试听180秒17【情感挫折】平和应对情敌

选段解析 

原文选段1:

 “In a firm, though cautious tone, Elinor thus began “I should be undeserving of the confidence you have honoured me with, if I felt no desire for its continuance, or no farther curiosity on its subject. I will not apologize therefore for bringing it forward again.” (P. 108)

Elinor谨慎而坚定地说道，“如果我对你上次说的事一点不好奇，不要求你继续说下去，我恐怕就辜负了你对我的信任。所以你不要怪我再提起这件事。”说白了，就是想跟Lucy说，上次你说的时候，我有点失态，接下来我要更平和地听你再说说上次你提到的订婚的事。

原文选段2:

 “And yet I do assure you,” replied Lucy, her little sharp eyes full of meaning, “there seemed to me to be a coldness and displeasure in your manner, that made me quite uncomfortable. I felt sure that you was angry with me; and have been quarrelling with myself ever since, for having took such a liberty as to trouble you with my affairs.” (P. 109)

我先简单解释一下这段话，Lucy意味深长地看着Elinor，回答道：“不过说实在的，你当时的反应那么冷淡，那么不高兴，这让我很不安。我想你准是生我气了，所以自从上次我就一直埋怨自己，不该冒昧地用自己的事情麻烦你。”

原文选段3:

“Indeed I can easily believe that it was a very great relief to you, to acknowledge your situation to me, and be assured that you shall never have reason to repent it. Your case is a very unfortunate one; you seem to me to be surrounded with difficulties, and you will have need of all your mutual affection to support you under them. Mr. Ferrars, I believe, is entirely dependent on his mother.” (P. 109)

Elinor回答道：“的确我特别能理解，向我坦承你的处境对你而言是极大的宽慰，你也可以放心，你绝不用后悔这么做。你的遭遇很不幸，面临着各种各样的困难，你们得依靠互相的爱坚持下去。我想，费拉斯先生完全依赖于他母亲。”这里说到的Edward，她用的是费拉斯先生，就是让自己不牵扯到他们的情感纠纷中。

原文选段4:

“But Mrs. Ferrars is a very headstrong proud woman, and in her first fit of anger upon hearing it, would very likely secure every thing to Robert, and the idea of that, for Edward’s sake, frightens away all my inclination for hasty measures.”(P. 110)

Lucy的意思是，费拉斯太太顽固自负，她一听到这个消息，也就是Edward跟自己私下订婚这件事，就会气得把所有财产都留给二儿子罗伯特。一想到这点，看在Edward的份上，我就吓得不敢贸然行事了。

原文选段5:

“I believe it would be the wisest way to put an end to the business at onceby dissolving the engagement. We seem so beset with difficulties on every side, that though it would make us miserable for a time, we should be happier perhaps in the end. But you will not give me your advice, Miss Dashwood?”(P. 111)

Lucy大声说：我相信，结束这些麻烦最好的办法，就是解除婚约。而且她还表示，这对于两个人可能都是好事。接着她竟然问Elinor，让Elinor给自己点建议。面对这种试探，Elinor当然不会上当，她表示自己不会给任何建议。

原文选段6:

 “I know nobody of whose judgment I think so highly as I do of yours; and I do really believe, that if you was to say to me, ‘I advise you by all means to put an end to your engagement with Edward Ferrars, it will be more for the happiness of both of you,’ I should resolve upon doing it immediately.”

(P. 112)

Lucy说，Elinor如果对自己说出“我劝你无论如何都要解除和Edward的婚约”，我马上就听你Elinor的劝说，只要你这么说，我就这么做。

背景文化知识 

奥斯汀的小说里总是出现各式各样的聚会、舞会，在《理智与情感》这部小说里更是多次出现对于这类聚会的讽刺，但是我们发现，即便姐妹俩觉得这种聚会多半是无聊的，但还是会接二连三地参加，这是出于对传统礼仪的尊重呢？还是别的什么原因？

奥斯汀生活的世纪之交，英国物质进步明显，有钱有闲的人们在社交中打发时间是理所当然的事。而在这个时期，女性不从事任何职业，男女接触机会少，父母只好通过参加舞会、请客吃饭、访问亲友等方式，使未婚女儿有更多机会接触未婚男子，其中宴请就是最频繁的交往活动。这部小说里缺乏情趣的Sir John为了填补闲适生活的空虚，以异乎寻常的热情设宴请客，组织聚会。

在帕尔默夫妇的离别宴会上，Sir John曾经因为宾客少而深感不安，希望小姐们不要感到枯燥。但受限于主人本身就不高的学识品味，这类聚会通常只是进行吃吃喝喝、打牌调侃，因此主人公姐妹俩常常觉得无聊。可见当时的宴会都是更注重浮华的形式：人数是否足够多足够热闹，装饰是否足够铺张，食物是否足够精致，至于宴会的实质内容和日程，尤其是宾客能否在精神上得到满足，则没有人真正在乎。

下讲预告 

通过两期内容读完姐姐Elinor的感情发展以及两个情敌的谈吐水准以后，小说里的主人公们就要迎来圣诞节了，这个圣诞节对于妹妹Marianne来说，可能会终身难忘。下一讲，会进入妹妹的感情发展线，Willoughby离开已经有一段时间了，那这段时间，感情的走向究竟会怎么发展？