美国国家公共电台 NPR 18th Century Butts, Moving Statues And Other 'Metropolitan Stories'

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Every year, millions of people visit the Metropolitan¹ Museum of Art in New York. And frankly², the place can be a little overwhelming. It holds thousands of years of art history, from Egyptian temples to Renaissance³ sculptures. And the journey often begins here in the crowded and cavernous Great Hall.

CHRISTINE COULSON: For the public, this is one of those great and magnificent spaces that can be hugely intimidating⁴. But for me, this feels like home.

SHAPIRO: Christine Coulson worked at the Met for 25 years. She was a writer for the museum, so she told the story of the Met in speeches and lectures that she wrote for the museum director to deliver. Now she's writing in her own voice, and sometimes in the voice of the artworks themselves. Her debut⁵ novel is "Metropolitan Stories." It takes the reader behind the scenes at the museum with a series of loosely connected stories about the people and objects that fill its galleries.

I recently caught up with her at the Met for a tour of what she calls her second home, featuring some of the objects in the book that she has come to know and love, starting with an 18th century chair that sits in a crowded room full of ornate French furniture.

This is not the first vignette in the book, but it's close to it.

COULSON: It's the second chapter. So the chapter is written in the voice of this chair.

SHAPIRO: How did you choose the particular chair (laughter) in whose voice you wrote to launch this narrative⁶?

COULSON: To me, it looks different than the others. It's got pink - saturated⁷ pink velvet⁸ and gilded⁹ trimming and wildly curvaceous legs.

SHAPIRO: Your description is giving it so much personality - wildly curvaceous.

COULSON: It just has some juice - this chair. But the thing about this chair that's different than every other chair in this room is that this chair has its original upholstery, and so that's incredibly rare. That fabric¹⁰ is the fabric that was dented¹¹ when an 18th century butt¹² sat in it.

SHAPIRO: And the imaginative leap that you make in this chapter that I love is that the chair longs to be sat on again.

COULSON: I do wonder. I mean, this chair lived a certain life. And then do we kill it a little bit when we put it into this exquisite¹³ retirement¹⁴ home? And then...

SHAPIRO: (Laughter) This is the first time the Metropolitan Museum has ever been referred to as a retirement home.

COULSON: No one will ever sit in that chair again. They're not allowed to.

SHAPIRO: So you imagine a sticky-fingered toddler making a break for it and almost...

COULSON: And the chair's thinking, come on. You can make it.

SHAPIRO: Will you read a little bit from this chapter?

COULSON: (Reading) The boy's plump hands extended forward, propelled by his thick, tumbling waddle¹⁵, his shoes clomping on the gallery floor. I felt like I was hanging from a cliff, waiting for him to grip my arm and save me. Then a breeze of moist heat floated past as his mother grabbed him at the very last second, just before he reached me. That was 1978. I still dream about it. I imagine the boy climbing up onto my seat, his pleasant folds and warm springy pudge nestled between my arms, a small puddle¹⁶ of drool soaking into my velvet, the life of it racing¹⁷ through to my frame.

SHAPIRO: For a curator, that would be horror. But for the chair, that's, like, the dream.

(LAUGHTER)

COULSON: I don't know how you get drool out of silk, but...

SHAPIRO: Where would you like to show us next?

COULSON: Let's go visit Adam.

(SOUNDBITE OF FOOTSTEPS)

SHAPIRO: So now we're heading into Italy.

COULSON: Now we're heading into the Italian Renaissance. This is a sculpture of Adam, from Adam and Eve.

SHAPIRO: Holding an apple with a fig¹⁸ leaf over his private parts.

COULSON: One of the great tragedies of my time at the Metropolitan Museum was in 2002 when this sculpture fell off its pedestal and was smashed into thousands of pieces. You would never know that now.

SHAPIRO: You would never know. You don't - I don't even see a seam - not a crack.

COULSON: He has been conserved¹⁹ over a period of 11 years, and he is back to his original grace. But I have to admit at that moment in 2002 after we were getting over the trauma²⁰ of losing a work of art, my other thought was, what did it feel like when the sculpture was in the air? So back...

