Casanova's Memoirs: Going to Paris

Author: (Italian) Casanova
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Among the four major categories of literary works, prose differs from poetry and fiction. If poetry belongs to the history of the spirit and fiction to the history of society, then drama, which concentrates numerous artistic functions and is a multi-functional spatial art that transcends literary symbol expression, belongs to the broad history of cultural arts. Prose, however, is the most popular and most widely integrated into life, becoming an indispensable part of life itself—a unique literary phenomenon. In one of Molière's comedies, there is a dialogue where one character asks another, "What is prose?" The other replies, "What you are saying right now is prose." Can we understand it this way: Prose is actually very ordinary; we live in it every day, so we all feel close to it. Because of this, as a literary term, prose expresses a relatively relaxed concept. It must, of course, possess indispensable literary qualities, but it is not very standardized; rather, it is more free. In English, "Essay" is generally translated as "sketch," "ramble," "trial," or "miniature," all emphasizing the freedom of writing. It is a genre that is free enough to take on multiple forms, including letters, diaries, travelogues, memoirs, notes, prefaces, satirical essays where laughter and anger alike become literature, and even the kind of political writing where "the pen is mightier than the sword." With the development of literature, in the early 19th century, a marginal category between poetry and prose emerged—prose poetry. Beyond writers, its authors are widespread, including artists, musicians, actors, philosophers, scientists, historians, and even politicians, religious figures, travelers, and so on. Naturally expressive prose becomes the most intimate genre, where writing requires little consideration for the ostentation of words or phrases, no need to guard against the concealment of the author's true, natural emotions by literary flair. Authenticity becomes the fundamental characteristic of prose. Prose writing perfectly preserves and highlights the author's momentary feelings of being moved and the original state of deep, reflective thought, making it the best choice for dialogue with others while also engaging in self-dialogue—a superior way to understand and reconstruct oneself. It "carries the way," meaning it is didactic, but not preachy; it "expresses the will," meaning it is emotive, but not overly sentimental. Its optimal state is to integrate "carrying the way" and "expressing the will." Simple writing excludes the smallest of pretenses, and the essence of prose is truth. The highest purpose of prose art is simply to emphasize truth. Prose seeks beauty, and beauty is a companion to truth. Precisely because of this, prose has the most readers. There may be various reasons why some people rarely read poetry, others dislike theater, and others do not read novels. Even those who are not literature enthusiasts read and write prose—not necessarily to demonstrate cultural competence, a wide range of interests, or a refined or vulgar spiritual realm. As a cultural phenomenon, prose is familiar to everyone, and people unconsciously become lovers of prose and "extracurricular" authors of prose—not necessarily intending to become prose writers, but with a confidence and a need: "I can and should write." Thus, compared to other literary genres, prose has the highest reading frequency, the widest and most enduring influence, and the strongest author base, with multiple cultural forces driving the continuous development of prose art. Naturally, numerous masterpieces of prose have become the most attractive highlights of world literature. Ancient classics from both the West and China are almost all masterpieces of prose. In China, those who have not read the Four Books and Five Classics were not considered educated, and those who had not read Three Hundred Poems of the Tang Dynasty and Essentials of Classical Chinese were deemed uncultured, much like those in the West who were not considered well-educated without having read the Bible, or cultured without having read Homer or Plato. The Chinese nation is adept at both creating and absorbing the strengths of others through cultural exchange. Since the May Fourth New Culture Movement and especially since the reform and opening-up, the re-examination of China's literary history and present state, combined with a high degree of attention to the achievements and trends of world literature, has become a powerful driving force for the development of literature in the new era. In the early 1980s, the publishing industry, revitalized by the "Four Modernizations" wave, burst with untapped potential that had long been suppressed, showing unprecedented vigorous development. The predecessor of our publishing house, the Literature Department of Hunan People's Publishing House, promptly launched a substantial number of translated foreign literary classics, including the Prose Translation Series, which selected and translated world-class prose from ancient to modern times. It received enthusiastic support from readers, with new books being published almost every two months. Most readers eagerly awaited each new release. This greatly encouraged us. We realized that the starting point of publishing work is understanding readers' needs, and the life of a publication lies in whether it perfectly satisfies readers' desires. A publication that does not disappoint readers must be rich in content, refined in quality, and high in cultural and humanistic standards. We will continue to strive toward this goal. The 25 years of reform and opening-up may not seem like a long time span, but the publishing fever that arose and then intensified in response to readers' demands has been one of the most revolutionary changes since China emerged from isolation. This change is still expanding and deepening. Under the high-speed development of the publishing industry, readers' choices present us with a strong and enduring challenge. Our response begins with a comprehensive understanding and serious consideration of readers' needs, followed by rapid adjustments to the editorial, publishing, and distribution processes. The Prose Translation Series aims to become a concrete and visible history of prose art, composed of a series of truly masterpieces of prose. The contributions of the great masters of prose are brilliant and abundant, and we must strive to grasp the development of prose art from the perspective of literary history, showcasing its height and charm from multiple angles, levels, and dimensions. We must grasp the classic nature of masterpieces of prose from a macro perspective. In addition to the well-known classics with recognized status and documentary value, we should also pay attention to potential gaps, those unassuming but eternal literary sparks, those classics that were once forgotten but should not be, and which have finally been remembered due to their eternal brilliance. This is indispensable for a series that showcases masterpieces of prose, and omitting them would be a regrettable mistake. The quality of introducing foreign literary works hinges on the quality of the translation. The translator's responsibility is to provide a faithful rendering of the original work, using vivid language to eliminate the reading barriers created by different languages, allowing readers to appreciate and interpret the original as if they were reading it in their native tongue. For translators who accurately understand the original and skillfully express its content in their own language, readers will respect them as they would the original author. We are gratified that readers generally approve and are satisfied with the translations of the Prose Translation Series. Introducing foreign literary works is one of the important ways of cultural exchange. Our selections reflect our discernment, appreciation level, and high standards, and their significance extends beyond local cultural undertakings to become part of a global cultural construction system. We believe that with the continuous support of experts and a broad readership, we can do our best to make our work as excellent as possible.