15【人来人往】虚伪姐妹竟是情敌

阅读技巧 

学会用连接词理清逻辑

英语表达前后句有逻辑关系时，一般会加上逻辑连词或者副词的。比如Elinor介绍Edward的一段话，她的连接词就很值得学习：“He does not draw himself, indeed, but he has great pleasure in seeing the performances of other people, and I assure you he is by no means deficient in natural taste, though he has not had opportunities of improving it. ”

在转折和递进的语句前，Elinor都使用了连词来做承接，这就使得她的陈述逻辑很清晰。

选段解析 

原文选段1：

“You must think my question an odd one, I dare say, but, pray, are you personally acquainted with your sister-in-law’s mother, Mrs. Ferrars?” 

(P. 96)

（1）情敌的试探

我知道你一定觉得我这个问题很蹊跷，不过，请问，你认识你嫂嫂的母亲Ferrars太太？

（2）语言解析

 Lucy的语言中使用了“I dare say, but, pray,”这种插入语，让语句不连贯，而且语言选的比较粗俗，让人能感觉到Lucy的谈吐不是受过良好教育的谈吐。

原文选段2：

 “I cannot bear to have you think me impertinently curious. I am sure I would rather do any thing in the world than be thought so by a person whose good opinion is so well worth having as yours. And I am sure I should not have the smallest fear of trusting you; indeed I should be very glad of your advice how to manage in such an uncomfortable situation as I am; but however, there is no occasion to trouble you. I am sorry you do not happen to know Mrs. Ferrars.” (P. 97)

这一段大意就是说：我不能让你觉得我没礼貌、爱打听。我呀，特别在意你的看法，获得你这样有见地的人的好评太重要了。而且我敢说，我可以放心大胆信任你；处在我目前这种难受的境地，我特别想听听你的建议。但是我没有理由麻烦你了。你不认识Mrs. Ferrars太遗憾了。

原文选段3：

 “But if I dared tell you all, you would not be so much surprised. Mrs. Ferrars is certainly nothing to me at present, -but the time may come-how soon it will come must depend upon herself-when we may be very intimately connected.” (P. 97)

如果我能把一切都告诉你，你就不会这么惊讶了。Mrs. Ferrars现在当然与我毫无关系，不过日后我们的关系会很密切，当然日后具体什么时候，就要取决于Mrs. Ferrars本人了。

原文选段4：

 “Writing to each other is the only comfort we have in such long seperations. Yes, I have one other comfort in his picture; but poor Edward has not even that. If he had but my picture, he says he should be easy. I gave him a lock of my hair set in a ring when he was at Longstaple last, and that was some comfort to him, he said, but not equal to a picture. Perhaps you might notice the ring when you saw him?” (P. 102)

我来简单翻译一下这段的意思，Lucy说，我们长期很久才能见面，只能靠通信获得安慰。我呢，好歹还有一张他的画像作为安慰，可怜的Edward却连我的画像都没有。不过这次他来，我就给了他一缕我的头发，他镶在戒指里。你前段时间见到他，肯定也留意到了？

原文选段5：

“with a composure of voice, under which was concealed an emotion and distress beyond any thing she had ever felt before. She was mortified, shocked, confounded.” (P. 102)

此时Elinor语气故作平静，但却感到前所未有的情绪起伏和沮丧。她感到屈辱，震惊，惊慌失措。

背景文化知识 

简奥斯汀笔下的英伦时尚

从十八世纪末期到十九世纪初期，奥斯汀见证了英国女性服饰的一个巨大转变，也就是女人们终于可以从紧身衣和大裙撑的束缚中解放出来，取而代之的是一种宽松的长裙，长度可以达到脚踝，这种长裙可以给人一种庄重的感觉。

《傲慢与偏见》中，伊丽莎白走路去看望生病的姐姐，宾利小姐说伊丽莎白的长裙有六英寸都沾到泥巴了，让我们对这种裙子的长度有了一个大致的印象。另外，英国的帽子也非常有意思，当时女性外出会戴上装饰有羽毛的宽边帽子，而且在下巴上打一个蝴蝶结，李安导演拍摄的《理智与情感》电影里，就有姐妹俩戴帽子打蝴蝶结的经典造型。总的来说，奥斯汀小说对人物的服饰着墨不多，少数着重描写了装扮、服饰的人物，奥斯汀基本也是对她们持批判态度。比如这部小说中的Steele姐妹。作者的用意大概是，人物过度追求服饰一类外在的东西，只会让人更加虚伪、空洞，其本质不过是掩盖缺失的内涵。

下讲预告 

随着Steele姐妹俩的到来，我们迎来了小说最激烈的一次冲突，姐姐Elinor原本就坎坷不平的恋爱道路，这下直接被半道杀出来的Lucy堵死了，可以说是，还没开始恋爱呢，就直接失恋了。Elinor这个姑娘，接下来会如何面对这次意料之外的失恋呢？