this conviction - I had certainly not heard any sounds of crying - and yet I remember being quite certain that were I to knock and enter, I would discover her in tears. I do not know how long I remained standing there; at the time it seemed a significant period, but in reality, I suspect, it was only a matter of a few seconds. For, of course, I was required to hurry upstairs to serve some of the most distinguished gentlemen of the land and I cannot imagine I would have delayed unduly.
Miss Kenton 在房间里哭泣的这一幕，Stevens 没看见，也没听见。他站在门外，没有敲门。那一刻他的内心是何等震颤，才能让他如此坚信，而且二十年忘不了。他并不冷漠，他只是习惯于压抑自己的感受。而习惯，让他失去了表达的能力。
Stevens 深刻的情感在石黑一雄平静克制的文字里无声地涌动，我觉得这正是这部小说的魅力所在。
他站在门外，没敲门
落飞 (2026-05-08 10:46:11) 评论 (0)
那天太太看鲁豫采访罗翔的视频忽然停下问我，你现在看的书是不是叫《长日将尽》？是，我说。那几天我正在读《The Remains of the Day》，就是石黑一雄《长日将尽》的英文原版。原来是鲁豫和罗翔的访谈中聊到了这本书，我便坐下听了一会儿。罗翔说这本书写的是“人类的伪善”，鲁豫说男主人公的“冷漠”无法让中国读者共情。关于“伪善”和“冷漠”的评语，我不甚认同。
小说以第一人称叙事，男主人公Stevens是一位英国管家。叙事的起点是1956 年，但主要故事发生在一战后到二战前的英国，叙事以类似日记的形式通过回忆展开。Stevens的东家是身份显赫的Lord Darlington。故事平行地展开两条线，一条是Lord Darlington 的政治线，一条是男主人公的感情线，而贯穿全书、同时撑起这两条线的是男主人公Stevens对管家这个职业怀抱着的神圣情怀和他不可思议的敬业精神。
用“伪善”定性Stevens 我觉得不合适。他虔诚地把做个Great Butler当作人生的最高追求，因此他不对Lord Darlington的亲纳粹行为做任何价值评判，即便他不同意，不理解，也绝不质疑。比如当Lord Darlington 让他解雇两个犹太女佣时，他很吃惊，但只是问了句“I beg you pardon, Sir?”，就去执行了。在他心里，管家的天职就是为雇主服务，而像Darlington 这样“伟大的雇主”做出的一切决定自然有他的道理。与其说Stevens伪善，更贴切的评价大概是被他崇高化了的职业信仰让他放弃了每个个体的道德坚持。
即便他因为敬业不顾临终的父亲，因为敬业牺牲了跟女管家Miss Kenton的爱情，我觉得说他冷漠也是不妥当的。他平静、无动于衷的外表下其实压抑着深刻的感情。但因为作者选择了高度克制的叙述方式（而这种方式跟男主的身份、训练和他极端的敬业精神完美契合），或许让读者产生Stevens冷漠的印象。
Stevens 的父亲也是个管家，年迈之后来到Lord Darlington 家在儿子Stevens手下工作。在Stevens 心里他父亲是个“伟大的管家”，是管家的榜样。他父亲病世的那天晚上，他在为一个盛大的晚会忙碌，因而把父亲留在病榻让 Miss Kenton照顾。Stevens 相信他父亲在那样的场合一定也会那样做。叙事人，即Stevens自己，出于敬业精神，一字未提自己的心情，但作者从别人的嘴里让读者看到了Stevens 的状态，比如这段：
I turned to find the young Mr Cardinal beaming happily at me. I smiled also and said: "Fish, sir?"
"When I was young, I used to keep all sorts of tropical fish in a tank. Quite a little aquarium it was. I say, Stevens, are you all right?"
I smiled again. "Quite all right, thank you, sir."
"As you so rightly pointed out, I really should come back here in the spring. Darlington Hall must be rather lovely then. The last time I was here, I think it was winter then too. I say, Stevens, are you sure you're all right there?"
"Perfectly all right, thank you, sir."
"Not feeling unwell, are you?"
"Not at all, sir. Please excuse me."
I proceeded to serve port to some other of the guests. …… I felt something touch my elbow and turned to find Lord Darlington.
"Stevens, are you all right?"
"Yes, sir. Perfectly."
"You look as though you're crying."
I laughed and taking out a handkerchief, quickly wiped my face. "I'm very sorry, sir. The strains of a hard day."
Stevens 和Miss Kenton 一起工作，逐渐亲密，但他把两人的关系控制在工作范畴。Miss Kenton得到她姑妈的死讯那天，Stevens 一直想找个机会安慰她，但职业习惯让他无从启齿，每次开口都从工作琐碎说起，最后话题转向对Miss Kenton 工作疏忽的挑剔。Miss Kenton 决定订婚出嫁也正逢 Darlington 家有重要会议。她把这件事告诉了Stevens，而Stevens 只是平静地表示祝贺就去忙自己的事了。后来他经过 Miss Kenton 房门时直觉告诉他Miss Kenton在里面哭泣。有这样一段叙述。
As I approached Miss Kenton's door, I saw from the light seeping around its edges that she was still within. And that was the moment, I am now sure, that has remained so persistently lodged in my memory - that moment as I paused in the dimness of the corridor, the tray in my hands, an ever-growing conviction mounting within me that just a few yards away, on the other side of that door, Miss Kenton was at that moment crying. As I recall, there was no real evidence to account for this conviction - I had certainly not heard any sounds of crying - and yet I remember being quite certain that were I to knock and enter, I would discover her in tears. I do not know how long I remained standing there; at the time it seemed a significant period, but in reality, I suspect, it was only a matter of a few seconds. For, of course, I was required to hurry upstairs to serve some of the most distinguished gentlemen of the land and I cannot imagine I would have delayed unduly.
