童話的魔力

斗轉(zhuǎn)星移，世事變遷，但那些伴隨一代又一代人成長(zhǎng)的童話卻從未被時(shí)間的洪流吞噬。它們被重述、被“翻寫(xiě)”，被代代相傳。你也許不懂，那個(gè)永遠(yuǎn)充斥著“公主、王子、城堡與魔法”的世界為何擁有如此經(jīng)久的魅力？在我看來(lái)，從我愛(ài)上童話的那一刻起，我就知道：相比于童話外在的裝飾性套路，童話內(nèi)部所構(gòu)筑的充滿正義、善良與真愛(ài)的世界才是永不褪色的主題。在對(duì)這一童話主題的詮釋與重述中，我們這些微不足道的人類也嗅到了不朽的味道。

Why are some writers drawn back to fairytales again and again， even when they also write original fantasies and books in other genres， like Shannon Hale1) (The Goose Girl， The Book of a Thousand Days， Rapunzel’s Revenge)? Why do some writers love a particular fairytale so much that they retell it more than once from different perspectives， like Robin McKinley2) (Beauty， The Rose Daughter， Sunshine)? Why are writers able to pull a fairytale to pieces3)， take the bits they like， discard the rest， put everything back in an entirely different order， and still call it a retelling， like Jackson Pearce4) (Sisters Red， Sweetly)?

It’s because fairytales are more than just the stereotypical trappings that first spring to mind5) when we think about them. More than the carriages and ball-gowns， the beautiful princesses， handsome woodcutters and wicked stepmothers. More than just spells， enchanted castles， fairy godmothers and happily ever after.

Fairytales have a magical quality that is entirely separate from the magic that goes on within them. They have been passed down from mother to daughter， father to son， for hundreds of years. Like a stone staircase burnished and worn by the passage of a thousand feet， fairytales offer us a familiar path which we instinctively follow—and yet， unlike a stone steps， they may take us to a different destination every time we travel them. Each successive generation has retold these stories in their own way， often pulling and warping6) them out of all recognition. A modern-day girl who reads the original story of Sleeping Beauty would be shocked， disgusted and disbelieving to realise exactly what Prince Charming did to the sleeping princess (I know I was!).

But instead of wiping that sickening story from our oral traditions and our imagination as our societal mores7) and our moral standards have changed， we have brought it with us， retelling it again and again until it has become a story symbolising the strength of true love and patience and the triumph of good over evil. We can’t leave fairytales behind us. Something within them is stronger than the outer trappings. Something—some universal truth—always goes on.

When I was a little girl my big sister and I fought like cats in a sack， and barely a day went by without our house being shaken by screams and complaints. One day when I was seven or eight， our mother sent us both out of the house with instructions to go to the library—TOGETHER!—and for heaven’s sake， STOP ARGUING. In tense silence， we walked the short distance to the shabby little building and went in. My sister abandoned me to browse the adult shelves. I poked around8) in the children’s section， and then， without much hope， looked in the Cancelled Box (where the librarians put books for sale). There I discovered a very special book. It was a large， hardback picture book， a bit peeling and worn on the outside， titled The Wild Swans9). Within， children played in a fairytale castle. A wicked enchantress cast a spell. Horses tossed10) their manes11)， leopards and hawks hunted across the pages. A little girl became a beautiful woman， and wandered through a deep dark forest.

It was magic.

I would have done anything to have that book for my own—but I didn’t have any money with me or any pocket money saved up and I knew that by the time I came back， the book would be gone. It was too magical for the Cancelled Box. On the point of tears， I was about to put The Wild Swans back， when it was plucked12) away by a familiar hand. “I’ll buy you that，” my sister said coolly. I still don’t know if she realises how， in that moment of casual kindness， she completely changed my life.

Seventeen years later， my version of the fairytale The Wild Swans was published under the title The Swan Kingdom. In my own mind， I acknowledge that very little from that beloved picture book actually made it into The Swan Kingdom unaltered. But I’ve read reviews which claim the story follows the original fairytale too closely and therefore lacks originality and suspense. I’ve also read reviews that say The Swan Kingdom is nothing like the original fairytale and that the changes I made destroy the story! The lesson I learned from these contradictory reviews is this: the universal truth within a fairytale is different for each person who reads it.

