開場白
作者：威廉•梅克比斯•薩克雷
(1811 – 1863)
木偶戲班的班頭正坐在舞台幕前，麵對著眼前的集市，仔細審視著這個熙熙攘攘的地方，心頭不禁湧起一股深沉的惆悵之情。這裏有胡吃海塞、有猜拳行令、有打情罵俏、有出軌被甩、有歡聲笑語、有連哭帶鬧；有抽煙的、有行騙的、有打架的、有跳舞的、有拉琴的；有恃強淩弱之徒在人群中推來搡去，有紈絝子弟在向女人擠眉弄眼，有地痞無賴在扒竊錢包，有衙門捕快在巡邏觀瞧，有江湖郎中（那些除我之外的其他江湖郎中，但願他們得瘟疫都去死吧！）在自己攤子前高聲吆喝，有把全身打扮得閃閃發光、俗不可耐的舞者，有年邁可憐的翻筋鬥藝人，臉上塗著紅紅的胭脂水粉，引得鄉巴佬們抬頭張望，而三隻手們正從身後伸向這些鄉下人的口袋。沒錯，這裏就是虛幻場！這的確是個人心不古之地，盡管非常熱鬧，但並非令人感到心曠神怡。看看剛表演完的藝人和小醜的臉吧，傻子湯姆把腮幫子兩邊的油彩洗掉，然後來到帆布後麵，坐下來和老婆以及他倆那一堆小崽子共進午餐。幕布馬上就要升起，湯姆又會一個勁地翻筋鬥，並向觀眾大喊道：“大家都好嗎？”
我認為，一個能夠自省其身之人，穿行於這樣的集市展覽中，不但不會壓抑自己內心的喜悅，而且也不會因為別人的狂歡而感到心情鬱悶。這兒上演的一出幽默喜劇使他心情愉悅，那兒一個善良義舉令他深受感動——看吧，一個模樣可愛的小孩正眼巴巴地瞅著薑餅攤；一個漂亮姑娘的相好正在和她一邊拉著話，一邊給她挑選著廉價禮物，而姑娘的臉頰羞得緋紅；可憐的傻子湯姆，和老實巴交的妻小們正躲在馬車後麵，但見他啃著一根骨頭，這一大家子的生活還得靠他一個人翻筋鬥。但集市給人的總體印象是愁雲慘淡蓋過歡聲笑語。當你回到家中，坐下來，保持頭腦清醒，苦思冥想剛才所見到的一幕幕，心裏就不會那麽損地評判別人，然後一門心思投入看書或者幹正經事情。
對於目前的這部小說《虛幻場》，我沒有要附加任何其他比這更多說教的意思。有些人認為集市這種場所道德完全淪喪，應該盡量避開，包括自己的家奴和家眷也不要去——他們的這種想法很可能正確。但是，另外一些人不這麽想，他們或許性格懶散，或許心地善良，或許愛說風涼話，這些人也許可能會喜歡到集市逗留半個鍾頭，觀看各種演出節目。這裏的節目場麵各式各樣，應有盡有——有心驚膽顫的打架鬥毆，有氣勢恢宏的馬術表演，有上流社會的某些情景，有平民百姓的生活寫照，有浪漫煽情的愛情畫麵，有輕鬆愉快的喜劇劇情；整部小說配有適當的自然風景描寫以及作者親筆繪製的各種插圖，為本作品增添了一些閃亮的色彩。
班頭還有什麽要說的呢？——戲班子穿梭於英格蘭各主要城鎮演出，承蒙各位惠顧，公共新聞界德高望重的編輯們給予最高的評價，又蒙名流紳士的抬愛，班頭真是感激不盡。木偶戲令大英帝國最優秀的精英感到滿意，班頭感到非常自豪。其中有個著名的小木偶稗姬，大家稱讚她關節靈活，非同尋常，提線一拉就能活蹦亂跳；洋娃娃阿美麗雅，雖然喜歡她的觀眾不是很多，但是藝人雕刻她確實費了一番心血，並且給她設計了服飾；那個叫道賓的木偶，盡管動作看上去明顯很笨拙，但跳起舞來卻自然生趣；有些人喜歡看小男生舞蹈；請大家注意了，那個衣著華麗的“邪惡貴族”木偶，我們確實是不惜成本，單單這一場演出結束後，“尼克老鬼”就會將他拖走。
班頭就說這麽多，在此向各位衣食父母深鞠一躬，然後退到後台，接著幕布升起。
1848年6月28日於倫敦
英文原文：
Before the Curtain
By William Makepeace Thackeray
(1811 – 1863)
As the manager of the Performance sits before the curtain on the boards and looks into the Fair, a feeling of profound melancholy comes over him in his survey of the bustling place. There is a great quantity of eating and drinking, making love and jilting, laughing and the contrary, smoking, cheating, fighting, dancing and fiddling; there are bullies pushing about, bucks ogling the women, knaves picking pockets, policemen on the look-out, quacks (OTHER quacks, plague take them!) bawling in front of their booths, and yokels looking up at the tinselled dancers and poor old rouged tumblers, while the light-fingered folk are operating upon their pockets behind. Yes, this is VANITY FAIR; not a moral place certainly; nor a merry one, though very noisy. Look at the faces of the actors and buffoons when they come off from their business; and Tom Fool washing the paint off his cheeks before he sits down to dinner with his wife and the little Jack Puddings behind the canvas. The curtain will be up presently, and he will be turning over head and heels, and crying, “How are you?”
A man with a reflective turn of mind, walking through an exhibition of this sort, will not be oppressed, I take it, by his own or other people’s hilarity. An episode of humour or kindness touches and amuses him here and there—a pretty child looking at a gingerbread stall; a pretty girl blushing whilst her lover talks to her and chooses her fairing; poor Tom Fool, yonder behind the waggon, mumbling his bone with the honest family which lives by his tumbling; but the general impression is one more melancholy than mirthful. When you come home you sit down in a sober, contemplative, not uncharitable frame of mind, and apply yourself to your books or your business.
I have no other moral than this to tag to the present story of “Vanity Fair.” Some people consider Fairs immoral altogether, and eschew such, with their servants and families: very likely they are right. But persons who think otherwise, and are of a lazy, or a benevolent, or a sarcastic mood, may perhaps like to step in for half an hour, and look at the performances. There are scenes of all sorts; some dreadful combats, some grand and lofty horse-riding, some scenes of high life, and some of very middling indeed; some love-making for the sentimental, and some light comic business; the whole accompanied by appropriate scenery and brilliantly illuminated with the Author’s own candles.
What more has the Manager of the Performance to say?—To acknowledge the kindness with which it has been received in all the principal towns of England through which the Show has passed, and where it has been most favourably noticed by the respected conductors of the public Press, and by the Nobility and Gentry. He is proud to think that his Puppets have given satisfaction to the very best company in this empire. The famous little Becky Puppet has been pronounced to be uncommonly flexible in the joints, and lively on the wire; the Amelia Doll, though it has had a smaller circle of admirers, has yet been carved and dressed with the greatest care by the artist; the Dobbin Figure, though apparently clumsy, yet dances in a very amusing and natural manner; the Little Boys’ Dance has been liked by some; and please to remark the richly dressed figure of the Wicked Nobleman, on which no expense has been spared, and which Old Nick will fetch away at the end of this singular performance.
And with this, and a profound bow to his patrons, the Manager retires, and the curtain rises.
LONDON, June 28, 1848
