赫尔曼·黑塞（Hermann Hesse）于 1919至1922年间创作的、以印度为背景的发展小说《悉达多枣一首印度诗》（ Siddartha－Eine indische Dichtung）。通过对主人公悉达多身上的两个“自我”枣理性的无限的“自我”和感性的有限的“自我”枣在其生命进程中的描写，黑塞探讨了个人如何在有限的生命中追求无限的、永恒的人生境界的问题，从中读者既可以洞察出作家对人性的热爱与敬畏，对人生和宇宙的充满睿智的觉解，又能够感受到他针对第一次世界大战之后人类所受的精神创伤对传统的人道主义理想的呼唤和向往，同时，还可以领略到作为西方人的作者对东方尤其是中国思想智慧的接受与借鉴。
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).
荒原狼是个年近50的人，名叫哈立·哈勒。几年前，他租下了我姑妈家的阁楼，在这里住了不到一年的时间。他沉默寡言，不爱交际，确实像他自称的那样，是一只狼，一个陌生的、野性而又胆怯的、来自另一个世界的动物。他的脸充满智慧，表情温柔，但内心世界动荡不安。他想的比别人多，智力上具有那种近乎冷静的客观性。这种人没有虚荣心，他们从不希望闪光，从不固执己见。
我一开始就注意到他与众不同，我觉得这个人有某种精神病或忧郁症。有一天，他在付清一切欠款后，悄无声息地离开了我们的城市，从此以后就杳无音信了。他把他的一份手稿留给了我。通过阅读他的手记我才认识到，他的精神病并不是什么个人的奇思怪想，而是这个时代的通病。下面是他的手记：
这一天又像往常那样过去了：一种既无特殊痛苦又无特殊忧虑，既无真正苦恼也无绝望的日子。在大多数人看来，这是一件美事。遗憾的是我受不了这种平静的生活，我总是燃起对强烈感情的渴望。夜幕降临，我来到十分安静的老城区，突然从一条漆黑的胡同里窜出一个人，扛着广告牌，上面写着“无政府主义的晚会!魔术剧——限制入……”。我想买票进入，但是他丢给我一本书之后，转眼之间就不见了。
回家后，我从大衣中掏出那本书，书名是《论荒原狼——仅供狂人阅读》。这本小册子毫无掩饰地勾画出我郁郁寡欢的人生，而且书的主人公竟然也叫哈立。
有一天我在城郊遇到一个殡葬队，发现有个人很面熟，好像就是那个扛广告牌的人。他告诉我，如果需要消遣就到黑鹰酒店去。到了那儿之后，我遇到了一个很漂亮的姑娘，我们友好地谈了起来。这个姑娘很了解我，劝我不要轻生，还教我跳舞。我们约好下次见面。
这位姑娘名叫赫尔米拉，她使我对生活产生了新的兴趣。我们在一家酒店见面，赫尔米拉给我介绍了一位叫玛利亚的姑娘。她说要让我学会恋爱。一种新的、可怕的、瓦解一切的东西正从四面八方涌来。几天后，我和她们一起参加一个化装舞会。舞会之后，有人告诉我赫尔米拉在“地狱”里等我。我进入地下室，看到很多房间，每个房间都代表着人类灵魂各个神秘的侧面。在最后一个房间内，我看到赫尔米拉和一个男人赤身裸体的躺在一起。狂怒之下，我刺死了赫尔米拉。
在一个光秃秃的院子里，法官判我永生，还罚我被耻笑一次。因为我用镜子里的刀杀死了镜子里的姑娘，企图把魔术剧当做自杀的工具。那个和赫尔米拉在一起的男人，把缩成一个棋子大小的赫尔米拉装进了口袋。
我猜到了这件事的意义，我会把游戏玩得更好。
荒原狼-欣赏导航
《荒原狼》是一部充满了狂暴幻想、具有表现主义色彩的小说。小说先是虚拟了一个出版者对哈勒的手记的第一人称叙述，描述了哈勒这个人物的形象和行为特征。然后又根据哈勒留下的手记，通过另一个的第一人称叙述展开后面的情节。黑塞在小说中大量运用了梦幻形式，把第一次世界大战之后的一个中年欧洲知识分子的内心世界淋漓尽致地展示出来，使其成为20世纪西方小说的经典之作。
作品主人公哈勒是才智之士，有着丰富细腻的内心世界。他很孤独，很少向别人敞开心扉。他好像是来自另外一个星球，对人世间的虚荣、做作、追名逐利和自私浅薄极其厌恶。但与此同时他又发现，自己的这种厌恶感更多的是指向自己。正因为如此，哈勒时时刻刻处于一种巨大的分裂和痛苦之中，用他的话来说，就是他身上有两种截然相反的东西在斗争着：狼性和人性。人性和狼性互不协调，当人性沉睡而狼性苏醒的时候，哈勒就走向堕落；当人性苏醒而狼性沉睡的时候，哈勒就会对自己的堕落和罪恶充满厌恶。正是人性和狼性的严重敌对，使哈勒产生了孤独感和自杀倾向。
那么拯救之路在哪里?一开始，哈勒企图用身上的人性去压制狼性，但结果却是不断陷入更大的苦闷之中。然后他用狼性来取代人性，则更行不通。这其实说明，哈勒将人的本性简单地看成狼性和人性的二元对立是错误的，是一种“毫无希望的儿戏”，“是对现实的强奸”。认识舞女赫尔米拉之后，哈勒逐渐认识到了这个错误。经赫尔米拉介绍，哈勒先后认识了舞女玛利亚和赫尔米拉的男友、音乐师巴伯罗。在他们的熏陶之下，哈勒逐渐接受了许多自己原先根本不能接受的东西。他认识到，人的本性极其复杂，不是由两种而是由上百种、上千种本质构成，不是在两极之间摇摆，而是在无数对极性之间摇摆。
在小说最后的“魔术剧”中，哈勒终于找到了真正的解救之道。正因为世界和自我都是多元的而不是二元的，所以无论是回归人性还是回归狼性都是枉然。“回头根本没有路，既回不到狼那里，也回不到儿童时代”。面对这个世界所有的背谬和荒诞，只有用笑和幽默来对付。小说的最后，哈勒终于将生活戏剧的所有“十万”个棋子装进口袋，而且决定反复去体会生存的痛苦，将游戏玩得更好些，“总有一天会学会笑”。
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.