When I wrote The Swan Kingdom I kept all the elements which I felt were truly important to the original story. I kept the quiet， valiant strength of the little sister， the idea of the brothers turned into swans， the painful task required to free them. I kept the idea that the heroine would be persecuted for actions which some people felt were “witchcraft13).” I kept the wicked stepmother， and I kept the handsome prince from a different kingdom with whom the heroine falls in love. Those formed the skeleton14) of the fairytale within my mind. But for others， my important points are not important at all. They’ve found different points of reference15) within the story， different ways of navigating through the landscape of fairytales. The fairytale is different for them.

In July 2011， my second fairytale retelling16) was published， and this time I’ve made life even more difficult for myself by picking a very well known story—that of Cinderella. The book is set in my magical version of Japan， and it’s this which has most people excited about it. But the real heart of the story is the universal truth which I saw behind the trappings of the Disney Cinderella we’ve all grown up with. The truth that no girl， no real， human girl with a beating heart， could possibly be as spineless17)， as obedient18)， as perfect， as Cinderella pretends to be. Her perfection must be hiding something. Passion. Hatred. Intelligence. Fear. And a desperate desire for revenge.

I know that many people will recoil from19) reading about a Cinderella who isn’t beautiful， who isn’t the slightest bit sweet or perfect， and who couldn’t care less20) about putting on a pretty dress and dancing with the prince. Maybe people will be shocked to read about a Cinderella who lies， steals， cheats and fights her way to revenge for the wrongs done to her. A Cinderella who is broken and scarred—by her own hand. But I hope that others will see their own reality and their own universal truth reflected in my Cinderella’s choices， and that in telling the story as I see it， I will allow her story to become part of the greater， timeless fairytale which mothers have been telling their daughters since before my grandmother’s grandmother was born.

That’s why writers can’t leave fairytales alone. Because fairytales are magic. Their magic is that of timelessness， of immortality. And by retelling them， we mere humans get a taste of immortality too.

為什么有些作家在創(chuàng)作其他體裁的原創(chuàng)性奇幻故事和書(shū)籍的同時(shí)，還一次又一次地被吸引回童話創(chuàng)作上來(lái)？比如寫(xiě)《鵝女孩》、《千日書(shū)》、《拉龐澤爾的復(fù)仇》的莎南·黑爾。為什么有些作家對(duì)某個(gè)童話如此情有獨(dú)鐘，會(huì)不止一次地從不同角度重述？比如寫(xiě)《漂亮姑娘》、《玫瑰女兒》、《陽(yáng)光燦爛》的羅賓·麥克肯利。為什么有些作家能把童話拆成零碎片段，取其所愛(ài)，丟棄其他，再將所有片段打亂順序重新整合，然后仍然稱之為童話的重述？比如寫(xiě)《瑞德姐妹》、《甜蜜》的杰克遜·皮爾斯。

這是因?yàn)橥挼囊饬x遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不止于我們想起它時(shí)首先映入腦海的那些模式化的套路。童話里不只是馬車(chē)、晚禮服、美麗的公主、英俊的樵夫和邪惡的繼母；不只是魔咒、施了魔法的城堡、仙女教母和“從此幸福生活在一起”的完美結(jié)局。

童話有一種神奇的魔力，這魔力完全不同于童話故事里的魔法。幾百年來(lái)，童話代代相傳，母親傳給女兒，父親傳給兒子。童話就像是被無(wú)數(shù)人踩踏得光滑锃亮的老舊石階，為我們展現(xiàn)了一條熟悉的路，我們本能地沿著這條路前行。然而，與石階不同的是，每一次在童話中的漫游都會(huì)將我們引向不同的終點(diǎn)。每一代人都以自己的方式講述這些童話，講述的時(shí)候，經(jīng)常將它們改得面目全非，讓人完全認(rèn)不出當(dāng)初的模樣。當(dāng)代的女孩兒如果讀了童話《睡美人》的最初版本，當(dāng)她們看到白馬王子對(duì)睡美人的所作所為時(shí)，可能會(huì)感到震驚、厭惡和難以置信(我就是這種反應(yīng)!)。

但這個(gè)令人厭惡的故事并沒(méi)有隨著社會(huì)習(xí)俗和道德標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的演變而被我們從口述傳統(tǒng)和想象力中抹去，相反，我們總是讓它緊隨左右，講了一遍又一遍，直到它成為一個(gè)象征性的故事，象征真愛(ài)與堅(jiān)忍的力量，象征正義戰(zhàn)勝邪惡。我們無(wú)法丟下童話。相比童話外在的那些裝飾性套路，童話內(nèi)在的某種東西則顯示出更強(qiáng)大的力量。這種東西——某種普遍真理——永遠(yuǎn)都不會(huì)消失。

