General Preface

Millions of Chinese are learning English to acquire knowledge and skills for communication in a world where English has become the primary language for international discourse. Yet not many learners have come to realize that the command of the English language also enables them to have an easy access to the world literary classics such as Shakespeare's plays, Shelley's poems, mark Twain's novels and Nietzsche's works which are an important part of liberal-arts education. The most important goals of universities are not vocational, that is, not merely the giving of knowledge and the training of skills.

In a broad sense, education aims at broadening young people's mental horizon, cultivating virtues and shaping their character. Lincoln, Mao Zedong and many other great leaders and personages of distinction declared how they drew immense inspiration and strength from literary works. As a matter of fact, many of them had aspired to become writers in their young age. Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) is said to take along with him two things, waking or sleeping: a book and a dagger, and the book is Iliad, a literary classic, by Homer. He would put these two much treasured things under his pillow when he went to bed.

Today, we face an unprecedented complex and changing world. To cope with this rapid changing world requires not only communication skills, but also adequate knowledge of cultures other than our own home culture. Among the most important developments in present-day global culture is the ever increasing cultural exchanges and understanding between different nations and peoples. And one of the best ways to know foreign cultures is to read their literary works, particularly their literary classics, the soul of a country's culture. They also give you the best language and the feeling of sublimity.

Liaoning People's Publishing House is to be congratulated for its foresight and courage in making a new series of world literary classics available to the reading public. It is hoped that people with an adequate command of the English language will read them, like them and keep them as their lifetime companions.

I am convinced that the series will make an important contribution to the literary education of the young people in china. At a time when the whole country is emphasizing "spiritual civilization", it is certainly a very timely venture to put out the series of literary classics for literary and cultural education.

Zhang Zhongzai

Professor

Beijing Foreign Studies University

July, 2013 Beijing

總序

經(jīng)典名著的語(yǔ)言無(wú)疑是最凝練、最優(yōu)美、最有審美價(jià)值的。雪萊的那句“如冬已來(lái)臨，春天還會(huì)遠(yuǎn)嗎？”讓多少陷于絕望的人重新燃起希望之火，鼓起勇氣，迎接嚴(yán)冬過后的春天。徐志摩一句“悄悄的我走了，正如我悄悄的來(lái)；我揮一揮衣袖，不帶走一片云彩”又讓多少人陶醉。尼采的那句“上帝死了”，又給多少人以振聾發(fā)聵的啟迪作用。

讀經(jīng)典名著，尤其閱讀原汁原味作品，可以怡情養(yǎng)性，增長(zhǎng)知識(shí)，加添才干，豐富情感，開闊視野。所謂“經(jīng)典”，其實(shí)就是作者所屬的那個(gè)民族的文化積淀，是那個(gè)民族的靈魂縮影。英國(guó)戲劇泰斗莎士比亞的《哈姆雷特》和《麥克白》等、“意大利語(yǔ)言之父”的但丁的《神曲》之《地獄篇》《煉獄篇》及《天堂篇》、愛爾蘭世界一流作家詹姆斯·喬伊斯的《尤利西斯》及《一個(gè)藝術(shù)家的肖像》等、美國(guó)風(fēng)趣而筆法超一流的著名小說家馬克·吐溫的《哈克歷險(xiǎn)記》以及《湯姆索亞歷險(xiǎn)記》等，德國(guó)著名哲學(xué)家尼采的《查拉圖斯特拉如是說》及《快樂的科學(xué)》等等，都為塑造自己民族的文化積淀，做出了永恒的貢獻(xiàn)，也同時(shí)向世界展示了他們所屬的民族的優(yōu)美剪影。

很多著名領(lǐng)袖如林肯、毛澤東等偉大人物，也都曾從經(jīng)典名著中汲取力量，甚至獲得治國(guó)理念。耶魯大學(xué)教授查爾斯·希爾曾在題為《經(jīng)典與治國(guó)理念》的文章，闡述了讀書與治國(guó)之間的絕妙關(guān)系。他這樣寫道：“在幾乎所有經(jīng)典名著中，都可以找到讓人嘆為觀止、深藏其中的治國(guó)藝術(shù)原則。”

經(jīng)典名著，不僅僅有治國(guó)理念，更具提升讀者審美情趣的功能。世界上不同時(shí)代、不同地域的優(yōu)秀經(jīng)典作品，都存在一個(gè)共同屬性：歌頌贊美人間的真善美，揭露抨擊世間的假惡丑。

讀歐美自但丁以來(lái)的經(jīng)典名著，你會(huì)看到，西方無(wú)論是在漫長(zhǎng)的黑暗時(shí)期，抑或進(jìn)入現(xiàn)代進(jìn)程時(shí)期，總有經(jīng)典作品問世，對(duì)世間的負(fù)面，進(jìn)行冷峻的批判。與此同時(shí)，也有更多的大家作品問世，熱情謳歌人間的真誠(chéng)與善良，使讀者不由自主地沉浸于經(jīng)典作品的審美情感之中。

英語(yǔ)經(jīng)典名著，顯然是除了漢語(yǔ)經(jīng)典名著以外，人類整個(gè)進(jìn)程中至關(guān)重要的文化遺產(chǎn)的一部分。從歷史上看，英語(yǔ)是全世界經(jīng)典閱讀作品中，使用得最廣泛的國(guó)際性語(yǔ)言。這一事實(shí)，沒有產(chǎn)生根本性變化。本世紀(jì)相當(dāng)長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間，這一事實(shí)也似乎不會(huì)發(fā)生任何變化。而要更深入地了解并切身感受英語(yǔ)經(jīng)典名著的風(fēng)采，閱讀原汁原味的英語(yǔ)經(jīng)典作品的過程，顯然是必不可少的。

遼寧人民出版社及時(shí)并隆重推出“最經(jīng)典英語(yǔ)文庫(kù)”系列叢書，是具有遠(yuǎn)見與卓識(shí)的出版行為。我相信，這套既可供閱讀，同時(shí)也具收藏價(jià)值的英語(yǔ)原版經(jīng)典作品系列叢書，在幫助人們了解什么才是經(jīng)典作品的同時(shí)，也一定會(huì)成為廣大英語(yǔ)愛好者、大中學(xué)生以及學(xué)生家長(zhǎng)們摯愛的“最經(jīng)典英語(yǔ)文庫(kù)”。

北京外國(guó)語(yǔ)大學(xué)英語(yǔ)學(xué)院

北外公共外交研究中心

歐美文學(xué)研究中心主任

全國(guó)英國(guó)文學(xué)學(xué)會(huì)名譽(yù)會(huì)長(zhǎng)

張中載 教授

2013年7月于北京