Miss Kenton 在房间里哭泣的这一幕，Stevens 没看见，也没听见。他站在门外，没有敲门。那一刻他的内心是何等震颤，才能让他如此坚信，而且二十年忘不了。他并不冷漠，他只是习惯于压抑自己的感受。而习惯，让他失去了表达的能力。
Stevens 深刻的情感在石黑一雄平静克制的文字里无声地涌动，我觉得这正是这部小说的魅力所在。
小说以第一人称叙事，男主人公Stevens是一位英国管家。叙事的起点是1956 年，但主要故事发生在一战后到二战前的英国，叙事以类似日记的形式通过回忆展开。Stevens的东家是身份显赫的Lord Darlington。故事平行地展开两条线，一条是Lord Darlington 的政治线，一条是男主人公的感情线，而贯穿全书、同时撑起这两条线的是男主人公Stevens对管家这个职业怀抱着的神圣情怀和他不可思议的敬业精神。
用“伪善”定性Stevens 我觉得不合适。他虔诚地把做个Great Butler当作人生的最高追求，因此他不对Lord Darlington的亲纳粹行为做任何价值评判，即便他不同意，不理解，也绝不质疑。比如当Lord Darlington 让他解雇两个犹太女佣时，他很吃惊，但只是问了句“I beg you pardon, Sir?”，就去执行了。在他心里，管家的天职就是为雇主服务，而像Darlington 这样“伟大的雇主”做出的一切决定自然有他的道理。与其说Stevens伪善，更贴切的评价大概是被他崇高化了的职业信仰让他放弃了每个个体的道德坚持。
即便他因为敬业不顾临终的父亲，因为敬业牺牲了跟女管家Miss Kenton的爱情，我觉得说他冷漠也是不妥当的。他平静、无动于衷的外表下其实压抑着深刻的感情。但因为作者选择了高度克制的叙述方式（而这种方式跟男主的身份、训练和他极端的敬业精神完美契合），或许让读者产生Stevens冷漠的印象。
Stevens 的父亲也是个管家，年迈之后来到Lord Darlington 家在儿子Stevens手下工作。在Stevens 心里他父亲是个“伟大的管家”，是管家的榜样。他父亲病世的那天晚上，他在为一个盛大的晚会忙碌，因而把父亲留在病榻让 Miss Kenton照顾。Stevens 相信他父亲在那样的场合一定也会那样做。叙事人，即Stevens自己，出于敬业精神，一字未提自己的心情，但作者从别人的嘴里让读者看到了Stevens 的状态，比如这段：
I turned to find the young Mr Cardinal beaming happily at me. I smiled also and said: "Fish, sir?"
"When I was young, I used to keep all sorts of tropical fish in a tank. Quite a little aquarium it was. I say, Stevens, are you all right?"
I smiled again. "Quite all right, thank you, sir."
"As you so rightly pointed out, I really should come back here in the spring. Darlington Hall must be rather lovely then. The last time I was here, I think it was winter then too. I say, Stevens, are you sure you're all right there?"
"Perfectly all right, thank you, sir."
"Not feeling unwell, are you?"
"Not at all, sir. Please excuse me."
I proceeded to serve port to some other of the guests. …… I felt something touch my elbow and turned to find Lord Darlington.
"Stevens, are you all right?"
"Yes, sir. Perfectly."
"You look as though you're crying."
I laughed and taking out a handkerchief, quickly wiped my face. "I'm very sorry, sir. The strains of a hard day."
Stevens 和Miss Kenton 一起工作，逐渐亲密，但他把两人的关系控制在工作范畴。Miss Kenton得到她姑妈的死讯那天，Stevens 一直想找个机会安慰她，但职业习惯让他无从启齿，每次开口都从工作琐碎说起，最后话题转向对Miss Kenton 工作疏忽的挑剔。Miss Kenton 决定订婚出嫁也正逢 Darlington 家有重要会议。她把这件事告诉了Stevens，而Stevens 只是平静地表示祝贺就去忙自己的事了。后来他经过 Miss Kenton 房门时直觉告诉他Miss Kenton在里面哭泣。有这样一段叙述。
As I approached Miss Kenton's door, I saw from the light seeping around its edges that she was still within. And that was the moment, I am now sure, that has remained so persistently lodged in my memory - that moment as I paused in the dimness of the corridor, the tray in my hands, an ever-growing conviction mounting within me that just a few yards away, on the other side of that door, Miss Kenton was at that moment crying. As I recall, there was no real evidence to account for this conviction - I had certainly not heard any sounds of crying - and yet I remember being quite certain that were I to knock and enter, I would discover her in tears. I do not know how long I remained standing there; at the time it seemed a significant period, but in reality, I suspect, it was only a matter of a few seconds. For, of course, I was required to hurry upstairs to serve some of the most distinguished gentlemen of the land and I cannot imagine I would have delayed unduly.
Miss Kenton 在房间里哭泣的这一幕，Stevens 没看见，也没听见。他站在门外，没有敲门。那一刻他的内心是何等震颤，才能让他如此坚信，而且二十年忘不了。他并不冷漠，他只是习惯于压抑自己的感受。而习惯，让他失去了表达的能力。
Stevens 深刻的情感在石黑一雄平静克制的文字里无声地涌动，我觉得这正是这部小说的魅力所在。