傲慢與偏見的第四章與第五章有許多話中有話的精彩句子(Jane Austen’s style?)…XD 我閱讀的時候花了頗多時間在查詢…
首先, 在第四章裡, 有關於伊莉莎白在參加舞會後對於賓利小姐們的印象: “Elizabeth…, and with a judgment too unassailed by any attention to herself, she was very little disposed to approve them.”
什麼是”a judgment too unassailed by any attention to herself”? 看了網路上的討論(http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/unassailed-by-any-attention-to-herself.117134/)才知道原來意思有兩層...第一層, 由於伊莉莎白在舞會中都沒有與賓利小姐們交談, 所以她對於賓利小姐們可以有最”客觀”、不被交談所影響的評斷(不像大姊Jane, 因為她有機會與賓利小姐們交談, 所以她對她們的印象有因交談而改觀). 第二層, 是有點諷刺地在說, 由於伊莉莎白當晚都沒有被賓利小姐們注意, 所以她可以對她們有超級客觀的評斷…
哈! 是不是還蠻語帶玄機的? 連母語為英文的網友都忍不住說: “Is that even English?”(“這是英文嗎”?)
接著, 有關賓利家族的背景描述: “They were of a respectable family in the north of England; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their brother's fortune and their own had been acquired by trade.
Mr. Bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly an hundred thousand pounds from his father, who had intended to purchase an estate, but did not live to do it. Mr. Bingley intended it likewise, and sometimes made choice of his county; but as he was now provided with a good house and the liberty of a manor, it was doubtful to many of those who best knew the easiness of his temper, whether he might not spend the remainder of his days at Netherfield, and leave the next generation to purchase. His sisters were anxious for his having an estate of his own;”
這兒, 我參考了許多這個網站裡的註釋(http://genius.com/1820278). 總之, 在那在意階級的年代, 就算有錢, 別人還會看你是如何的有錢法, 以決定你的地位:有房產優於無房產. Old Money(家族傳承下來的財富)優於New Money(新近靠自己努力取得的財富). 也因為如此, 賓利先生的父親才會想要在經商致富之後, 購置自己的地產, 以提升自己的階級. 賓利小姐們也很在意置產提升家族地位這件事, 但賓利先生顯然對此事較輕鬆看待、不汲汲營營於階級這回事- 從這段文字便可以看出: 現在賓利租到一間好屋、也因此獲得狩獵的權利, 這些對他而言其實就夠了. 他可能不會真的買下Netherfield置產, 而是讓他的下一代去完成這個使命.
後面緊接著的, 是描述賓利小姐們的精彩雙重否定句連兩次: “but though he was now established only as a tenant, Miss Bingley was by no means unwilling to preside at his table, nor was Mrs. Hurst, who had married a man of more fashion than fortune, less disposed to consider his house as her home when it suited her.” 首先, Miss Bingley 的部分, 這兒有”by no means”+”unwilling”的雙重否定, 代表她是樂意擔任Netherfield女主人的工作 (所謂”preside at his table”, 這兒有解釋: http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/table.487648/). 再來, Mrs. Hurst的部分, 這兒有”Nor”+”less”的雙重否定, 代表她乾脆把Netherfield當自己家. 這邊還順帶提到Mr. Hurst是個”a man of more fashion than fortune”, 東流翻譯為”外強中乾”…XD 我覺得還蠻對味的! 總之, 就是看起來蠻體面、但實際上沒啥經濟實力的男人. 所以, 既然在Netherfield有免錢的吃與住, Mrs. Hurst就方便地住下來了. (這個網站有相關解釋: http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/disposed-to-consider-his-house-as-her-home-when-it-suited-her.487646/)
短短的幾句話, 隱約透露的訊息還真不少啊~ :P 總之, 這兒想呈現的是, 賓利姊妹都是蠻”虛華”的人. 追求看起來體面、風光的生活(在這部小說的社會背景下, 就是追求”看起來像貴族的生活”). 以Miss Bingley來說, 現在兄弟要住進一間體面的豪宅了, 那她當然要趁此機會嚐嚐當豪宅女主人的滋味, 即便這豪宅是租的. 而以Mrs. Hurst來說, 她與先生的財力搞不好無法負擔像Netherfield這樣的豪宅, 但是現在既然有免錢的可白吃白住, 那就把兄弟租的豪宅當自己家了… 這兩姊妹, 表面上看起來體面, 但實際生活距離所謂”貴族”還有些差距. 但是, 她們竟因此就目中無人、看不起其他的中產階級, 忘記其實自己的家族原也來自中產階級, 實在很諷刺啊. 而她們目中無人的態度嚴重到什麼程度呢?...在第四章中, 連永遠都只看到他人優點的大姊Jane, 在回答Lizzy有關於對賓利姊妹的印象的問題時(“And so you like this man's sisters, too, do you? Their manners are not equal to his.”), 也說: “Certainly not—at first."… 這表示賓利姊妹的高傲態度明顯到連大姊Jane一開始也不喜歡呢!~ 可見有多嚴重! XP
在「珍•奧斯汀」傳的第八章「鄰居」篇, 便有提到珍成長的環境周遭有許多「假上流階級」- 沒有土地與可觀的財產, 卻一心想過貴族的生活. 他們還有一個特色是會遷移, 並在遷移中更改姓名使自己看起來更像貴族、更有來頭. 也許珍就是從她鄰居們的作為中擷取靈感, 在書中描寫出這群發達後的中產階級的奇形怪狀.
