赫爾曼·黑塞（Hermann Hesse）於 1919至1922年間創作的、以印度為背景的發展小說《悉達多棗一首印度詩》（ Siddartha－Eine indische Dichtung）。通過對主人公悉達多身上的兩個“自我”棗理性的無限的“自我”和感性的有限的“自我”棗在其生命進程中的描寫，黑塞探討了個人如何在有限的生命中追求無限的、永恆的人生境界的問題，從中讀者既可以洞察出作傢對人性的熱愛與敬畏，對人生和宇宙的充滿睿智的覺解，又能夠感受到他針對第一次世界大戰之後人類所受的精神創傷對傳統的人道主義理想的呼喚和嚮往，同時，還可以領略到作為西方人的作者對東方尤其是中國思想智慧的接受與藉鑒。
The book, Hesse's ninth novel, was written in German, in a simple yet powerful and lyrical style. It was first published in 1922, after Hesse had spent some time in India in the 1910s. It was published in the U.S. in 1951 and became influential during the 1960s. Hesse dedicated Siddhartha to Romain Rolland, "my dear friend".
The word Siddhartha is made up of two words in the Sanskrit language, siddha (achieved) + artha (meaning or wealth). The two words together mean "he who has found meaning (of existence)" or "he who has attained his goals". The Buddha's name, before his renunciation, was Prince Siddhartha Gautama. In this book, the Buddha is referred to as "Gotama".
Plot summary
The story takes place in ancient India around the time of Gautama Buddha (likely between the fourth and seventh centuries BC). It starts as Siddhartha, the son of a Brahmin, leaves his home to join the ascetics with his companion Govinda. The two set out in the search of enlightenment. Siddhartha goes through a series of changes and realizations as he attempts to achieve this goal.
Experience is the aggregate of conscious events experienced by a human in life – it connotes participation, learning and knowledge. Understanding is comprehension and internalization. In Hesse’s novel Siddhartha, experience is shown as the best way to approach understanding of reality and attain enlightenment – Hesse’s crafting of Siddhartha’s journey shows that understanding is attained not through scholastic, mind-dependent methods, nor through immersing oneself in the carnal pleasures of the world and the accompanying pain of samsara; however, it is the totality of these experiences that allow Siddhartha to attain understanding.
Thus, the individual events are meaningless when considered by themselves—Siddhartha’s stay with the samanas and his immersion in the worlds of love and business do not lead to nirvana, yet they cannot be considered distractions, for every action and event that is undertaken and happens to Siddhartha helps him to achieve understanding. The sum of these events is thus experience.
For example, Siddhartha’s passionate and pained love for his son is an experience that teaches him empathy; he is able to understand childlike people after this experience. Previously, though he was immersed in samsara, he could not comprehend childlike people’s motivations and lives. And while samsara clung to him and made him ill and sick of it, he was unable to understand the nature of samsara. Experience of samsara at this point did not lead to understanding; perhaps it even hindered him. In contrast to this, Siddhartha’s experience with his son allows him to love, something he has not managed to do before; once again, the love itself does not lead to understanding.
The novel ends with Siddhartha being a ferryman, learning from a river, and at long last at peace and capturing the essence of his journey:
Slower, he walked along in his thoughts and asked himself: “But what is this, what you have sought to learn from teachings and from teachers, and what they, who have taught you much, were still unable to teach you?” And he found: “It was the self, the purpose and essence of which I sought to learn. It was the self, I wanted to free myself from, which I sought to overcome. But I was not able to overcome it, could only deceive it, could only flee from it, only hide from it. Truly, no thing in this world has kept my thoughts thus busy, as this my very own self, this mystery of me being alive, of me being one and being separated and isolated from all others, of me being Siddhartha! And there is no thing in this world I know less about than about me, about Siddhartha!”
Major themes
A major preoccupation of Hesse in writing Siddhartha was to cure his 'sickness with life' (Lebenskrankheit) by immersing himself in Indian philosophy such as that expounded in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. The reason the second half of the book took so long to write was that Hesse "had not experienced that transcendental state of unity to which Siddhartha aspires. In an attempt to do so, Hesse lived as a virtual semi-recluse and became totally immersed in the sacred teachings of both Hindu and Buddhist scriptures. His intention was to attain to that 'completeness' which, in the novel, is the Buddha's badge of distinction." The novel is structured on three of the traditional stages of life for Hindu males (student (brahmacarin), householder (grihastha) and recluse/renunciate (vanaprastha)) as well as the Buddha's four noble truths (Part One) and eight-fold path (Part Two) which form twelve chapters, the number in the novel. Ralph Freedman mentions how Hesse commented in a letter "[m]y Siddhartha does not, in the end, learn true wisdom from any teacher, but from a river that roars in a funny way and from a kindly old fool who always smiles and is secretly a saint." In a lecture about Siddhartha, Hesse claimed "Buddha's way to salvation has often been criticized and doubted, because it is thought to be wholly grounded in cognition. True, but it's not just intellectual cognition, not just learning and knowing, but spiritual experience that can be earned only through strict discipline in a selfless life." Freedman also points out how Siddhartha described Hesse's interior dialectic: "All of the contrasting poles of his life were sharply etched: the restless departures and the search for stillness at home; the diversity of experience and the harmony of a unifying spirit; the security of religious dogma and the anxiety of freedom."
