英语泛读教程4上课文+译文(Unit 1-7).doc.docVIP

Unit 1 1 Text Genius and the Craftsman Many people admire writers for their exquisite stories, but few of them know with what painstaking efforts writers work to bring a story into the world. The following essay discusses the process of conceiving a story and developing it into a perfect work of art. Once on the edge of a woods at twilight I came upon a small peach tree in flower. I stayed there watching until the light was gone. I saw nothing of the trees origin, nothing of the might which had forced open a pit you could break your teeth on, and nothing of the principle which held it separate from the oaks and the grasses. All that appeared to me was a profound and eerie grace. So it is with the reader who comes upon an outstanding story: spellbound, he takes it to his heart, no question asked. But even the beginning writer knows there is more to a storys life than the body of words which carries it into the world, and that it does not begin with writing, but with conception in the dark of the mind. It is not necessary to understand the creative function in order to produce original work. Centuries of art, philosophy and science have emerged from the minds of people who may not even have suspected the inner process. It seems to me, however, that at least a degree of understanding of the creative event increases our wisdom in dealing with the emerging story by making us aware of two things. First, genius is not the exclusive property of the master craftsman; it is the creative function of the human mind. There is no mastery without it, and there is no person without it, however undeveloped it may be. Mastery is genius afoot. It is genius cultivated, developed, and exercised. Your genius works at the level of origins; its business is to create; it is the creator of your story. Second, the body of words that carries your story into the world is the work of the craftsmans labor, which is as conscious, as canny, and as practical as that of the bricklayer. While