聂卉

简·奥斯汀（Jane Austen， 1775～1817），英国女作家，生于英国汉普郡史蒂文頓的牧师家庭，奥斯汀从小接受了良好的文学熏陶，十三四岁开始文学创作，著有《理智与情感》（Sense and Sensibility， 1811）、《傲慢与偏见》（Pride and Prejudice， 1813）、《曼斯菲尔德庄园》（Mansfield Park， 1814）、《爱玛》（Emma， 1815）、《诺桑觉寺》（Northanger Abbey， 1818）、《劝导》（Persuasion， 1818）等小说作品。奥斯汀的小说以英国乡绅家庭中女性的婚姻和生活为主题，既对当时英国社会中普遍存在的逐利虚伪予以批判，同时以深邃的洞察力和犀利幽默的描写对18世纪以来感伤小说和哥特小说热引发的情感泛滥、行为造作等现象进行了巧妙的讽刺，两个世纪以来在世界范围内拥有广泛的读者。1995年始，BBC相继将奥斯汀的小说改编为电视剧，更掀起了新一轮的简·奥斯汀热。1817年奥斯汀于温彻斯特去世，终生未婚。

Excerpts1）

“It was my fathers last request to me，” replied her husband， “that I should assist his widow and daughters.”

“He did not know what he was talking of， I dare say； ten to one but he was light-headed2） at the time. Had he been in his right senses， he could not have thought of such a thing as begging you to give away half your fortune from your own child.”

“He did not stipulate3） for any particular sum， my dear Fanny； he only requested me， in general terms， to assist them， and make their situation more comfortable than it was in his power to do. Perhaps it would have been as well if he had left it wholly to myself. He could hardly suppose I should neglect them. But as he required the promise， I could not do less than give it； at least I thought so at the time. The promise， therefore， was given， and must be performed. Something must be done for them whenever they leave Norland and settle in a new home.”

“Well， then， LET something be done for them； but THAT something need not be three thousand pounds. Consider，” she added， “that when the money is once parted with， it never can return. Your sisters will marry， and it will be gone for ever. If， indeed， it could be restored to our poor little boy—”

“Why， to be sure，” said her husband， very gravely4）， “that would make great difference. The time may come when Harry will regret that so large a sum was parted with. If he should have a numerous family， for instance， it would be a very convenient addition.”

“To be sure it would.”

“Perhaps， then， it would be better for all parties， if the sum were diminished one half.—Five hundred pounds would be a prodigious5） increase to their fortunes！”

“Oh！ beyond anything great！ What brother on earth would do half so much for his sisters， even if REALLY his sisters！ And as it is—only half blood！—But you have such a generous spirit！”

“I would not wish to do any thing mean，” he replied. “One had rather， on such occasions， do too much than too little. No one， at least， can think I have not done enough for them： even themselves， they can hardly expect more.”

“There is no knowing what THEY may expect，” said the lady， “but we are not to think of their expectations： the question is， what you can afford to do.”

“Certainly—and I think I may afford to give them five hundred pounds a-piece. As it is， without any addition of mine， they will each have about three thousand pounds on their mothers death—a very comfortable fortune for any young woman.”

“To be sure it is； and， indeed， it strikes me that they can want no addition at all. They will have ten thousand pounds divided amongst them. If they marry， they will be sure of doing well， and if they do not， they may all live very comfortably together on the interest of ten thousand pounds.”

“That is very true， and， therefore， I do not know whether， upon the whole， it would not be more advisable to do something for their mother while she lives， rather than for them—something of the annuity6） kind I mean. —My sisters would feel the good effects of it as well as herself. A hundred a year would make them all perfectly comfortable.”

His wife hesitated a little， however， in giving her consent to this plan.

“To be sure，” said she， “it is better than parting with fifteen hundred pounds at once. But， then， if Mrs. Dashwood should live fifteen years we shall be completely taken in.”

“Fifteen years！ my dear Fanny； her life cannot be worth half that purchase.”

“Certainly not； but if you observe， people always live for ever when there is an annuity to be paid them； and she is very stout and healthy， and hardly forty. An annuity is a very serious business； it comes over and over every year， and there is no getting rid of it. You are not aware of what you are doing. I have known a great deal of the trouble of annuities； for my mother was clogged with the payment of three to old superannuated7） servants by my fathers will， and it is amazing how disagreeable she found it. Twice every year these annuities were to be paid； and then there was the trouble of getting it to them； and then one of them was said to have died， and afterwards it turned out to be no such thing. My mother was quite sick of it. Her income was not her own， she said， with such perpetual claims on it； and it was the more unkind in my father， because， otherwise， the money would have been entirely at my mothers disposal， without any restriction whatever. It has given me such an abhorrence of annuities， that I am sure I would not pin myself down to the payment of one for all the world.”