Film versions
A film version entitled Siddhartha was released in 1972. It starred Shashi Kapoor and was directed by Conrad Rooks. It is currently available on DVD.
In 1971, a surrealistic adaptation as a musical Western was released as Zachariah. John Rubinstein starred in the title role and George Englund was the director. Don Johnson played Matthew, the equivalent of Govinda.
English translations
In recent years several American publishers have commissioned new translations of the novel, which had previously been impossible because of copyright restrictions. In addition to these newer translations, Hilda Rosner's original 1951 translation is still being sold in a number of reprint editions put out by various publishers. The newest translations include:
* Modern Library, a translation by Susan Bernofsky, foreword by Tom Robbins, translator's preface (2006).
* Penguin, a translation by Joachim Neugroschel, introduction by Ralph Freedman, translator's note (2002).
* Barnes & Noble, a translation by Rika Lesser, introduction by Robert A. Thurman (2007).
* Shambhala Classics, a translation by Sherab Chödzin Kohn, introduction by Paul W. Morris, translator's preface (1998).
The book, Hesse's ninth novel, was written in German, in a simple yet powerful and lyrical style. It was first published in 1922, after Hesse had spent some time in India in the 1910s. It was published in the U.S. in 1951 and became influential during the 1960s. Hesse dedicated Siddhartha to Romain Rolland, "my dear friend".
The word Siddhartha is made up of two words in the Sanskrit language, siddha (achieved) + artha (meaning or wealth). The two words together mean "he who has found meaning (of existence)" or "he who has attained his goals". The Buddha's name, before his renunciation, was Prince Siddhartha Gautama. In this book, the Buddha is referred to as "Gotama".
Plot summary
The story takes place in ancient India around the time of Gautama Buddha (likely between the fourth and seventh centuries BC). It starts as Siddhartha, the son of a Brahmin, leaves his home to join the ascetics with his companion Govinda. The two set out in the search of enlightenment. Siddhartha goes through a series of changes and realizations as he attempts to achieve this goal.
Experience is the aggregate of conscious events experienced by a human in life – it connotes participation, learning and knowledge. Understanding is comprehension and internalization. In Hesse’s novel Siddhartha, experience is shown as the best way to approach understanding of reality and attain enlightenment – Hesse’s crafting of Siddhartha’s journey shows that understanding is attained not through scholastic, mind-dependent methods, nor through immersing oneself in the carnal pleasures of the world and the accompanying pain of samsara; however, it is the totality of these experiences that allow Siddhartha to attain understanding.
Thus, the individual events are meaningless when considered by themselves—Siddhartha’s stay with the samanas and his immersion in the worlds of love and business do not lead to nirvana, yet they cannot be considered distractions, for every action and event that is undertaken and happens to Siddhartha helps him to achieve understanding. The sum of these events is thus experience.
For example, Siddhartha’s passionate and pained love for his son is an experience that teaches him empathy; he is able to understand childlike people after this experience. Previously, though he was immersed in samsara, he could not comprehend childlike people’s motivations and lives. And while samsara clung to him and made him ill and sick of it, he was unable to understand the nature of samsara. Experience of samsara at this point did not lead to understanding; perhaps it even hindered him. In contrast to this, Siddhartha’s experience with his son allows him to love, something he has not managed to do before; once again, the love itself does not lead to understanding.
The novel ends with Siddhartha being a ferryman, learning from a river, and at long last at peace and capturing the essence of his journey:
Slower, he walked along in his thoughts and asked himself: “But what is this, what you have sought to learn from teachings and from teachers, and what they, who have taught you much, were still unable to teach you?” And he found: “It was the self, the purpose and essence of which I sought to learn. It was the self, I wanted to free myself from, which I sought to overcome. But I was not able to overcome it, could only deceive it, could only flee from it, only hide from it. Truly, no thing in this world has kept my thoughts thus busy, as this my very own self, this mystery of me being alive, of me being one and being separated and isolated from all others, of me being Siddhartha! And there is no thing in this world I know less about than about me, about Siddhartha!”
Major themes
A major preoccupation of Hesse in writing Siddhartha was to cure his 'sickness with life' (Lebenskrankheit) by immersing himself in Indian philosophy such as that expounded in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. The reason the second half of the book took so long to write was that Hesse "had not experienced that transcendental state of unity to which Siddhartha aspires. In an attempt to do so, Hesse lived as a virtual semi-recluse and became totally immersed in the sacred teachings of both Hindu and Buddhist scriptures. His intention was to attain to that 'completeness' which, in the novel, is the Buddha's badge of distinction." The novel is structured on three of the traditional stages of life for Hindu males (student (brahmacarin), householder (grihastha) and recluse/renunciate (vanaprastha)) as well as the Buddha's four noble truths (Part One) and eight-fold path (Part Two) which form twelve chapters, the number in the novel. Ralph Freedman mentions how Hesse commented in a letter "[m]y Siddhartha does not, in the end, learn true wisdom from any teacher, but from a river that roars in a funny way and from a kindly old fool who always smiles and is secretly a saint." In a lecture about Siddhartha, Hesse claimed "Buddha's way to salvation has often been criticized and doubted, because it is thought to be wholly grounded in cognition. True, but it's not just intellectual cognition, not just learning and knowing, but spiritual experience that can be earned only through strict discipline in a selfless life." Freedman also points out how Siddhartha described Hesse's interior dialectic: "All of the contrasting poles of his life were sharply etched: the restless departures and the search for stillness at home; the diversity of experience and the harmony of a unifying spirit; the security of religious dogma and the anxiety of freedom."
