Literary critic Northrop Frye once observed that in our primitive days, our literary heroes were, well, nearly gods,
文学评论家诺斯罗普·弗莱伊观察道，远古时代，我们的文学英雄几乎像神一样，
and as civilization advanced, they came down the mountain of the gods,
随着文明发展，他们走下神坛，
so to speak, and became more human, more flawed, less heroic.
就是说，变得更具人性，更有弱点，更不像英雄。
From the divine heroes like Hercules, down the mountain below the miraculous but mortal heroes such as Beowulf,
从赫居里斯这样的天神英雄，到传奇的人类英雄贝奥武夫、
the great leaders such as King Arthur, and the great but flawed heroes like Macbeth or Othello.
伟大的领袖亚瑟王、伟大但有弱点的英雄，如麦克白和奥赛罗。
Below even the unlikely but eventual heroes such as Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, or Hiccup,
再往下，不像英雄但最终成为英雄的哈利波特，天行者卢克，或是希卡普，
until we reach the bottom and meet the anti-hero.
最后，我们遇见在底部的“反英雄”。
Contrary to the sound, the anti-hero is not the villain, not the antagonist.
反英雄既不是恶棍，也不是公敌，
The anti-hero is actually the main character in some contemporary works of literature.
实际上还是一些当代文学作品中的主角。
Guy Montag in 'Fahrenheit 451,' Winston Smith in '1984,' who unwittingly ends up challenging those in power -- that is,
《华氏451度》的蒙塔格，《1984》的温斯顿·史密斯，他们在不知不觉中挑战了当权者--
those who abuse their power to brainwash the populace to believe that the ills of society have been eliminated.
那些滥用权力对民众洗脑、说社会一切美好的人。
Ideally, those who challenge the establishment should be wise, confident, brave,
在理想中，挑战强权的人应该智慧、自信、勇敢、
physically strong, with a type of charisma that inpires followers.
强壮，并有激励跟随者的独特魅力。
The anti-hero, however, at best demonstrates a few underdeveloped traits, at worst, is totally inept.
然而，反英雄在一定范围内的确有几种发展不完全的特质，最糟糕的情况，则完全是个笨蛋。
The story of the anti-hero usually unfolds something like this.
反英雄的故事通常都像这样展开：
The anti-hero initially conforms, ignorantly accepting the established views, a typical, unquestioning, brainwashed member of society.
一开始，反英雄是顺从、无知地接受别人给出的观点，是典型的盲目的、被洗脑的社会一份子。
The anti-hero struggles to conform, all the while starting to object,
他们努力去顺应社会，然后开始反抗，
perhaps finding other outsiders with whom to voice his questions,
可能找到一个人，和他一起喊出了自己的质疑，
and naively, unwisely, sharing those questions with an authority figure.
天真、无知地向权威提问。

The anti-hero openly challenges society, and tries to fight against the lies and tactics used to oppress the populace.
他们公开地挑战社会，奋力对抗压迫公众的谎言和手段。
This step, for the anti-hero, is seldom a matter of brave, wise and heroic opposition.
此时，反英雄通常还不是勇敢、智慧、英勇的对抗者。
Maybe the anti-hero fights and succeeds in destroying the oppressive government, with a lot of impossible luck.
他们可能有不可思议的好运气，反抗成功，推翻了镇压人民的政府。
Perhaps he or she runs away, escapes to fight another day.
也可能他或她逃跑了，等待时机再战。
All too often though, the anti-hero is killed, or brainwashed to return to conformity with the masses.
然而更常见的是，反英雄被杀了，或被洗脑了，重新回到顺从大众的队伍中。
No heroic triumph here, no brave individual standing up against impersonal institutions of a modern world,
没有英雄式的凯旋，没有挺身而出反抗不人道制度的勇士，
inspiring others to fight, or resourcefully outwitting and outgunning the massive army of the evil empire.
没有一呼百应，机智战胜邪恶帝国庞大军队的英雄。
Our storytelling ancestors calmed our fears of powerlessness by giving us Hercules and other heroes strong enough
我们的祖先以故事安抚我们对无力感的恐惧，想象出像赫居里斯和其他强壮的英雄，
to fight off the demons and monsters that we suspected haunted the night beyond our campfires.
他们能打败那些我们担心在夜晚出没在营火范围外的恶魔和怪物。
But eventually, we realized the monsters did not lie out there, they reside inside of us.
但最终，我们发现怪物不在外面，他们住在我们心里。
Beowulf's greatest enemy was mortality. Othello's, jealousy. Hiccup, self-doubt.
贝奥武夫最大的敌人是恐惧死亡，奥赛罗是嫉妒，希卡普则是自我怀疑。
And in the tales of the ineffectual anti-hero, in the stories of Guy Montag and Winston Smith,
在功亏一篑的反英雄的传说里，在蒙塔格和温斯顿·史密斯的故事里，
lie the warnings of contemporary storytellers playing on very primitive fears: that we are not strong enough to defeat the monsters.
藏着当代作者针对我们最原始恐惧的警告：我们还没有强大到能够打败怪兽。
Only this time, not the monsters chased away by the campfire, but the very monsters who built the campfire in the first place.
只是这次，怪兽不是被营火赶跑的那个，怪兽正是最初生起营火的那一个。