“It is certainly an unpleasant thing，” replied Mr. Dashwood， “to have those kind of yearly drains on ones income. Ones fortune， as your mother justly says， is NOT ones own. To be tied down to the regular payment of such a sum， on every rent day， is by no means desirable： it takes away ones independence.”

“Undoubtedly； and after all you have no thanks for it. They think themselves secure， you do no more than what is expected， and it raises no gratitude at all. If I were you， whatever I did should be done at my own discretion8） entirely. I would not bind myself to allow them any thing yearly. It may be very inconvenient some years to spare a hundred， or even fifty pounds from our own expenses.”

作品赏析

19世纪40年代，英国的《少女娱乐手册》中这样教育待嫁的小姐们：“晕倒的方式应该做到尽可能每一次有所不同，还可以表现得十分具有娱乐性。”但早在19世纪初，一位女性作家就已经对当时这种矫揉造作发出了幽默的讽刺，她深邃的洞察力和犀利的讽刺手法为众多作家、评论家所赞赏，“哪一位小说家都没有像她这样充分利用了自己对于人的不同流品的明细的感觉。以自己一贯准确的心灵、万无一失的好品味、近乎严苛的道德为鉴照，她揭发出那些背离了仁慈、诚实、真挚——这些英国文学中令人喜爱的主题——的种种偏向。”这位女性作家就是简·奥斯汀。她一生默默无闻，终生未婚，在女性仍被限定于社交舞会和家庭婚姻的时代中选择了作家的职业，在便于被吸墨纸掩盖的小纸片上创作出六部伟大的小说作品。在更久远的时间里，女性的婚姻和生活从未被停止讨论过，而她刻画的爱情和婚姻的印象两百年来为世人一再阅读和讲述。

《理智与情感》是简·奥斯汀出版的第一部作品，作者仅署名为a Lady，小说主人公为埃莉诺和玛丽安两姐妹，一个理智隐忍，一个浪漫冲动，二人都在情感路途中经历坎坷，但最终获得了美满婚姻。小说的开头并没有如《傲慢与偏见》那样一开始就抛出“有钱的单身汉总要娶位太太，这是一条举世公认的真理”这样为大家所熟记的金句，而是在好戏开场前认真地介绍了故事背景：诺兰庄园的达什伍德先生去世后，达什伍德太太和三个女儿不得不搬离自己的家，因为遗嘱将家产都留给了她们同父异母的哥哥约翰。富有的约翰和妻子芬妮迫不及待地赶来接收自己的房产，哥嫂二人关于资助妹妹的对话可谓是小说真正的华丽开场：资助从起初的3000英镑，到500英镑，再到50英镑，直到最后决定“像邻居似的帮帮忙也就足够了，越此雷池一步，不说有失体统，也是绝对多余的”。伍尔夫曾赞赏简·奥斯汀，说她笔下创造出了一个又一个蠢人、自命不凡者、世俗之徒，她用鞭笞一般的语言为这些人物勾勒出一幅幅剪影。约翰和芬妮这对自私虚伪的夫妇大概是简·奥斯汀留于世人的第一幅剪影。

一时无处落脚的母女四人处于寄人篱下的境况，不得不忍受芬妮刻薄的冷言冷语。芬妮弟弟爱德华的到访为她们带来不少安慰，这位年轻人虽腼腆但品德高尚，謙和睿智，与她们相处甚为和睦，尤其与19岁的大女儿埃莉诺情投意合。达什伍德太太的亲戚约翰爵士好意在巴顿为她们提供了一座便宜的乡舍，于是母女四人在巴顿开始了新的生活，并与约翰爵士的老朋友布兰登上校相识。约翰爵士的岳母詹宁斯太太是位富有清闲的寡妇，个性粗俗爽朗，以为年轻人牵红线为己任，嗅觉灵敏的她一口认定布兰登上校爱慕二女儿玛丽安。但充满浪漫理想主义的玛丽安可对已经35岁一本正经的布兰登上校丝毫不感兴趣，她的意中人一定要风度翩翩、魅力不凡。一次散步途中突遇大雨，玛丽安在下坡时扭伤了脚，英俊的威洛比就在这时及时出现并将她送回了家中，二人很快陷入了热恋。但这段高调的恋爱时光因威洛比突返伦敦而中止，玛丽安陷入深深的痛苦中。姐姐埃莉诺也遭遇伤心事：来约翰爵士家做客的露西告诉埃莉诺，她与爱德华已经订婚四年。隐忍的埃莉诺谨遵承诺，保守秘密，同时也不愿为家人再添烦恼，一人独自忍受着这份痛楚。