Film versions
A film version entitled Siddhartha was released in 1972. It starred Shashi Kapoor and was directed by Conrad Rooks. It is currently available on DVD.
In 1971, a surrealistic adaptation as a musical Western was released as Zachariah. John Rubinstein starred in the title role and George Englund was the director. Don Johnson played Matthew, the equivalent of Govinda.
English translations
In recent years several American publishers have commissioned new translations of the novel, which had previously been impossible because of copyright restrictions. In addition to these newer translations, Hilda Rosner's original 1951 translation is still being sold in a number of reprint editions put out by various publishers. The newest translations include:
* Modern Library, a translation by Susan Bernofsky, foreword by Tom Robbins, translator's preface (2006).
* Penguin, a translation by Joachim Neugroschel, introduction by Ralph Freedman, translator's note (2002).
* Barnes & Noble, a translation by Rika Lesser, introduction by Robert A. Thurman (2007).
* Shambhala Classics, a translation by Sherab Chödzin Kohn, introduction by Paul W. Morris, translator's preface (1998).
荒原狼是個年近50的人，名叫哈立·哈勒。幾年前，他租下了我姑媽傢的閣樓，在這裏住了不到一年的時間。他沉默寡言，不愛交際，確實像他自稱的那樣，是一隻狼，一個陌生的、野性而又膽怯的、來自另一個世界的動物。他的臉充滿智慧，表情溫柔，但內心世界動蕩不安。他想的比別人多，智力上具有那種近乎冷靜的客觀性。這種人沒有虛榮心，他們從不希望閃光，從不固執己見。
我一開始就註意到他與衆不同，我覺得這個人有某種精神病或憂鬱癥。有一天，他在付清一切欠款後，悄無聲息地離開了我們的城市，從此以後就杳無音信了。他把他的一份手稿留給了我。通過閱讀他的手記我纔認識到，他的精神病並不是什麽個人的奇思怪想，而是這個時代的通病。下面是他的手記：
這一天又像往常那樣過去了：一種既無特殊痛苦又無特殊憂慮，既無真正苦惱也無絶望的日子。在大多數人看來，這是一件美事。遺憾的是我受不了這種平靜的生活，我總是燃起對強烈感情的渴望。夜幕降臨，我來到十分安靜的老城區，突然從一條漆黑的鬍同裏竄出一個人，扛着廣告牌，上面寫着“無政府主義的晚會!魔術劇——限製入……”。我想買票進入，但是他丟給我一本書之後，轉眼之間就不見了。
回傢後，我從大衣中掏出那本書，書名是《論荒原狼——僅供狂人閱讀》。這本小册子毫無掩飾地勾畫出我鬱鬱寡歡的人生，而且書的主人公竟然也叫哈立。
有一天我在城郊遇到一個殯葬隊，發現有個人很麵熟，好像就是那個扛廣告牌的人。他告訴我，如果需要消遣就到黑鷹酒店去。到了那兒之後，我遇到了一個很漂亮的姑娘，我們友好地談了起來。這個姑娘很瞭解我，勸我不要輕生，還教我跳舞。我們約好下次見面。
這位姑娘名叫赫爾米拉，她使我對生活産生了新的興趣。我們在一傢酒店見面，赫爾米拉給我介紹了一位叫瑪利亞的姑娘。她說要讓我學會戀愛。一種新的、可怕的、瓦解一切的東西正從四面八方涌來。幾天後，我和她們一起參加一個化裝舞會。舞會之後，有人告訴我赫爾米拉在“地獄”裏等我。我進入地下室，看到很多房間，每個房間都代表着人類靈魂各個神秘的側面。在最後一個房間內，我看到赫爾米拉和一個男人赤身裸體的躺在一起。狂怒之下，我刺死了赫爾米拉。
在一個光禿禿的院子裏，法官判我永生，還罰我被恥笑一次。因為我用鏡子裏的刀殺死了鏡子裏的姑娘，企圖把魔術劇當做自殺的工具。那個和赫爾米拉在一起的男人，把縮成一個棋子大小的赫爾米拉裝進了口袋。
我猜到了這件事的意義，我會把遊戲玩得更好。
荒原狼-欣賞導航
《荒原狼》是一部充滿了狂暴幻想、具有表現主義色彩的小說。小說先是虛擬了一個出版者對哈勒的手記的第一人稱敘述，描述了哈勒這個人物的形象和行為特徵。然後又根據哈勒留下的手記，通過另一個的第一人稱敘述展開後面的情節。黑塞在小說中大量運用了夢幻形式，把第一次世界大戰之後的一個中年歐洲知識分子的內心世界淋漓盡致地展示出來，使其成為20世紀西方小說的經典之作。
作品主人公哈勒是才智之士，有着豐富細膩的內心世界。他很孤獨，很少嚮別人敞開心扉。他好像是來自另外一個星球，對人世間的虛榮、做作、追名逐利和自私淺薄極其厭惡。但與此同時他又發現，自己的這種厭惡感更多的是指嚮自己。正因為如此，哈勒時時刻刻處於一種巨大的分裂和痛苦之中，用他的話來說，就是他身上有兩種截然相反的東西在鬥爭着：狼性和人性。人性和狼性互不協調，當人性沉睡而狼性蘇醒的時候，哈勒就走嚮墮落；當人性蘇醒而狼性沉睡的時候，哈勒就會對自己的墮落和罪惡充滿厭惡。正是人性和狼性的嚴重敵對，使哈勒産生了孤獨感和自殺傾嚮。
那麽拯救之路在哪裏?一開始，哈勒企圖用身上的人性去壓製狼性，但結果卻是不斷陷入更大的苦悶之中。然後他用狼性來取代人性，則更行不通。這其實說明，哈勒將人的本性簡單地看成狼性和人性的二元對立是錯誤的，是一種“毫無希望的兒戲”，“是對現實的強姦”。認識舞女赫爾米拉之後，哈勒逐漸認識到了這個錯誤。經赫爾米拉介紹，哈勒先後認識了舞女瑪利亞和赫爾米拉的男友、音樂師巴伯羅。在他們的熏陶之下，哈勒逐漸接受了許多自己原先根本不能接受的東西。他認識到，人的本性極其復雜，不是由兩種而是由上百種、上千種本質構成，不是在兩極之間搖擺，而是在無數對極性之間搖擺。
在小說最後的“魔術劇”中，哈勒終於找到了真正的解救之道。正因為世界和自我都是多元的而不是二元的，所以無論是回歸人性還是回歸狼性都是枉然。“回頭根本沒有路，既回不到狼那裏，也回不到兒童時代”。面對這個世界所有的背謬和荒誕，衹有用笑和幽默來對付。小說的最後，哈勒終於將生活戲劇的所有“十萬”個棋子裝進口袋，而且决定反復去體會生存的痛苦，將遊戲玩得更好些，“總有一天會學會笑”。
Background and publication history
In 1924 Hermann Hesse remarried wedding singer Ruth Wenger. After several weeks however, he left Basel, only returning near the end of the year. Upon his return he rented a separate apartment, adding to his isolation. After a short trip to Germany with Wenger, Hesse stopped seeing her almost completely. The resulting feeling of isolation and inability to make lasting contact with the outside world, led to increasing despair and thoughts of suicide.
Hesse began writing Steppenwolf in Basel, and finished it in Zürich. In 1926, a precursor to the book, a collection of poems titled The Crisis. From Hermann Hesse's Diary was published. The novel was later released in 1927. The first English edition was published in 1929 by Martin Secker in the United Kingdom and by Henry Holt and Company in the United States. This version was translated by Basil Creighton.
