Jane Austen: Her 12 Best Characters

2018-01-04钱家骏,肖维青

英语世界 2017年10期

From spoilt but adorable Emma Woodhouse, to chalk and cheese1chalk and cheese相差甚远，天壤之别。sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood,to dashing romantic hero Mr Collins(okay, scratch that last description), here are the 12 of the most memorable characters from the six major novels of Jane Austen:Northanger Abbey,Sense and Sensibility,Mans fi eld Park,Emma,Pride and PrejudiceandPersuasion.

Emma Woodhouse—Emma

When Austen began writingEmma,she said, “I am going to take a heroine whom no one but myself will much like.” That proved to be prescient.Emma’s meddling in other people’s love lives throughout the eponymous2eponymous（书、电影或戏剧中的角色）与作品同名的。novel—she fancies herself as a master matchmaker, but invariably for much of the book her schemes lead to disaster—can be utterly infuriating.She’s nosy, smug, and even jealous of other people’s achievements. And yet, there’s something winning about E m m a’s p e r s o n a l i t y a n d h e r s e n s e o f d e t e r m i n a t i o n a n d i d e a l i s m, a n d a g a i n s t a l l r e a s o n y o u f i n d y o u r s e l f r o o t i n g f o r h e r, a n d h e r o w n r o m a n t i c s u c c e s s,b y t h e n o v e l’s e n d. I t’s t e s t a m e n t t o A u s t e n’s g e n i u s t h a t E m m a i s s o r e a l, s o a n n o y i n g, a n d s o d a m n l i k e a b l e d e s p i t e i t a l l.

从娇生惯养但又讨人喜爱的爱玛·伍德豪斯，到性格迥异的埃莉诺和玛丽安娜·达什伍德姐妹，再到自信的浪漫男主角柯林斯先生（好吧，浪漫就算了），我们从简·奥斯丁的6部重要小说，即《诺桑觉寺》《理智与情感》《曼斯菲尔德庄园》《爱玛》《傲慢与偏见》和《劝导》中精心挑选出了12位最令人难忘的人物，在此为您一一道来。

《爱玛》中的爱玛·伍德豪斯

奥斯丁曾在执笔开始写《爱玛》时说道：“我塑造的女主角可能除了我，没人会太喜欢。”果不其然，在这部以女主角命名的小说中，爱玛插手他人的感情生活，她幻想自己是一位资深媒婆，但几乎每次她的计划都以失败告终，令人气愤至极。她爱管闲事，自命不凡，甚至见到他人的成绩便心生嫉妒。但爱玛个性鲜明，行动果断，富有理想主义精神，这些都是讨人喜欢的。读到最后，你会发现你居然站在她那边，满心希望她的爱情修成正果。这彰显了奥斯丁的神来之笔，塑造了如此真诚朴实、如此招人厌烦，却又贼讨人喜欢的爱玛。

Elizabeth Bennet—Pride and Prejudice

The heroine ofPride and Prejudiceis one of Jane Austen’s most famous and best loved characters. The second eldest of five daughters, with passions for reading and walking in the countryside as well as dancing and laughing, Lizzy3Lizzy西方女子教名，伊丽莎白的昵称。伊丽莎白·贝内特的朋友或家人经常称呼她为“莉齐”，下同。Bennett is wise,witty, fun-loving, beautiful and kind.She is also determined to marry for love, and initially disgusted by the sneering attitude of one Mr Darcy, new to the parish, and his unpleasant attitude towards her relatives. We all know by now what happens next between the two, but Lizzy’s journey through her own pride and prejudice towards the realisation that she truly loves Darcy is one of the greatest love stories in all of literature.

《傲慢与偏见》中的伊丽莎白·贝内特

伊丽莎白·贝内特是《傲慢与偏见》的女主角，是简·奥斯丁所刻画的最享有盛名、最受喜爱的人物形象之一。她在家里五个姐妹中排行老二，热爱阅读，喜欢在乡间漫步，也喜欢跳舞和说笑，莉齐·贝内特聪慧、机敏、风趣、貌美、心善。她也坚定为爱而婚。刚到教区的达西冷嘲热讽，对她的亲戚傲慢无礼，这些行为最初都令她憎恶不已。我们现在都知道他们俩之后的故事，莉齐从一开始的傲慢与偏见，到最后的真爱觉醒，可谓文学作品中爱情故事的佳话。

Elinor Dashwood—Sense and Sensibility

The thing that makes the character so likable, as opposed to just plain virtuous and cold, is that, through Austen’s writing, we are able to vicariously4vicariously产生共鸣的。feel every sting, slight and soul-crushing blow she endures.When the obnoxious5obnoxious令人讨厌的。, inferior Lucy Steele confesses to Elinor that she is secretly engaged to Edward Ferrars,the love of Elinor’s life, we feel our heroine’s pain with fierce intensity—and simultaneously understand her need to keep her own desires secret. Only at the very end of the novel, when she discovers that Edward is miraculously free, does Elinor finally lose control,unable to believe her own happiness.