在我還是個(gè)小女孩時(shí)，我和姐姐就像是裝在一個(gè)布袋子里的兩只貓，成天吵個(gè)不停。我們幾乎沒(méi)有一天不在家里尖叫、抱怨的，簡(jiǎn)直能把房子震塌。在我七八歲的時(shí)候，有一天，媽媽把我和姐姐送出家門(mén)，讓我們?nèi)D書(shū)館——一起去！——并且看在老天的分上不許爭(zhēng)吵！在氣氛緊張的沉默中，我們兩個(gè)來(lái)到一幢破舊的小房子前，走了進(jìn)去。姐姐把我丟在一邊，自己去瀏覽成人書(shū)架上的圖書(shū)了。我就在兒童書(shū)區(qū)閑逛，然后不抱希望地瞅了瞅注銷(xiāo)書(shū)箱(圖書(shū)管理員放待售圖書(shū)的地方)。就在那兒，我發(fā)現(xiàn)了一本很特別的書(shū)。那是一本大開(kāi)本的精裝圖畫(huà)書(shū)，書(shū)皮已有些磨損脫落了，書(shū)名叫做《野天鵝》。翻開(kāi)書(shū)，一幕幕場(chǎng)景躍然紙上：孩子們?cè)谕挸潜だ镦覒蛲嫠?；邪惡的女巫施了一個(gè)魔咒；馬兒甩著鬃毛，豹子和貓頭鷹在獵食；小女孩出落成美麗的少女，在幽暗的森林深處漫步。

這太神奇了！

只要能擁有這本書(shū)，我情愿做任何事。但我當(dāng)時(shí)身上沒(méi)帶錢(qián)，也沒(méi)有存下的零用錢(qián)可用，而且我知道，等我再來(lái)時(shí)，這本書(shū)肯定已經(jīng)賣(mài)掉了。這本書(shū)太有魔力了，注銷(xiāo)書(shū)箱不是它該待的地方。我急得差點(diǎn)哭出來(lái)，正打算把《野天鵝》放回書(shū)箱，書(shū)卻突然被一只熟悉的手抽走了。“我來(lái)給你買(mǎi)。”姐姐態(tài)度冷漠地說(shuō)。我至今仍不知姐姐是否意識(shí)到，她那少有的片刻溫情是如何徹底地改變了我的生活。

17年后，我筆下的《野天鵝》童話出版了，書(shū)名叫做《天鵝王國(guó)》。在我自己的心目中，我覺(jué)得《天鵝王國(guó)》中幾乎沒(méi)有什么情節(jié)是照搬自那本我所珍愛(ài)的《野天鵝》。但我讀到有些評(píng)論說(shuō)我的故事和原來(lái)的童話太像了，因而缺乏創(chuàng)意，沒(méi)有懸念。還有評(píng)論說(shuō)，《天鵝王國(guó)》和原來(lái)的童話毫無(wú)相同之處，我的改寫(xiě)徹底毀了這個(gè)故事！從這些相互矛盾的評(píng)論中我明白了一個(gè)道理：關(guān)于同一部童話里的普遍真理，一千個(gè)讀者有一千種觀點(diǎn)。

在我看來(lái)，有些元素對(duì)于《野天鵝》來(lái)說(shuō)至關(guān)重要。在寫(xiě)《天鵝王國(guó)》時(shí)，我悉數(shù)保留了這些元素。我保留了妹妹(編注：指《野天鵝》中的女主人公愛(ài)麗莎)沉默中的堅(jiān)忍和勇敢，保留了哥哥們(編注：指《野天鵝》中的11位王子)變成天鵝的構(gòu)想，保留了妹妹解救哥哥們所需經(jīng)歷的艱難。我保留了主人公因被認(rèn)為施展妖術(shù)而要被處死的構(gòu)想。我保留了邪惡的繼母，保留了讓主人公一見(jiàn)傾心的來(lái)自另一個(gè)王國(guó)的英俊王子。這些元素構(gòu)成了我心中的童話框架。然而，對(duì)他人來(lái)說(shuō)，我認(rèn)為重要的這些要素一點(diǎn)也不重要。他們?cè)诠适吕锇l(fā)現(xiàn)了不同的參照點(diǎn)，發(fā)現(xiàn)了在童話王國(guó)里遨游的不同方式。對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō)，這部童話呈現(xiàn)的是另一種迥然不同的樣子。