Plot summary
The book is presented as a manuscript by its protagonist, a middle-aged man named Harry Haller, who leaves it to a chance acquaintance, the nephew of his landlady. The acquaintance adds a short preface of his own and then has the manuscript published. The title of this "real" book-in-the-book is Harry Haller's Records (For Madmen Only).
As it begins, the hero is beset by reflections on his being ill-suited for the world of everyday regular people, specifically for frivolous bourgeois society. In his aimless wanderings about the city he encounters a person carrying an advertisement for a magic theatre who gives him a small book, Treatise on the Steppenwolf. This treatise, cited in full in the novel's text as Harry reads it, addresses Harry by name and strikes him as describing himself uncannily. It is a discourse of a man who believes himself to be of two natures: one high, the spiritual nature of man; while the other is low, animalistic; a "wolf of the steppes". This man is entangled in an irresolvable struggle, never content with either nature because he cannot see beyond this self-made concept. The pamphlet gives an explanation of the multifaceted and indefinable nature of every man's soul, which Harry is either unable or unwilling to recognize. It also discusses his suicidal intentions, describing him as one of the "suicides"; people who, deep down, knew they would take their own life one day. But to counter this it hails his potential to be great, to be one of the "Immortals".
The next day Harry meets a former academic friend with whom he had often discussed Indian mythology, and who invites Harry to his home. While there, Harry is disgusted by the nationalistic mentality of his friend, who inadvertently criticizes a column written by Harry, and offends the man and his wife by criticizing his wife's picture of Goethe, which Harry feels is too thickly sentimental and insulting to Goethe's true brilliance, reassuring the proposition that Harry is, and will always be a stranger to his society.
Trying to postpone returning home (to where he has planned suicide), Harry walks aimlessly around the town for most of the night, finally stopping to rest at a dance hall where he happens on a young woman, Hermine, who quickly recognizes his desperation. They talk at length; Hermine alternately mocks Harry's self-pity and indulges him in his explanations regarding his view of life, to his astonished relief. Hermine promises a second meeting, and provides Harry with a reason to live (or at least a substantial excuse that justifies his decision to continue living) that he eagerly embraces.
During the next few weeks, Hermine introduces Harry to the indulgences of what he calls the "bourgeois". She teaches Harry to dance, introduces him to the casual use of drugs, finds him a lover (Maria), and more importantly, forces him to accept these as legitimate and worthy aspects of a full life.
The Magic Theatre
Hermine also introduces Harry to a mysterious saxophonist named Pablo, who appears to be the very opposite of what Harry considers a serious, thoughtful man. After attending a lavish masquerade ball, Pablo brings Harry to his metaphorical "magic theatre", where concerns and notions that plagued his soul disintegrate while he participates with the ethereal and phantasmal. The Magic Theatre is a place where he experiences the fantasies that exist in his mind. They are described as a long horseshoe-shaped corridor that is a mirror on one side and a great many doors on the other. Then, Harry enters five of these labeled doors, each of which symbolizes a fraction of his life.
