The Secret Agent《特务》

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1、Author'sNoteTheoriginofTheSecretAgent:subject,treatment,artisticpurpose,andeveryothermotivethatmayinduceanauthortotakeuphispen,can,Ibelieve,betracedtoaperiodofmentalandemotionalreaction.TheactualfactsarethatIbeganthisbookimpulsivelyandwroteitcontinuously

2、.WheninduecourseitwasboundanddeliveredtothepublicgazeIfoundmyselfreprovedforhavingproduceditatall.Someoftheadmonitionsweresevere,othershadasorrowfulnote.IhavenotgotthemtextuallybeforemebutIrememberperfectlythegeneralargument,whichwasverysimple;andalsomys

3、urpriseatitsnature.Allthissoundsaveryoldstorynow!Andyetitisnotsuchalongtimeago.ImustconcludethatIhadstillpreservedmuchofmypristineinnocenceintheyear1907.Itseemstomenowthatevenanartlesspersonmighthaveforeseenthatsomecriticismswouldbebasedonthegroundofsord

4、idsurroundingsandthemoralsqualorofthetale.Thatofcourseisaseriousobjection.Itwasnotuniversal.Infactitseemsungracioustoremembersolittlereproofamongstsomuchintelligentandsympatheticappreciation;andItrustthatthereadersofthisPrefacewillnothastentoputitdowntow

5、oundedvanityoranaturaldispositiontoingratitude.Isuggestthatacharitableheartcouldverywellascribemychoicetonaturalmodesty.Yetitisn'texactlymodestythatmakesmeselectreprooffortheillustrationofmycase.No,itisn'texactlymodesty.IamnotatallcertainthatIammodest;bu

6、tthosewhohavereadsofarthroughmyworkwillcreditmewithenoughdecency,tact,savoir-faire,whatyouwill,topreventmefrommakingasongformyowngloryoutofthewordsofotherpeople,No!Thetruemotiveofmyselectionliesinquiteadifferenttrait.Ihavealwayshadapropensitytojustifymya

7、ction.Nottodefend.Tojustify.NottoinsistthatIwasrightbutsimplytoexplainthattherewasnoperverseintention,nosecretscornforthenaturalsensibilitiesofmankindatthebottomofmyimpulses.Thatkindofweaknessisdangerousonlysofarthatitexposesonetotheriskofbecomingabore;f

8、ortheworldgenerallyisnotinterestedinthemotivesofanyovertactbutinitsconsequences.Manmaysmileandsmilebutheisnotaninvestigatinganimal.Helovestheobvious.Heshrinksfromexplanations.YetIwillgoonwithmine.It'sobviousthatIneednothav