Section Three Common Sense in Literature
根据小说与人生的密切关系，吴宓教授总结出阅读小说指导人生的五条原则。
Based on the close relation between fiction and life， Prof. Wu Mi summarized five principles for guidingone’s life in reading fiction：
1．小说是具体而微缩的人生：
1．Fiction Is a Miniature of Life.
人生是一个舞台，有各种人物，各随其性格之不同扮演角色，忍受痛苦。任何一个无名的小家庭或社会集团，与整个世界舞台和整个历史景观一样，都展示出各种各样的人物，在他们的行动中，有着相同的互为因果的关系。对“小”的研究与对“大”的研究有着同样的兴趣，而对于“小”的理解，也要求与对于“大”的理解具有相同的心智能力。从这一意义上说，小说是具体而微缩的人生。而小说又高于历史，因为历史是重要的社会人物的政治活动与性格的记录，而小说却是当时生活的再现。“太虚幻境”及“名利场”的意义即在于此。
Life is a stage， with all kinds of Characters acting and suffering in accordance with their Character(nature) respectively. Any small and obscure family or social group， as well as the arena of the whole worldand the spectacle of entire History， exhibits the same variety and combination of Characters， with similarrelations of mutual cause-and-effect in their actions. The same fascinating interest is found in studying theone as in studying the other； the same qualifications of mind and heart are required for the understanding andappreciation of the one as of the other. In this sense， Fiction is a Miniature of Life； and Fiction is higher thanHistory， because history is a record of political transactions and characters of the leading public men whereasFiction is the re-presentation of the life and being of the time. Hence the Meaning of“Illusory Land of GreatVoid”and of“Vanity Fair”.
2．人实为自己命运的主人：
2． Man Is the Master and Author of His Own Fate.
每一个男人（或女人）的人生，无论在社会和道德方面多么无足重轻，都是有意义的。
而在偶然事件的盲网中，在时运车轮的急速转动中，我们行动的每一步都会影响自己及他人的幸福，并决定自己的人格与性格。在这一有限意义上，人实为自己命运的主人。
The life of every man (or woman)， however socially and morally unimportant， is significant. And， in theblind web (or net) of accidents and rapid wheels of chance， every step of our action affects the happiness ofourselves and of others， and determines our personality and character. In this limited sense， man is the masterand author of his own fate.
3．小说使读者去伪存真：
3．Fiction Makes its Readers Discard the False and Retain the True.
广泛的经验及富有想象力的理解，为我们揭示出“人的法则”（爱默生）或人生的真理。这些法则与真理不能归结为少数几个简单的教条式的命题和箴言，也不能用某一个人或某一群人来体现与诠释人生的全部真理。此真理只能在人生的丰富多彩、千差万别的表现形式中去发现、展示。但是，就人生的一个目标或原则而言，就一个人的道德品质而言，就政治与社会行动的一个步骤而言，是可以清楚地、明白无误地看出真实与虚伪、诚恳与虚假、伪装、欺诈的区别的。真诚奉献的工作与带着极端个人主义的卑鄙动机的工作之间的区别，小说中能清楚地显示出来，认为读者（随着作者）能知悉一切情节及人物的思想感情，从而使每一（男、女）读者自己能够理解书中所有事件与人物的真实性。
Wide experience and imaginative understanding reveal to us the Law for Man (Emerson) or the truthsof human life. These are not to be reduced to a few simple and dogmatic statements or maxims. And， noone individual man or group should be made to embody and illustrate the Whole Truth of Human Life.
That truth must be discovered from， and exhibited both in unified totality and in its rich varying phasesof life’s manifestation. But， with reference to one aim or principle of life， with reference to one person’smoral character， with reference to one step in political and social action， there can be seen， clearly andunmistakably， the distinction between the True and the False， between honesty and hypocrisy， or pretension，or imposture； between sincere devotion and work and working with ultra and selfish and base motives. Fictionmakes this distinction clear by supposing that the Reader (following the Author) could know all the incidentsand all the feelings and thoughts of the Characters， and thereby understand for each Reader himself (orherself) the Real Nature of each and all the facts and people in this book.
4．使读者爱上“真诚的爱”：
4．The Reader will Be Made in Love with True Love.
爱存在于（生活于）人心中，亦为人心所感受、所觉察。爱只有通过“自知”才能被理解、被体会。有各种不同类型，不同程度的爱，即使男女之间的爱，也有很多种类——真的、假的；高尚的、卑鄙的；纯洁的、从利害关系考虑的等等。小说家试图让各种爱展现在不同人物身上、不同性格和不同生活环境中，使读者爱上“真诚的爱”。
Love exists (lives)， is felt and observed， in the human heart. Love could be understood and appreciatedonly through“self-knowledge”. There are all types and degrees of Love： even the Love between Man andWoman has so many varieties—the true and the false， the noble and the base， the pure and the interested，etc.
The Novelist tries to show all these varieties of Love manifested in different Characters， of different naturesand in different life-situations； so that the Reader will be made in love with True Love.
5．好善厌恶：
5．Love the Good and Hate the Evil：
行善则良心安适，本身就是一种报偿；行恶则良心受到谴责，本身就是一种惩罚。在现今世界的实际生活中（甚至在历史上），不公正的事例远比公正的多，因此，总的形象是困惑、愤慨和悲观。因此，现实主义的小说家就不会有因美德受奖或作恶受罚的情节在其书中出现（因为那样就会对道德和艺术不忠实了）。他甚至也不会使他的善良人物为了精神上的安适而高兴，也不会使他的坏人物因悔恨而受到良心的谴责——实际上甚至不会使他们对一些失败感到不满，他只是忠实地叙述、描写，使读者（要是他头脑正常）自然会对善良的受苦的人物同情，而对坏的、成功的人物加以谴责和憎恨。永远铭记：勿以恶小而为之，勿以善小而不为。
Virtue carries with it its own reward， and Vice its own punishment， in the comfort and sufferings ofConscience. In the actual life of the real world (even in History)， there are by far more cases of Injustice thanJustice； so that the general impression is one of bewilderment， indignation， and pessimism. The RealisticNovelist， accordingly， would not have“Virtue rewarded”or Vice punished in his book (for that would beuntrue to Morality as well as Art). He would not even make his good characters rejoice at heart in spiritualcomfort； nor make his bad characters repent and suffer the pangs of Conscience—not even make themexpress their dissatisfaction at partial failures practically. He would only narrate and describe in sucha truthful way that the Readers (if right-minded) will naturally sympathize with the good and sufferingcharacters， and condemn or hate the bad and successful characters. Always remember： If an evil is minor，resist it nonetheless. If a good deed is trifling， perform it all the same.