Mr Darcy—Pride and Prejudice

Mr Darcy is not just the greatest romantic hero in all of Austen, but among the greatest in all literature. Mr Darcy begins the novel as a haughty6haughty傲慢的。,cold, sneering gentleman who finds little to tempt his eye in the countryside around Netherfield Park, which his friend Mr Bingley has rented. But in spite of himself, he fi nds himself falling in love with the quick-witted and beautiful Lizzy Bennet, even if their journey towards being together is beset by obstacles largely placed in the way by their families. Darcy’s transformation from proud and prejudiced to generous,loving and humble through his love for Lizzy is redemptive and heartwarming.He is also extremely rich, which helps.

《理智与情感》中的埃莉诺·达什伍德

奥斯丁笔下的这位人物之所以受人喜爱，而不仅仅是一个为人正直或处事冷静的角色，在于我们能深切感受到她内心深处所忍受的每一丝痛楚、每一次冷眼相待以及撕心裂肺的遭遇。当令人讨厌、地位卑贱的露西·斯蒂尔向埃莉诺坦白她已和埃莉诺的挚爱——爱德华·弗拉斯——私定终身时，我们能感到女主角强烈的痛楚，也同时理解她想极力克制住自己的感情。直到小说临近结束，发现爱德华奇迹般重回单身，埃莉诺终于情不自禁，不敢相信她眼前的幸福。

《傲慢与偏见》中的达西先生

达西先生不仅仅是奥斯丁笔下最伟大的浪漫男主角，更是所有文学作品中最伟大的浪漫男主角之一。小说伊始，达西先生自恃清高，冷酷无情，傲世轻物。朋友宾利租下的内瑟菲尔德庄园一带的乡间都入不了他的法眼。但他却偏偏情不自禁地爱上了机智美丽的莉齐·贝内特，不顾双方家庭的万般阻挠，历经重重困难后，两人终成眷属。达西从一开始的傲慢自大、怀有偏见，到后来爱上莉齐·贝内特后变得宽宏大量、宅心仁厚、虚怀若谷，可谓一次心灵的救赎，令人感动。当然，他的万贯身家也促成了这段姻缘。

Captain Wentworth—Persuasion

Captain Frederick Wentworth is a very modern gentleman7弗雷德里克·温特沃斯和传统靠家族继承的绅士不同，他是19世纪新一代靠自己努力而成功的绅士。in the world of Jane Austen, a commander in the British navy and a self-made man in the midst of the Napoleonic wars.Although his pride is initially hurt by Anne Elliot’s decision to break off their engagement in their youth, he continues to carry a torch for8carry a torch for暗恋某人。her across the years. A decent man and a dashing naval of fi cer: what more could you ask for in a romantic hero? Effectively, he is Mr Darcy but without quite so much brooding.

Mr Bennet—Pride and Prejudice

Rather bewildered by living in a household of five young women, Mr Bennet quietly gets on with making the social invitations and interactions that decency requires, and then retreats to his study away from all the action. Film adaptations invariably treat him as a kindly old soul, but he is sharper, more teasing and less tolerant of his wife’s machinations9machination阴谋策划。此处指贝内特太太处心积虑想把五个女儿嫁给有钱人，而不管她们的婚姻是否幸福。in the book.

《劝导》中的温特沃斯舰长

舰长弗雷德里克·温特沃斯在奥斯丁笔下是一位现代绅士，他是英国海军上校，在拿破仑战争中白手起家。尽管当初安妮·埃利奥特和他解除婚约，令他自尊心受挫，但多年来他依然对她恋恋不舍。如此英姿飒爽、风度翩翩的海军军官，难道还算不上浪漫男主角？实际上，他和达西先生很像，不过没有达西那样沉默忧思。

《傲慢与偏见》中的贝内特先生

家中有五个女儿，贝内特先生真是处处为难。一方面碍于礼数，他要默默地张罗各种邀请和迎来往送，另一方面活动一开始他就躲进书房置身度外。《傲慢与偏见》的各个电影改编版总将他刻画为忠厚的老头儿，但实际上在小说中，他更有锋芒，喜欢挖苦人，不满意妻子的处心积虑。

Mary Crawford—Mans fi eld Park

Mary Crawford is a classic Austen antiheroine: lively, funny, worldly, and independent of mind, but antagonistic to plenty of people around her. “Nothing ever fatigues me but doing what I do not like”, she says at one point, and it’s hard to argue with that. She ends up serving more of a purpose as a foil10foil衬托。to Fanny than as a hero in her own right,and the book fi nds her morally de fi cient on account of her personal pride and her indulgence of her brother’s bad behaviour11玛丽·克劳福德纵容她哥哥亨利·克劳福德和范妮调情。.