2011年7月，我“翻寫(xiě)”的第二部童話出版了，這次我選擇了一個(gè)大家非常熟知的故事《灰姑娘》，創(chuàng)作過(guò)程也因此更為艱難。我將這部童話的故事發(fā)生地設(shè)在我筆下創(chuàng)造出來(lái)的魔幻版日本，也正是這一點(diǎn)讓許多人興奮不已。不過(guò)，在那個(gè)伴隨我們成長(zhǎng)的迪士尼版灰姑娘套路的背后，我看到了一個(gè)普遍真理，這才是我的故事的核心。這個(gè)真理就是，一個(gè)女孩兒，一個(gè)現(xiàn)實(shí)中食人間煙火的女孩兒，不可能像灰姑娘假裝的那樣千依百順、言聽(tīng)計(jì)從、完美無(wú)瑕?；夜媚锏耐昝辣硐笙乱欢ㄟ€隱藏著什么：激情、憎恨、智慧、恐懼，還有對(duì)于復(fù)仇的急切渴望。

我知道，對(duì)于一個(gè)不漂亮、一點(diǎn)也不甜美或完美、對(duì)穿漂亮舞裙和與王子共舞絲毫不感興趣的灰姑娘，許多人都會(huì)拒絕閱讀。當(dāng)人們讀到一個(gè)會(huì)撒謊、偷竊、欺騙、對(duì)自己遭受的不公奮起報(bào)復(fù)的灰姑娘時(shí)，可能會(huì)感到震驚。這是一個(gè)因自己的作為而身心破碎、傷痕累累的灰姑娘。但是，我希望通過(guò)我筆下這個(gè)灰姑娘所作的選擇，人們能看到他們自己的現(xiàn)實(shí)情況和他們自己所認(rèn)為的普遍真理。在用自己的方式來(lái)講述這個(gè)故事時(shí)，我也希望這個(gè)灰姑娘的故事成為那些更加偉大和永恒的童話的一部分，這些童話早在我祖母的祖母出生之前就一直由一代代的媽媽講給女兒聽(tīng)了。

這就是為什么許多作家離不開(kāi)童話的緣故。因?yàn)橥挸錆M了魔力，這種魔力亙古不變，世代流傳。而在對(duì)這些童話的重新詮釋中，我們這些微不足道的人類也嗅到了不朽的味道。

1.Shannon Hale：莎南·黑爾(1974～)，美國(guó)作家，其創(chuàng)作領(lǐng)域涉及青少年童話以及其他體裁的小說(shuō)。

2.Robin McKinley：羅賓·麥克肯利(1952～)，著名童話作家，其作品迄今已有十六本之多。

3.pull sth. to pieces：把……撕成碎片

4.Jackson Pearce：杰克遜·皮爾斯(1984～)，美國(guó)作家

5.spring to mind：突然想到

6.warp [w??p] vt. 扭曲，曲解

7.mores [?m??re?z] n. 風(fēng)俗，習(xí)慣，道德觀念

8.poke around：閑逛

9.The Wild Swans：《野天鵝》，安徒生的一則童話。該童話講述了一場(chǎng)善與惡的斗爭(zhēng)，女主人公愛(ài)麗莎是一個(gè)柔弱的公主，為了解救被繼母施以魔法而變成天鵝的11位哥哥，愛(ài)麗莎忍受蕁麻的刺痛和一年不能說(shuō)話的痛苦，用蕁麻編織出了11件披甲，最終解救了哥哥們。

10.toss [t?s] vt. 甩(頭或頭發(fā))

11.mane [me?n] n. (馬頸背上、獅子臉部和頸部的)長(zhǎng)鬃毛

12.pluck [pl?k] vt. 拉，拽

13.witchcraft [?w?t??kr?ft] n. 巫術(shù)，魔法

14.skeleton [?skel?tn] n. 框架，梗概

15.point of reference：(用于了解情況或進(jìn)行交流的)參照依據(jù)，參考標(biāo)準(zhǔn)

16.my second fairytale retelling：即筆者創(chuàng)作的童話故事Shadows on the Moon。

17.spineless [?spa?nl?s] adj. 沒(méi)有骨氣的，不敢抗?fàn)幍?/p>

18.obedient [??bi?di?nt] adj. 順從的，溫馴的

19.recoil from：退縮。recoil [r??k??l] vi. (因?yàn)椴幌矚g而)拒絕，回絕，退避

20.couldn’t care less：絲毫不關(guān)心