1 The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow.
罪犯必须是故事开始时出现过的人,但不得是读者可以追随其思想的人(比如侦探自身,第一人称谓者)。
2 All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course.
侦探不能用超自然的或怪异的侦探方法。
3 Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable.
犯罪现场至多只有一个密室或者秘密通道。
4 No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end.
作案时候,不能使用尚未发明的毒药,或需要进行深奥的科学解释的装置。
5 No Chinaman must figure in the story.
故事里不能有中国人。
6 No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right.
侦探不得用偶然事件或被证明为正确的不负责任的直觉来侦破案件。
7 The detective must not himself commit the crime.
侦探不能是犯人。
8 The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader.
侦探不得根据小说中未向读者提示过的线索进行破案。
9 The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind; his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader.
侦探的笨蛋朋友,比如华生,必须将其思想毫无保留地告诉读者,此人的智力稍微地居于读者平均水平之下。
10 Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them.
小说中若出现双胞胎或双重身份的人,必须提前告诉读者。
我只能说留其精华,去其糟泊,毕竟死板的遵守这十诫的确会过大的限制推理,但这些条条框框在当时也确保了一定的公平性。有一些不符合现代社会认知的戒律当然可以酌情忽略,但过于肆意天马行空,故意模棱两可,线索不公平的推理作品还是等着被人喷吧 
总不能为了创新和一味地加大难度刻意把题目和小说大加工,创新还是要建立在一定的基本共识和规范上的。 |