SHAPIRO: You mean what did it feel like for the sculpture? How did it feel for Adam?

COULSON: This is a sculpture that's been standing²¹ in place for 500 years. And so there's this moment of kind of airborne release before it hits the ground. But what did that moment feel like for this thing that, by definition, is never supposed to move?

SHAPIRO: And the question you raise in the book is, what would motivate this Adam, after centuries, to actually make the leap? And it's not Eve.

COULSON: It's not Eve, no.

SHAPIRO: This is a slim book. It's under 300 pages. And this is an enormous museum. How did you choose what to include?

COULSON: I write about the objects that I love and that speak to me and that do really provide a kind of comfort to me and have always been a part of my walking through this museum. These are the places where I stop.

SHAPIRO: It is not a greatest hits list. It is not a, if you go to the Met, these are the 10 things you must see.

COULSON: Oh, not at all. I mean, it's not - I don't think any of these objects are on anyone's greatest hits list. But maybe now they will be.

SHAPIRO: People listening to this conversation or people reading your book may not have a chance to visit the Met, but they may well at some point walk into a museum with more pieces than they will ever be able to fully²² digest. What advice do you have for somebody walking into a place that can feel overwhelming to find the kind of meaning that you've been able to find in these collections?

COULSON: I think the best advice I can give anyone in any museum is to simply walk around until a particular work of art stops you in your tracks. And then once that happens, just wait. Just spend time with it. And I'm talking about 15 minutes. It's a tremendous amount of time to spend looking at a work of art. Most people spend about 30 seconds looking at something. Look at every corner, every edge. Ask yourself why the artist made the choices that they did, and that's when your imagination will take flight. That's when the magic really happens. And then walk out of the museum.

SHAPIRO: And if you don't make it to the other galleries, you don't feel like you failed. You don't feel guilty.

COULSON: No, it's so satisfying to have that one rich encounter with an object. That'll sustain you. There's no reason to conquer these places, and I feel like that's what people are usually trying to do. I say relax and enjoy yourself, and then leave. The most important thing is to not stay so long because it's exhausting.

SHAPIRO: Christine Coulson is the author of "Metropolitan Stories."

Thank you so much for showing us your second home here at the Met.

COULSON: My great pleasure. Hope to see everyone in the galleries.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

2 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

3 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

4 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

5 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

6 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

7 saturated   

a.饱和的，充满的

参考例句：

• The continuous rain had saturated the soil. 连绵不断的雨把土地淋了个透。
• a saturated solution of sodium chloride 氯化钠饱和溶液

8 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

9 gilded   

a.镀金的，富有的

参考例句：

• The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
• "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们，这只不过是些镀金的铅饼！ 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡

10 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

11 dented   

v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等）

参考例句：

• The back of the car was badly dented in the collision. 汽车尾部被撞后严重凹陷。
• I'm afraid I've dented the car. 恐怕我把车子撞瘪了一些。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

13 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

14 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

15 waddle   

vi.摇摆地走；n.摇摆的走路(样子)

参考例句：

• I am pregnant.I waddle awkwardly and my big stomach pressed against the weight of the world. 我怀孕了，我滑稽可笑地瞒珊而行，大肚子上压着全世界的重量。
• We waddle and hop and have lots of fun.我们走起路来摇摇摆摆，还一跳一跳的。我们的生活很有趣。

16 puddle   

n.(雨)水坑，泥潭

参考例句：

• The boy hopped the mud puddle and ran down the walk.这个男孩跳过泥坑，沿着人行道跑了。
• She tripped over and landed in a puddle.她绊了一下，跌在水坑里。

17 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

18 fig   

n.无花果(树)

参考例句：

• The doctor finished the fig he had been eating and selected another.这位医生吃完了嘴里的无花果，又挑了一个。
• You can't find a person who doesn't know fig in the United States.你找不到任何一个在美国的人不知道无花果的。

19 conserved   

v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He conserved his energy for the game. 他为比赛而养精蓄锐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Under these conditions, the total mechanical energy remains constant, or is conserved. 在这种条件下，总机械能保持不变或机械能保存。 来自辞典例句

20 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

21 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

22 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。