在他对一本好小说提出的六个条件中，居首位的就是要“宗旨正大（serious purpose）”，即必须有一个严肃的目的。就是说不要无病呻吟，“文章合为时而著，诗歌合为事而作”。
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Yes, it's a joke, he admits — but one with a serious purpose.
是的，这是一个笑话，他承认道——但是这有着一个严肃的目的。
The occasion was a stunt, of course, but had a serious purpose: to show that even the poorest places can mitigate poverty and hunger.
这当然只是噱头，不过也确有目的：向世界展示，即使最穷的国家也能缓解贫困与饥饿。
They might also have a more serious purpose: at a time when people's fortunes rose or fell with the king's whims and his amours, they could act as warnings.
它们的存在也许有一个更为严肃的目的——警示。毕竟在一个这样的年代- - -国王的情仇别恨，国王的一时兴起，都可能让人朝为庭上臣暮为阶下囚。
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