而整個第五章, 最吸引我的就是第一段、有關於Sir William Lucas的描述:
“Sir William Lucas had been formerly in trade in Meryton, where he had made a tolerable fortune and risen to the honour of knighthood by an address to the King during his mayoralty. The distinction had perhaps been felt too strongly. It had given him a disgust to his business and to his residence in a small market town; and quitting them both, he had removed with his family to a house about a mile from Meryton, denominated from that period Lucas Lodge, where he could think with pleasure of his own importance, and, unshackled by business, occupy himself solely in being civil to all the world. For though elated by his rank, it did not render him supercilious; on the contrary, he was all attention to every body. By nature inoffensive, friendly and obliging, his presentation at St. James's had made him courteous.”
經典啊!~ 這個網站對於此段有很不錯的評論: http://www.shmoop.com/pride-and-prejudice/writing-style.html
總之, 當時的社會瞧不起”working for a living”的人, 使得William Lucas在經商致富、而後當了地方首長, 因而能在國王面前發表演說、獲得爵士的頭銜後, 竟然開始認為”繼續經商、勤奮工作”會與他新獲得的爵士地位不相稱, 於是便不再工作, 要當個文明人(being civil)!~ 所以, 閒閒沒事作、對社會毫無生產力的人才是文明人呢!~ 0_0 而整個社會對他的這樣的舉動是認同的- 大家對他的形容詞, 從原本的”friendly”, 變成更花俏的形容詞”courteous”- 裡面還夾有”court”(宮廷, 他獲頒爵位的地方)這個字眼…
忍不住稱讚珍實在太了不起! 在這本算是羅曼史的小說中, 她精心穿插了許多有意思的人物描寫, 用非常一針見血、非常諷刺的方式凸顯當時社會的荒謬- 大家都致力與「努力工作」撇清、當個無所事事的人才算高尚?! 很難想像一位21歲的女孩就能有如此觀察… 真好奇當時的讀者讀了小說之後有什麼感受… 更忍不住想, 若珍生活在現代, 那她又將會有什麼樣的人物描寫呢?... 我真想看啊~XD-- 肯定也有許多荒謬值得大書特書、讓讀者省思… 例如, 現代人想要看起來體面的慾望似乎也不少, 現在是透過facebook、instagram來呈現吧… XP
這就是閱讀珍的原文書的樂趣!- 好像在字裡行間搜尋寶物一樣 XD 試圖找出她暗藏的訊息… 這也是看翻譯版本時較難體會到的! 因為這種句子實在很難翻譯得很全面、很到位啊… 在我小學讀這本書時, 我根本對Sir William Lucas這個人沒啥印象… 幸好現在有讀原文~ ^_^
最後呢, 想提個小發現! 在第四章中, 有句話提到: “Mr. Bingley had not been of age two years, when he was tempted by an accidental recommendation to look at Netherfield House.” 這兒的”of age”, 代表”legal age”, 也就是21歲(詳情可見這兒的解釋: https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110608210956AATtv84). 所以算起來, 賓利先生租Netherfield時, 還不到23歲(因為離他的21歲還不滿兩年). 另外, 記得在小說後面, 狄堡夫人曾經問Lizzy的年紀, Lizzy回答她不只21歲… 而大姊Jane又肯定比Lizzy更年長… 這一切意味著-- Lizzy有可能跟賓利先生同年(22歲), 而大姊Jane應該比賓利先生年長一些…也就是, 賓利與Jane的組合是姊弟戀耶!!! 登登登登!!! 大發現~~~ :D … Okie…以上為忠實書迷的無聊數學計算… XD (更正: 後來發現, 那句Lizzy回答狄堡夫人自己的年紀的話, 東流的翻譯錯誤了啦~ XP Lizzy說: "I am not one and twenty", 應該翻譯成"我不到二十一歲", 也就是, Lizzy是20歲啦~ XP.... 根據「The Annotated Pride and Prejudice」Page 11的註解, 大姊Jane是22歲, 與Mr. Bingley同年~)
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