Major characters
* Harry Haller – the protagonist, a middle-aged man
* Pablo – a saxophonist
* Hermine – a young woman Haller meets at a dance
* Maria – Hermine's friend
Character relationship diagram
Critical analysis
In the preface to the novel's 1960 edition, Hesse wrote that Steppenwolf was "more often and more violently misunderstood" than any of his other books. Hesse felt that his readers focused only on the suffering and despair that are depicted in Harry Haller's life, thereby missing the possibility of transcendence and healing. This could be due to the fact that at that time Western readers were not familiar with Buddhist philosophy, and therefore missed the point when reading it, because the notion of a human being consisting of a myriad of fragments of different souls is in complete contradiction of Judeo-Christian theologies. Also in the novel, Pablo instructs Harry Haller to relinquish his personality at one point, or at least for the duration of his journey through the corridors of the Magic Theater. In order to do so Harry must learn to use laughter to overcome the tight grip of his personality, to literally laugh at his personality until it shatters into so many small pieces. This concept also ran counter to the egocentric Western culture.
Hermann Hesse in 1926
Hesse is a master at blurring the distinction between reality and fantasy. In the moment of climax, it's debatable whether Haller actually kills Hermine or whether the "murder" is just another hallucination in the Magic Theater. It is argued that Hesse does not define reality based on what occurs in physical time and space; rather, reality is merely a function of metaphysical cause and effect. What matters is not whether the murder actually occurred, but rather that at that moment it was Haller's intention to kill Hermine. In that sense, Haller's various states of mind are of more significance than his actions.
It is also notable that the very existence of Hermine in the novel is never confirmed; the manuscript left in Harry Haller's room reflects a story that completely revolves around his personal experiences. In fact when Harry asks Hermine what her name is, she turns the question around. When he is challenged to guess her name, he tells her that she reminds him of a childhood friend named Hermann, and therefore he concludes, her name must be Hermine. Metaphorically, Harry creates Hermine as if a fragment of his own soul has broken off to form a female counterpart.
The underlying theme of transcendence is shown within group interaction and dynamics. Throughout the novel Harry concerns himself with being different, with separating himself from those he is around. Harry believes that he is better than his surroundings and fails to understand why he cannot be recognized as such, which raises the idea that in order to rise above a group one must first become one with a part of it.
The multilayered soul of human nature is the major theme in the novel and its two main characters, Harry Haller and Hermine, illustrate this. Harry illustrates through an inner conflict and an outer conflict. Inwardly, he believes two opposing natures battle over possession of him, a man and a wolf, high and low, spirit and animal. While he actually longs to live as a wolf free of social convention, he lives as a bourgeois bachelor, but his opposing wolfish nature isolates him from others until he meets Hermine.
Hermine represents the duality of human nature through an outer conflict. Hermine is a socialite, a foil to the isolated bachelor, and she coerces Harry to agree to subject himself to society, learning from her, in exchange for her murder. As Harry struggles through social interaction his isolation diminishes and he and Hermine grow closer to one another as the moment of her death approaches. The climax of the dualistic struggle culminates in the Magic Theater where Harry, seeing himself as a wolf, murders Hermine the socialite.
Critical reception
Later German Edition
From the very beginning, reception was harsh. American novelist Jack Kerouac dismissed it in Big Sur (1962) and it has had a long history of mixed critical reception and opinion at large. Already upset with Hesse's novel Siddhartha, political activists and patriots railed against him, and against the book, seeing an opportunity to discredit Hesse. Even close friends and longtime readers criticized the novel for its perceived lack of morality in its open depiction of sex and drug use, a criticism that indeed remained the primary rebuff of the novel for many years. However as society changed and formerly taboo topics such as sex and drugs became more openly discussed, critics came to attack the book for other reasons; mainly that it was too pessimistic, and that it was a journey in the footsteps of a psychotic and showed humanity through his warped and unstable viewpoint, a fact that Hesse did not dispute, although he did respond to critics by noting the novel ends on a theme of new hope.
Popular interest in the novel was renewed in the 1960s, primarily because it was seen as a counterculture book and because of its depiction of free love and frank drug usage. It was also introduced in many new colleges for study and interest in the book and in Hermann Hesse was feted in America for more than a decade afterwards.
"Treatise on the Steppenwolf"
The "Treatise on the Steppenwolf" is a booklet given to Harry Haller which describes himself. It is a literary mirror and, from the outset, describes what Harry had not learned, namely "to find contentment in himself and his own life." The cause of his discontent was the perceived dualistic nature of a human and a wolf within Harry. The treatise describes, as earmarks of his life, a threefold manifestation of his discontent: one, isolation from others, two, suicidal tendencies, and three, relation to the bourgeois. Harry isolates himself from others socially and professionally, frequently resists the temptation to take his life, and experiences feelings of benevolence and malevolence for bourgeois notions. The booklet predicts Harry may come to terms with his state in the dawning light of humor.
References in popular culture
Hesse's 1928 short story "Harry, the Steppenwolf" forms a companion piece to the novel. It is about a wolf named Harry who is kept in a zoo, and who entertains crowds by destroying images of German cultural icons like Goethe and Mozart.
