要理解这篇篇幅不算很长的小说,确实是有困难的。因为对于我们来说,马克·吐温的威名是那样的显赫辉煌。凡是通晓一点美国文学的读者,最先详尽了解到的,并非是近现代的赫尔曼·沃克、爱伦·坡、福克纳抑或奥茨,而是杰克·伦敦、德莱赛、欧·亨利和马克·吐温。这是由于某种历史的原因所造成的。原因既然是历史性的,其构成必然是极其复杂的,但最重要的,乃是传统文学观念对于现实主义创作方法的党同认可,因此在相当长的历史时期内,我们的文学史似乎仅以介绍现实主义大师为己任,而对二十世纪以来的现代派文学本能地采取了忽视乃至抵斥的态度,甚至对那些积极地采用了现代派技巧的现实主义作家,也殃及池鱼地冷漠了。但是,恰恰是因为这一缘故, It is indeed difficult to understand this lengthy novel. Because for us, Mark Twain’s prestige is such a brilliant. Those readers who know a little bit about American literature first learned in detail, not the modern Herr Walker, Allan Poe, Faulkner, or Oates, but Jack London, Dresser, Henry and Mark Twain. This is due to some historical reason. The reason why it is historical is bound to be extremely complicated. However, the most important thing is that the concept of traditional literature conforms to the party’s approach to the creation of realism. Therefore, for a long period of time, our literary history seems to be only mere To introduce the master of realism as its mission, but since the twentieth century modernist literature instinctively ignored or even repressed attitude, and even those who actively adopt the modernist techniques of realism writers, but also bring disaster to the pond fish. However, precisely because of this reason,