评论
打印
Of course, the reason for Europe's comparative clarity concerning the different functions of men in society is that European society has always been divided into classes in a way that American society never has been.
当然，欧洲人之所以对于人们在社会中所起的不同作用有比较明确的概念，是因为欧洲社会历来就被划分为不同的阶层，而美国社会则从未这样划分过。
A European writer considers himself to be part of an old and honorable tradition-of intellectual activity, of letters-and his choice of a vocation does not cause him any uneasy wonder as to whether or not it will cost him all his friends.
欧洲作家把自己看作一种古老而光荣的传统--文化活动或文学创作传统-的一部分。在选择这一职业时，他不用去顾虑自己是否会因此而失去所有的朋友。
But this tradition does not exist in America.
然而，美国却没有这样一种传统。
On the contrary, we have a very deep-seated distrust of real intellectual effort (probably because we suspect that it will destroy, as I hope it does, that myth of America to which we cling so desperately).
恰恰相反，我们美国人对于真正的文化活动持有一种根深蒂固的不信任态度(这大概是因为人们担心文化活动会粉碎一我倒希望如此一我们死死抓住不放的美国神话)。
An American writer fights his way to one of the lowest rungs on the American social ladder by means of pure bull-headednessand an indescribable series of odd jobs.
一个美国作家必须凭着一股十足的牛劲拼命奋斗，并从事一系列难以形容的零工杂活才能勉强爬上美国社会阶梯的最低一级。
He probably has been a “regular fellow” for much of his adult life, and it is not easy for him to step out of that lukewarm bath.
也许在他成年生活的大部分时间里，他一直在过着"正常人"的生活，要他从这个温水浴池中跨出来，可实在有点不容易。
We must, however, consider a rather serious paradox ; though American society is more mobile than Europe's, it is easier to cut across social and occupational lines there than it is here.
不过，我们还必须考虑一个相当严重的怪现象：尽管美国社会提供给人们的改变社会地位的机会比欧洲多，但在欧洲人们却比在美国更容易跨越社会和职业界线。
This has something to do, I think, with the problem of status in American life.
我认为，这同美国社会生活中的地位问题不无关系。
Where everyone has status, it is also perfectly possible, after all, that no one has.
在一个人人都有地位的地方，也完全可能没有一个人真正有地位。
It seems inevitable, in any case, that a man may become uneasy as to just what his status is.
因此，一个人会因为不知自己地位如何而忧心忡忡，这是无论如何都不可逃避的事实。
