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《傲慢与偏见》:成长与爱情

2017-09-08

新东方英语 2017年9期
关键词:贝内特达西傲慢与偏见

今年是英國作家简·奥斯汀(Jane Austen)逝世两百周年。在1817年7月18日,年仅41岁的简·奥斯汀在英国温彻斯特因病去世。1775年12月16日,她出生于英国汉普郡史蒂文顿的牧师家庭,终生未婚,起初和父母在乡间生活,父亲过世受到兄长的庇护,是家里子侄辈尊敬爱戴的“简姑妈”。简·奥斯汀的一生没有跌宕起伏的人生经历,然而她却为英国贡献了丰富的文学遗产。她所出版的六部长篇小说,即《理智与情感》(Sense and Sensibility)、《傲慢与偏见》(Pride and Prejudice)、《曼斯菲尔德庄园》(Mansfield Park)、《爱玛》(Emma)、《诺桑觉寺》(Northanger Abbey)、《劝导》(Persuasion),每一部都体现了她对人性深刻的洞察,对英国人的性格、礼仪、风俗等的精细呈现以及对英文的精妙运用。她是英国人最喜爱的作家之一,作品被数十次翻拍为电影或电视剧。她也是世界读者最喜爱的英国小说家之一,在21世纪的当代,她的作品依然拥有广泛的读者群,被视为英国文化的瑰宝。

Excerpts1)

Mr. Bingley2) was good looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners. His sisters were fine women, with an air of decided fashion. His brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst, merely looked the gentleman; but his friend Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien3); and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having ten thousand a year. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.

Mr. Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principal people in the room; he was lively and unreserved, danced every dance, was angry that the ball closed so early, and talked of giving one himself at Netherfield. Such amiable qualities must speak for themselves. What a contrast between him and his friend! Mr. Darcy danced only once with Mrs. Hurst and once with Miss Bingley, declined being introduced to any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening in walking about the room, speaking occasionally to one of his own party. His character was decided. He was the proudest, most disagreeable man in the world, and every body hoped that he would never come there again. Amongst the most violent against him was Mrs. Bennet, whose dislike of his general behaviour was sharpened into particular resentment by his having slighted one of her daughters.

Elizabeth Bennet had been obliged, by the scarcity4) of gentlemen, to sit down for two dances; and during part of that time, Mr. Darcy had been standing near enough for her to overhear a conversation between him and Mr. Bingley, who came from the dance for a few minutes to press his friend to join it.endprint

“Come, Darcy,” said he, “I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance.”

“I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this, it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with.”

“I would not be so fastidious5) as you are,” cried Bingley, “for a kingdom! Upon my honour I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life, as I have this evening; and there are several of them, you see, uncommonly pretty.”

“You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room,” said Mr. Darcy, looking at the eldest Miss Bennet.

“Oh! she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.”

“Which do you mean?” and turning round, he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said, “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me.”

作品賞析

简·奥斯汀在写《傲慢与偏见》的初稿时,原草拟的标题是《第一印象》。女主人公伊丽莎白·贝内特与男主人公菲茨威廉·达西相识于一场舞会。当时达西的好友宾利刚刚搬到内瑟菲尔德,第一次参加当地的社交舞会,他选中了全场最美丽的姑娘简与自己共舞。为了怕同行的好友达西落单,宾利向达西推荐了简的妹妹伊丽莎白。达西打量了伊丽莎白一番后,敬谢不敏:“她还过得去,但是还没漂亮到能够打动我的心。眼下,我可没有兴致去抬举那些受到别人冷落的小姐。你最好回到你的舞伴身边,去欣赏她的笑脸,别把时光浪费在我身上。”达西说这番话的时候,当事人伊丽莎白就在他旁边,她立即将这位先生拉入了黑名单,在伊丽莎白看来,达西先生的目中无人之举实在是荒唐可笑。

擅长设置情节的小说家往往会预埋伏笔,巧设冲突,为未来故事的峰回路转做铺垫。在《傲慢与偏见》中,男女主人公对彼此第一印象不佳,便是这种富有戏剧性冲突的情节预设。我们会好奇爱情如何萌生于这一对充满了“傲慢与偏见”的主人公。从开场来看,“傲慢”显然属于达西,“偏见”的持有者则是伊丽莎白。

达西眼高于顶,伊丽莎白则据此对他的性格进行了误判:她将达西态度上的倨傲解读为道德上的冷漠。然而,我们如果看看情节的发展,又会发现“偏见”不是伊丽莎白的专利,达西也有狭隘之处:他认为贝内特一家人都十分粗俗,不值得交往,不仅初识的时候忽视伊丽莎白,而且日后还曾奉劝好友宾利远离简,扮演了棒打鸳鸯的角色。