我一开始就注意到他与众不同，我觉得这个人有某种精神病或忧郁症。有一天，他在付清一切欠款后，悄无声息地离开了我们的城市，从此以后就杳无音信了。他把他的一份手稿留给了我。通过阅读他的手记我才认识到，他的精神病并不是什么个人的奇思怪想，而是这个时代的通病。下面是他的手记：
这一天又像往常那样过去了：一种既无特殊痛苦又无特殊忧虑，既无真正苦恼也无绝望的日子。在大多数人看来，这是一件美事。遗憾的是我受不了这种平静的生活，我总是燃起对强烈感情的渴望。夜幕降临，我来到十分安静的老城区，突然从一条漆黑的胡同里窜出一个人，扛着广告牌，上面写着“无政府主义的晚会!魔术剧——限制入……”。我想买票进入，但是他丢给我一本书之后，转眼之间就不见了。
回家后，我从大衣中掏出那本书，书名是《论荒原狼——仅供狂人阅读》。这本小册子毫无掩饰地勾画出我郁郁寡欢的人生，而且书的主人公竟然也叫哈立。
有一天我在城郊遇到一个殡葬队，发现有个人很面熟，好像就是那个扛广告牌的人。他告诉我，如果需要消遣就到黑鹰酒店去。到了那儿之后，我遇到了一个很漂亮的姑娘，我们友好地谈了起来。这个姑娘很了解我，劝我不要轻生，还教我跳舞。我们约好下次见面。
这位姑娘名叫赫尔米拉，她使我对生活产生了新的兴趣。我们在一家酒店见面，赫尔米拉给我介绍了一位叫玛利亚的姑娘。她说要让我学会恋爱。一种新的、可怕的、瓦解一切的东西正从四面八方涌来。几天后，我和她们一起参加一个化装舞会。舞会之后，有人告诉我赫尔米拉在“地狱”里等我。我进入地下室，看到很多房间，每个房间都代表着人类灵魂各个神秘的侧面。在最后一个房间内，我看到赫尔米拉和一个男人赤身裸体的躺在一起。狂怒之下，我刺死了赫尔米拉。
在一个光秃秃的院子里，法官判我永生，还罚我被耻笑一次。因为我用镜子里的刀杀死了镜子里的姑娘，企图把魔术剧当做自杀的工具。那个和赫尔米拉在一起的男人，把缩成一个棋子大小的赫尔米拉装进了口袋。
我猜到了这件事的意义，我会把游戏玩得更好。
荒原狼-欣赏导航
《荒原狼》是一部充满了狂暴幻想、具有表现主义色彩的小说。小说先是虚拟了一个出版者对哈勒的手记的第一人称叙述，描述了哈勒这个人物的形象和行为特征。然后又根据哈勒留下的手记，通过另一个的第一人称叙述展开后面的情节。黑塞在小说中大量运用了梦幻形式，把第一次世界大战之后的一个中年欧洲知识分子的内心世界淋漓尽致地展示出来，使其成为20世纪西方小说的经典之作。
作品主人公哈勒是才智之士，有着丰富细腻的内心世界。他很孤独，很少向别人敞开心扉。他好像是来自另外一个星球，对人世间的虚荣、做作、追名逐利和自私浅薄极其厌恶。但与此同时他又发现，自己的这种厌恶感更多的是指向自己。正因为如此，哈勒时时刻刻处于一种巨大的分裂和痛苦之中，用他的话来说，就是他身上有两种截然相反的东西在斗争着：狼性和人性。人性和狼性互不协调，当人性沉睡而狼性苏醒的时候，哈勒就走向堕落；当人性苏醒而狼性沉睡的时候，哈勒就会对自己的堕落和罪恶充满厌恶。正是人性和狼性的严重敌对，使哈勒产生了孤独感和自杀倾向。
那么拯救之路在哪里?一开始，哈勒企图用身上的人性去压制狼性，但结果却是不断陷入更大的苦闷之中。然后他用狼性来取代人性，则更行不通。这其实说明，哈勒将人的本性简单地看成狼性和人性的二元对立是错误的，是一种“毫无希望的儿戏”，“是对现实的强奸”。认识舞女赫尔米拉之后，哈勒逐渐认识到了这个错误。经赫尔米拉介绍，哈勒先后认识了舞女玛利亚和赫尔米拉的男友、音乐师巴伯罗。在他们的熏陶之下，哈勒逐渐接受了许多自己原先根本不能接受的东西。他认识到，人的本性极其复杂，不是由两种而是由上百种、上千种本质构成，不是在两极之间摇摆，而是在无数对极性之间摇摆。
在小说最后的“魔术剧”中，哈勒终于找到了真正的解救之道。正因为世界和自我都是多元的而不是二元的，所以无论是回归人性还是回归狼性都是枉然。“回头根本没有路，既回不到狼那里，也回不到儿童时代”。面对这个世界所有的背谬和荒诞，只有用笑和幽默来对付。小说的最后，哈勒终于将生活戏剧的所有“十万”个棋子装进口袋，而且决定反复去体会生存的痛苦，将游戏玩得更好些，“总有一天会学会笑”。
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.