The name Steppenwolf has become notable in popular culture for various organizations and establishments. In 1967, the band Steppenwolf, headed by German-born singer John Kay, took their name from the novel. The Belgian band DAAU (die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung) is named after one of the advertising slogans of the novel's magical theatre. The Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, which was founded in 1974 by actor Gary Sinise, also took its name from the novel. The 'lengthy track "Steppenwolf" appears on English rock band Hawkwind's album Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music and is directly inspired by the novel, including references to the magic theatre and the dual nature of the wolfman-manwolf (lutocost). Robert Calvert had initially written and performed the lyrics on 'Distances Between Us' by Adrian Wagner in 1974. The song also appears on later, live Hawkwind CD's and DVDs.
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Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The novel was adapted into a film of the same name in 1974. Starring Max Von Sydow and Dominique Sanda, it was directed by Fred Haines.
我一開始就註意到他與衆不同，我覺得這個人有某種精神病或憂鬱癥。有一天，他在付清一切欠款後，悄無聲息地離開了我們的城市，從此以後就杳無音信了。他把他的一份手稿留給了我。通過閱讀他的手記我纔認識到，他的精神病並不是什麽個人的奇思怪想，而是這個時代的通病。下面是他的手記：
這一天又像往常那樣過去了：一種既無特殊痛苦又無特殊憂慮，既無真正苦惱也無絶望的日子。在大多數人看來，這是一件美事。遺憾的是我受不了這種平靜的生活，我總是燃起對強烈感情的渴望。夜幕降臨，我來到十分安靜的老城區，突然從一條漆黑的鬍同裏竄出一個人，扛着廣告牌，上面寫着“無政府主義的晚會!魔術劇——限製入……”。我想買票進入，但是他丟給我一本書之後，轉眼之間就不見了。
回傢後，我從大衣中掏出那本書，書名是《論荒原狼——僅供狂人閱讀》。這本小册子毫無掩飾地勾畫出我鬱鬱寡歡的人生，而且書的主人公竟然也叫哈立。
有一天我在城郊遇到一個殯葬隊，發現有個人很麵熟，好像就是那個扛廣告牌的人。他告訴我，如果需要消遣就到黑鷹酒店去。到了那兒之後，我遇到了一個很漂亮的姑娘，我們友好地談了起來。這個姑娘很瞭解我，勸我不要輕生，還教我跳舞。我們約好下次見面。
這位姑娘名叫赫爾米拉，她使我對生活産生了新的興趣。我們在一傢酒店見面，赫爾米拉給我介紹了一位叫瑪利亞的姑娘。她說要讓我學會戀愛。一種新的、可怕的、瓦解一切的東西正從四面八方涌來。幾天後，我和她們一起參加一個化裝舞會。舞會之後，有人告訴我赫爾米拉在“地獄”裏等我。我進入地下室，看到很多房間，每個房間都代表着人類靈魂各個神秘的側面。在最後一個房間內，我看到赫爾米拉和一個男人赤身裸體的躺在一起。狂怒之下，我刺死了赫爾米拉。
在一個光禿禿的院子裏，法官判我永生，還罰我被恥笑一次。因為我用鏡子裏的刀殺死了鏡子裏的姑娘，企圖把魔術劇當做自殺的工具。那個和赫爾米拉在一起的男人，把縮成一個棋子大小的赫爾米拉裝進了口袋。
我猜到了這件事的意義，我會把遊戲玩得更好。
荒原狼-欣賞導航
《荒原狼》是一部充滿了狂暴幻想、具有表現主義色彩的小說。小說先是虛擬了一個出版者對哈勒的手記的第一人稱敘述，描述了哈勒這個人物的形象和行為特徵。然後又根據哈勒留下的手記，通過另一個的第一人稱敘述展開後面的情節。黑塞在小說中大量運用了夢幻形式，把第一次世界大戰之後的一個中年歐洲知識分子的內心世界淋漓盡致地展示出來，使其成為20世紀西方小說的經典之作。
作品主人公哈勒是才智之士，有着豐富細膩的內心世界。他很孤獨，很少嚮別人敞開心扉。他好像是來自另外一個星球，對人世間的虛榮、做作、追名逐利和自私淺薄極其厭惡。但與此同時他又發現，自己的這種厭惡感更多的是指嚮自己。正因為如此，哈勒時時刻刻處於一種巨大的分裂和痛苦之中，用他的話來說，就是他身上有兩種截然相反的東西在鬥爭着：狼性和人性。人性和狼性互不協調，當人性沉睡而狼性蘇醒的時候，哈勒就走嚮墮落；當人性蘇醒而狼性沉睡的時候，哈勒就會對自己的墮落和罪惡充滿厭惡。正是人性和狼性的嚴重敵對，使哈勒産生了孤獨感和自殺傾嚮。
那麽拯救之路在哪裏?一開始，哈勒企圖用身上的人性去壓製狼性，但結果卻是不斷陷入更大的苦悶之中。然後他用狼性來取代人性，則更行不通。這其實說明，哈勒將人的本性簡單地看成狼性和人性的二元對立是錯誤的，是一種“毫無希望的兒戲”，“是對現實的強姦”。認識舞女赫爾米拉之後，哈勒逐漸認識到了這個錯誤。經赫爾米拉介紹，哈勒先後認識了舞女瑪利亞和赫爾米拉的男友、音樂師巴伯羅。在他們的熏陶之下，哈勒逐漸接受了許多自己原先根本不能接受的東西。他認識到，人的本性極其復雜，不是由兩種而是由上百種、上千種本質構成，不是在兩極之間搖擺，而是在無數對極性之間搖擺。
在小說最後的“魔術劇”中，哈勒終於找到了真正的解救之道。正因為世界和自我都是多元的而不是二元的，所以無論是回歸人性還是回歸狼性都是枉然。“回頭根本沒有路，既回不到狼那裏，也回不到兒童時代”。面對這個世界所有的背謬和荒誕，衹有用笑和幽默來對付。小說的最後，哈勒終於將生活戲劇的所有“十萬”個棋子裝進口袋，而且决定反復去體會生存的痛苦，將遊戲玩得更好些，“總有一天會學會笑”。
Background and publication history
In 1924 Hermann Hesse remarried wedding singer Ruth Wenger. After several weeks however, he left Basel, only returning near the end of the year. Upon his return he rented a separate apartment, adding to his isolation. After a short trip to Germany with Wenger, Hesse stopped seeing her almost completely. The resulting feeling of isolation and inability to make lasting contact with the outside world, led to increasing despair and thoughts of suicide.