伊丽莎白也是傲慢与偏见兼具:她对达西的偏见来自于受了伤的骄傲。她是个自负的姑娘,认为自己看穿了达西的傲慢,忘记了自己也可能有同样的问题。

为了傲慢与偏见,达西和伊丽莎白各自付出了代价。达西的偏见和骄傲让他没有在第一时间意识到贝内特家族内可能会有一个与他志同道合的姑娘。他自作主张拆散了简和宾利,更让伊丽莎白对这个伤害了自己姐姐的人深恶痛绝。因此他在第一次求婚的时候,遭到了伊丽莎白的断然拒绝:“你的言谈举止就使我充分意识到,你为人狂妄自大,自私自利,无视别人的感情,这就导致了我对你的不满,以后又有许多事,致使我对你深恶痛绝。我认识你还不到一个月的时候,就觉得哪怕我一辈子找不到男人,也休想让我嫁给你。”

对于伊丽莎白,她的骄傲和偏见使她受到了蒙蔽,不肯客观地看待达西的人品,冷静地体察达西的行为动因。她固执己见,一旦将达西打入另册,就宁可相信花言巧语的军官威汉姆对达西名声的污蔑,也不愿意听听达西的解释。她在第一次拒绝达西求婚时把理由说得有多么理直气壮、掷地有声,在日后等她了解真相之后就有多么追悔和惭愧。endprint

这部小说中达西与伊丽莎白的冲突模式在第一次求婚中达到顶峰,随后就戛然而止,转入了更为深刻的反省模式。小说的后半程中我们看到了达西与伊丽莎白的改变。

达西经由这个过程认识到自己没有资格目空一切、高高在上。在第一次求婚时,骄傲的他将爱情当做施舍,丝毫没有考虑到自己会被拒绝,也没有想到要检讨自己的行为。被伊丽莎白拒绝后,他正视自己对世界的误解,学习如何替他人着想。此前的他视与贝内特家发生联系为羞耻,是需要勉为其难的纡尊降贵,在此之后,当伊丽莎白的妹妹莉迪亚与军官私奔,他主动提供帮助,默默帮贝内特一家度过了最大的名誉危机。

对于伊丽莎白来说,她不再是一只骄傲的刺猬。她认识到自己的视野是狭隘的,只愿意听耳顺的话,不愿意接受不同的观点:“我还一向自鸣得意地认为自己有眼力,有见识呢!我还常常看不起姐姐的宽怀大度,为了满足自己的虚荣心,总是无聊或是无稽地胡乱猜疑。这一发现真让我感到羞愧啊!然而我也活该感到羞愧!……我抱着偏见和无知,完全丧失了理智。”为此她真诚地向达西道歉,谦卑地请求达西的原谅。

《傲慢与偏见》中男女主人公身上最为感人的是他们都具有坦诚而正直的心,會为做错事而羞耻,也愿意采取行动补救。他们有自己的傲慢与偏见,却没有被偏见禁锢,深陷其中,固执己见,也没有被傲慢带累,骄傲得不肯承认错误,拒绝改变。这是真诚交流的基础,也是爱可能萌芽的土壤。对比小说中的另外四对婚姻:老贝内特夫妇一个尖刻,一个浮夸,两个人隔膜甚深;伊丽莎白的好友夏洛特因为经济利益嫁给了自以为是的柯林斯先生,前者的心态既无奈又世故,后者则狭隘愚蠢,两人没有共同语言;宾利和简的性格温和,为人善良,可是他们都缺乏主见,有爱有情却不能彼此促进、共同成长;伊丽莎白的妹妹莉迪亚与威汉姆的婚姻则彻底建立在欲望之上。在这些婚姻的对比下,我们可以看到简·奥斯汀对达西和伊丽莎白的爱情所倾注的欣赏。

如果只能用一句话总结《傲慢与偏见》的情节,它会听起来特别像灰姑娘故事的翻版:多金而傲慢的贵公子爱上了聪慧泼辣的平民姑娘。在数个影视剧版本中,我们都能看到对达西的傲慢以及伊丽莎白的机敏自负的一再渲染,两个人的唇枪舌剑的交锋得到了充分展示。其实,小说中这对有情人之所以能够终成眷属,不是贵公子为爱放下了身段,平民姑娘为爱放下了一身利刺,而是因为他们两个人在接触与交往中认识了自己的局限性,不再傲慢,也克服了偏见,爱才成为可能的选项。《傲慢与偏见》是一部经典的爱情小说,然而,它首先是一部成长小说:智性上平等的两个人,在深层的思想和情感交流基础上共同成长。因为成为更好的人,所以懂得了如何去爱。

1. 英文节选选自小说的第三章,主要描写的是小说男女主人公达西(Darcy)和伊丽莎白(Elizabeth)参加当地舞会,第一次见面的场景。

2. Mr. Bingley:宾利先生,达西的好友,喜欢伊丽莎白的姐姐简。

3. mien [mi?n] n. 风度;仪表;(尤指)神态

4. scarcity [?ske?(r)s?ti] n. 缺乏;不足;短缺

5. fastidious [f??st?di?s] adj. 过分严谨的;苛求的endprint

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