詹宁斯太太返回伦敦时热情地邀请埃莉诺和玛丽安一同前往，两姐妹开始了充满变数的伦敦之行。激动的玛丽安一到伦敦就迫不及待地写信通知了威洛比，谁料最终等来的却是威洛比对旧情的否认以及他和别人订婚的消息。紧接着，关于威洛比的另一件丑闻也很快被揭开，我们也终于得知布兰登上校始终孤身一人的原因。原来，早年一位小姐与布兰登上校青梅竹马，后来却被迫嫁给了他的哥哥，失意的布兰登上校远驻东印度群岛，爱人后来却走向了离婚和堕落。几年后，布兰登上校返回英国，竟在拘留所中寻见她，但此时曾经热情美好的佳人已病入膏肓。布兰登上校陪伴她走完生命的最后一段岁月，并不顾流言蜚语，将她三岁的女儿伊莉莎照管长大。哪知小姑娘长到16岁时被威洛比欺骗，怀孕后又被无情地抛弃。布兰登上校对纯真的情感愈加珍惜，更不忍看到悲剧再次发生，因此在众人都责备玛丽安冲动无理时，唯有布兰登上校从一开始就对玛丽安给予了足够的宽容，站在玛丽安身后的他始终保持着深情的体贴和谨慎的沉默。

简·奥斯汀的主人公都有幸得到完美的结局，埃莉诺和玛丽安亦是如此。露西和爱德华已经订婚的消息公开之后，爱德华的母亲大为愤怒，她早已为儿子选定了有三万英镑财产的莫顿小姐，威胁爱德华说，如果爱德华娶露西，她就将财产继承权转给他的弟弟罗伯特。爱德华却始终坚守婚约。但没想到的是，露西竟然转而向获得财产的罗伯特献媚，她迅速和爱德华解除了婚约并嫁给了罗伯特。情投意合的爱德华和埃莉诺这才全无牵绊地走进了婚姻的殿堂，而玛丽安最终也成为布兰登夫人。所有人都各得其所，即使是花花公子威洛比，虽对失去玛丽安懊悔不已，但在骑马游猎的优裕生活中也不会终日郁郁寡欢。这样的结局似乎是对生活的宽容，抑或又是更深沉的讽刺？

但简·奥斯汀并不热衷讲述浪漫爱情的童话，美国文学批评家哈罗德·布鲁姆曾谈到在奥斯汀的作品中男女间的“情意”，这种情意远胜于爱，是一种更深沉、持久的情感。我们在埃莉诺对爱德华的欣赏与信任中窥见了这种静水流深的情意，在布兰登上校对玛丽安的爱护中瞥见那尾深沉的目光。这种低沉的情意携带着古典主义的沉稳，在当下已稀见的对道德秩序的描摹中为现代读者保留了一份安宁。

这位成长于乡绅家庭的女作家将自己的作品谦称是“方寸大小的象牙微雕”。她的作品中几乎不涉及上层社会或底层民众，也没有政治问题、社会革命，甚至很少描绘自然风景，但却有最生动活泼的人。她对人最基本的情感和生活做出细致的观察和描述，两百年来每一时段的人们都可以从中清晰地指认出那些情感和生活的模样。在这位伟大的女性作家离世两百周年之际，让我们再次走近她。

1. 英文节选自第一卷第二章，主要描述小说中达什伍德小姐们的哥哥约翰与妻子范尼商量如何接济母亲和他的妹妹们的场景，两人的吝啬和算计跃然纸上。

2. light-headed：神志不清的

3. stipulate [?st?pj?le?t] vi. 规定，讲定，约定

4. gravely [ɡre?vli] adv. 认真地，严肃地

5. prodigious [pr??d?d??s] adj. 巨大的，庞大的

6. annuity [??nju??ti] n. 年金

7. superannuated [?su?p?r??nju?e?t?d] adj. 老弱的；老弱无能的

8. discretion [d??skre?（?）n] n. 斟酌决定（或处理）的自由；斟酌决定权