Catherine Morland—Northanger Abbey

The naive protagonist ofNorthanger Abbeyis a likable character, whose burgeoning romance with the really quite lovely Henry Tilney—and desire to escape pushy unwanted suitor John Thorpe—make her easy to root for. It’s also impossible not to feel outraged at her treatment at the hands of Henry’s snobbish, controlling father, General Tilney.

Mr Collins—Pride and Prejudice

Oh, poor Mr Collins. Conceited,pompous12pompous浮华的，虚夸的。and entirely ridiculous,he’s the “eligible” bachelor that no one in their right minds would want to marry—part from poor, sad Charlotte Lucas, who feels compelled to do so due to her lack of prospects. Plus, who could forget Mr Bennet’s immortal to his daughter Elizabeth, after her mother insists that he make her marry Collins: “An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.”

《曼斯菲尔德庄园》中的玛丽·克劳福德

玛丽·克劳福德是奥斯丁笔下经典的反面女主角，她活泼开朗，深谙世故，人格独立，但却和周遭许多人作对。她曾说：“只要是我喜欢做的事，我都乐此不疲。”这话倒是真的。与其说奥斯丁把她当主角来塑造，倒不如说她其实是衬托了范妮。玛丽·克劳福德个性傲娇，纵容她哥哥做出一些不正当的行为，在《曼斯菲尔德庄园》中是个存在品格缺陷的人物形象。

《诺桑觉寺》中的凯瑟琳·莫兰

《诺桑觉寺》中这位天真烂漫的正面人物颇受读者喜爱，她与俊秀的亨利·蒂尔尼日久生情，加之她对咄咄逼人的约翰·索普没有感觉，想避而远之，这些都使人容易喜欢上凯瑟琳。此外，亨利那趋炎附势、霸道蛮横的父亲蒂尔尼将军曾将凯瑟琳逐出诺桑觉寺，人们对凯瑟琳的遭遇无不愤愤不平。

《傲慢与偏见》中的柯林斯先生

唉！可怜的柯林斯先生，他高傲自大，浮夸自负，荒诞可笑。他是“适合做丈夫”的单身汉，但头脑清醒的人是不会选择嫁给他的。不过家境贫寒、郁郁寡欢的夏洛特·卢卡斯因自己前途未卜，被迫选择了柯林斯。此外，在伊丽莎白的母亲强烈要求贝内特先生促成伊丽莎白和柯林斯的这段婚姻时，贝内特先生对她女儿说的那段话始终令人记忆犹新：“伊丽莎白，这将是一个艰难的抉择。从今天开始，你将和我或你母亲形同陌路，如果你不嫁给柯林斯先生，你的母亲将永远不再见你；而如果你嫁给了柯林斯先生，我将永远不再见你。”

Mrs Bennet—Pride and Prejudice

The brilliantly ridiculous, utterly irrational Mrs Bennet, with her nearmanic obsession with marrying off all of her five daughters, and her embarrassingly obvious machinations,is one of Austen’s greatest comic creations—but behind her silliness,there’s always an all-too-plausible desperation. Having fi ve daughters, and an estate saddled with an entail13entail〈律〉（不动产的）限嗣继承。当时英国法律规定，男子有继承权，而女子没有。, is a great trial.

《傲慢与偏见》中的贝内特太太

贝内特太太荒诞可笑，不可理喻，是奥斯丁笔下最经典的喜剧人物之一：她费尽心机想把五个女儿嫁出去，近乎疯狂。她处心积虑的一面暴露无遗，令人难堪。但在她愚昧无知的背后，又总是显得绝望无助，这完全无可厚非。她有五个女儿，而其地产只能限定继承，这让她伤透了脑筋。

Lady Catherine de Bourgh—Pride and Prejudice

Where wouldPride and Prejudicebe without Lady Catherine? One of the haughtiest and most magnificently awful aristocrats in all of literature,believing she can tell everybody around her what to do and how to behave,Lady Catherine is one of Austen’s most vibrant and formidable female characters.

George Knightley—Emma

InEmma, Mr Knightley is the hero Jane Austen most wanted to marry.He is the epitome of kindness, an underestimated heroic quality14简·奥斯丁终身未婚，通过塑造奈特利这一人物形象，奥斯丁可以从中找到归宿。. He takes care of a vulnerable woman like Miss Bates, and steps in to dance with lowly Harriet Smith when he sees that she has been snubbed15snub冷落，怠慢。by the awful Mr and Mrs Elton. He represents the perfect English gentleman and sets himself firmly against French affectation. He refuses to play the conventional hero and talk the language of love: “I cannot make speeches,Emma. If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.” Perfect!