Hesse began writing Steppenwolf in Basel, and finished it in Zürich. In 1926, a precursor to the book, a collection of poems titled The Crisis. From Hermann Hesse's Diary was published. The novel was later released in 1927. The first English edition was published in 1929 by Martin Secker in the United Kingdom and by Henry Holt and Company in the United States. This version was translated by Basil Creighton.
Plot summary
The book is presented as a manuscript by its protagonist, a middle-aged man named Harry Haller, who leaves it to a chance acquaintance, the nephew of his landlady. The acquaintance adds a short preface of his own and then has the manuscript published. The title of this "real" book-in-the-book is Harry Haller's Records (For Madmen Only).
As it begins, the hero is beset by reflections on his being ill-suited for the world of everyday regular people, specifically for frivolous bourgeois society. In his aimless wanderings about the city he encounters a person carrying an advertisement for a magic theatre who gives him a small book, Treatise on the Steppenwolf. This treatise, cited in full in the novel's text as Harry reads it, addresses Harry by name and strikes him as describing himself uncannily. It is a discourse of a man who believes himself to be of two natures: one high, the spiritual nature of man; while the other is low, animalistic; a "wolf of the steppes". This man is entangled in an irresolvable struggle, never content with either nature because he cannot see beyond this self-made concept. The pamphlet gives an explanation of the multifaceted and indefinable nature of every man's soul, which Harry is either unable or unwilling to recognize. It also discusses his suicidal intentions, describing him as one of the "suicides"; people who, deep down, knew they would take their own life one day. But to counter this it hails his potential to be great, to be one of the "Immortals".
The next day Harry meets a former academic friend with whom he had often discussed Indian mythology, and who invites Harry to his home. While there, Harry is disgusted by the nationalistic mentality of his friend, who inadvertently criticizes a column written by Harry, and offends the man and his wife by criticizing his wife's picture of Goethe, which Harry feels is too thickly sentimental and insulting to Goethe's true brilliance, reassuring the proposition that Harry is, and will always be a stranger to his society.
Trying to postpone returning home (to where he has planned suicide), Harry walks aimlessly around the town for most of the night, finally stopping to rest at a dance hall where he happens on a young woman, Hermine, who quickly recognizes his desperation. They talk at length; Hermine alternately mocks Harry's self-pity and indulges him in his explanations regarding his view of life, to his astonished relief. Hermine promises a second meeting, and provides Harry with a reason to live (or at least a substantial excuse that justifies his decision to continue living) that he eagerly embraces.
During the next few weeks, Hermine introduces Harry to the indulgences of what he calls the "bourgeois". She teaches Harry to dance, introduces him to the casual use of drugs, finds him a lover (Maria), and more importantly, forces him to accept these as legitimate and worthy aspects of a full life.
The Magic Theatre
Hermine also introduces Harry to a mysterious saxophonist named Pablo, who appears to be the very opposite of what Harry considers a serious, thoughtful man. After attending a lavish masquerade ball, Pablo brings Harry to his metaphorical "magic theatre", where concerns and notions that plagued his soul disintegrate while he participates with the ethereal and phantasmal. The Magic Theatre is a place where he experiences the fantasies that exist in his mind. They are described as a long horseshoe-shaped corridor that is a mirror on one side and a great many doors on the other. Then, Harry enters five of these labeled doors, each of which symbolizes a fraction of his life.
Major characters
* Harry Haller – the protagonist, a middle-aged man
* Pablo – a saxophonist
* Hermine – a young woman Haller meets at a dance
* Maria – Hermine's friend
Character relationship diagram
Critical analysis
In the preface to the novel's 1960 edition, Hesse wrote that Steppenwolf was "more often and more violently misunderstood" than any of his other books. Hesse felt that his readers focused only on the suffering and despair that are depicted in Harry Haller's life, thereby missing the possibility of transcendence and healing. This could be due to the fact that at that time Western readers were not familiar with Buddhist philosophy, and therefore missed the point when reading it, because the notion of a human being consisting of a myriad of fragments of different souls is in complete contradiction of Judeo-Christian theologies. Also in the novel, Pablo instructs Harry Haller to relinquish his personality at one point, or at least for the duration of his journey through the corridors of the Magic Theater. In order to do so Harry must learn to use laughter to overcome the tight grip of his personality, to literally laugh at his personality until it shatters into so many small pieces. This concept also ran counter to the egocentric Western culture.
Hermann Hesse in 1926
Hesse is a master at blurring the distinction between reality and fantasy. In the moment of climax, it's debatable whether Haller actually kills Hermine or whether the "murder" is just another hallucination in the Magic Theater. It is argued that Hesse does not define reality based on what occurs in physical time and space; rather, reality is merely a function of metaphysical cause and effect. What matters is not whether the murder actually occurred, but rather that at that moment it was Haller's intention to kill Hermine. In that sense, Haller's various states of mind are of more significance than his actions.
It is also notable that the very existence of Hermine in the novel is never confirmed; the manuscript left in Harry Haller's room reflects a story that completely revolves around his personal experiences. In fact when Harry asks Hermine what her name is, she turns the question around. When he is challenged to guess her name, he tells her that she reminds him of a childhood friend named Hermann, and therefore he concludes, her name must be Hermine. Metaphorically, Harry creates Hermine as if a fragment of his own soul has broken off to form a female counterpart.
The underlying theme of transcendence is shown within group interaction and dynamics. Throughout the novel Harry concerns himself with being different, with separating himself from those he is around. Harry believes that he is better than his surroundings and fails to understand why he cannot be recognized as such, which raises the idea that in order to rise above a group one must first become one with a part of it.
The multilayered soul of human nature is the major theme in the novel and its two main characters, Harry Haller and Hermine, illustrate this. Harry illustrates through an inner conflict and an outer conflict. Inwardly, he believes two opposing natures battle over possession of him, a man and a wolf, high and low, spirit and animal. While he actually longs to live as a wolf free of social convention, he lives as a bourgeois bachelor, but his opposing wolfish nature isolates him from others until he meets Hermine.
Hermine represents the duality of human nature through an outer conflict. Hermine is a socialite, a foil to the isolated bachelor, and she coerces Harry to agree to subject himself to society, learning from her, in exchange for her murder. As Harry struggles through social interaction his isolation diminishes and he and Hermine grow closer to one another as the moment of her death approaches. The climax of the dualistic struggle culminates in the Magic Theater where Harry, seeing himself as a wolf, murders Hermine the socialite.
Critical reception
Later German Edition
From the very beginning, reception was harsh. American novelist Jack Kerouac dismissed it in Big Sur (1962) and it has had a long history of mixed critical reception and opinion at large. Already upset with Hesse's novel Siddhartha, political activists and patriots railed against him, and against the book, seeing an opportunity to discredit Hesse. Even close friends and longtime readers criticized the novel for its perceived lack of morality in its open depiction of sex and drug use, a criticism that indeed remained the primary rebuff of the novel for many years. However as society changed and formerly taboo topics such as sex and drugs became more openly discussed, critics came to attack the book for other reasons; mainly that it was too pessimistic, and that it was a journey in the footsteps of a psychotic and showed humanity through his warped and unstable viewpoint, a fact that Hesse did not dispute, although he did respond to critics by noting the novel ends on a theme of new hope.
Popular interest in the novel was renewed in the 1960s, primarily because it was seen as a counterculture book and because of its depiction of free love and frank drug usage. It was also introduced in many new colleges for study and interest in the book and in Hermann Hesse was feted in America for more than a decade afterwards.
"Treatise on the Steppenwolf"
The "Treatise on the Steppenwolf" is a booklet given to Harry Haller which describes himself. It is a literary mirror and, from the outset, describes what Harry had not learned, namely "to find contentment in himself and his own life." The cause of his discontent was the perceived dualistic nature of a human and a wolf within Harry. The treatise describes, as earmarks of his life, a threefold manifestation of his discontent: one, isolation from others, two, suicidal tendencies, and three, relation to the bourgeois. Harry isolates himself from others socially and professionally, frequently resists the temptation to take his life, and experiences feelings of benevolence and malevolence for bourgeois notions. The booklet predicts Harry may come to terms with his state in the dawning light of humor.
References in popular culture
Hesse's 1928 short story "Harry, the Steppenwolf" forms a companion piece to the novel. It is about a wolf named Harry who is kept in a zoo, and who entertains crowds by destroying images of German cultural icons like Goethe and Mozart.
The name Steppenwolf has become notable in popular culture for various organizations and establishments. In 1967, the band Steppenwolf, headed by German-born singer John Kay, took their name from the novel. The Belgian band DAAU (die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung) is named after one of the advertising slogans of the novel's magical theatre. The Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, which was founded in 1974 by actor Gary Sinise, also took its name from the novel. The 'lengthy track "Steppenwolf" appears on English rock band Hawkwind's album Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music and is directly inspired by the novel, including references to the magic theatre and the dual nature of the wolfman-manwolf (lutocost). Robert Calvert had initially written and performed the lyrics on 'Distances Between Us' by Adrian Wagner in 1974. The song also appears on later, live Hawkwind CD's and DVDs.
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Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The novel was adapted into a film of the same name in 1974. Starring Max Von Sydow and Dominique Sanda, it was directed by Fred Haines.