Day2 舞会后的讨论 Chapter 4.1 看点 舞会后的讨论（一）

Day 2.1 舞会后的讨论（一）

Chapter 4 看点

本章主要呈现了舞会后Jane和Elizabeth对于Bingley和Bingley’s sisters的评价与看法，在这个过程中，姐妹两人的性格也有了初步地体现。此外，本章还进一步对比了Bingley和Darcy的区别，描述了他们对于Miss Bennet（即Jane）的不同看法。

01

Miss Bennet对Bingley的评价

“He is just what a young man ought to be,” said she, “sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners!—so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!”

“He is also handsome,” replied Elizabeth, “which a young man ought likewise to be, if he possibly can. His character is thereby complete.”

单词注释

ought to be  应当是

likewise /'laɪkwaɪz/ adv. 同样地，也

内容分析

Jane对Bingley的评价有a young man ought to be（年轻人的榜样）、sensible（通情达理的）、good-humoured、lively、good breeding（良好的教养）等，赞美和喜爱溢于言表；Elizabeth对Bingley的评价是handsome、character is complete等，可以看出她对Bingley也评价很高。

知识链接：

依照英国的风俗，如果某某姓氏家族有几个女儿，那么外人称呼其未婚女儿中年纪最大的那个为某某小姐（如Jane是Bennet家最大的未婚女儿，因此可以被叫作Miss Bennet，即“本尼特小姐”），称呼其他女儿则在小姐前面冠以其闺名（如Miss Elizabeth，即“伊丽莎白小姐”）。

02

Elizabeth对Bingley’s sisters的评价

They were in fact very fine ladies, not deficient in good humour when they were pleased, nor in the power of making themselves agreeable where they chose it; but proud and conceited. They were rather handsome, had been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town, had a fortune of twenty thousand pounds, were in the habit of spending more than they ought, and of associating with people of rank; and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves, and meanly of others.

单词注释

deficient /dɪ'fɪʃ(ə)nt/ adj. 不足的，有缺陷的（同义词insufficient）

conceited /kən'siːtɪd/ adj. 自负的，逞能的

seminary /'semɪn(ə)rɪ/ n. 学校，神学院

associate with sb  结交某人（区分associate sb with sth，将某人联想为某事）

respect /rɪ'spekt/ n. 方面，尊敬

Ÿ in every respect  在各个方面

entitled /in'taitld/ adj. 有资格的，标题为

内容分析

Elizabeth对Bingley’s sisters的评价包括fine ladies、not deficient in good humour when they were pleased, nor in the power of making themselves agreeable when they chose it（开心时不乏幽默感，只要愿意的话也会和蔼可亲）、proud、conceited（自负的）、handsome、had been educated in one of the first private seminaries in town（读过城里最早的私人培训班）；spending more than they ought（花钱大手大脚）；think well of themselves（自视甚高）等，可以看出Bingley’s sisters虽然教养良好，却很傲慢。   

知识链接：

one of the first private seminaries in town：城里（伦敦）最早的私人培训班。

18世纪初期，英国中上层阶级的女孩绝大部分在家接受教育；但随着海外殖民地的扩张，到了该世纪中叶，通过贸易发财的商人越来越多，而当时的英国又是一个等级森严、繁文缛节特别多的社会，许多商人希望自己的女儿接受更好的教育，尤其是学习贵族的生活方式，以便嫁入豪门，从而提升自己的社会地位，于是一些专门招收女学生的私人培训班（private seminary）应运而生。这些培训班收费高昂，有些学费每年高达200英镑；它们并不注重培养学生的具体技能，主要教导学生如何穿衣打扮、跳舞交际，也开设法语和意大利语课程等，提升学生在婚姻市场上的价值。因此这里明面上说两姐妹受过教育，实际上是在讽刺她们的浅薄和虚荣。

03

Bingley和Darcy对Miss Bennet的不同评价

Bingley had never met with pleasanter people or prettier girls in his life; everybody had been most kind and attentive to him, there had been no formality, no stiffness; he had soon felt acquainted with all the room; and as to Miss Bennet, he could not conceive an angel more beautiful. Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection of people in whom there was little beauty and no fashion, for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest, and from none received either attention or pleasure. Miss Bennet he acknowledged to be pretty, but she smiled too much.

单词注释

attentive /ə'tentɪv/ adj. 照顾周到的，留意的

formality /fɔ'mæləti/ n. 拘谨，礼节

stiffness /'stɪfnɪs/ n. 僵硬，不自然

conceive /kən'siːv/ v. 构思，以为

内容分析

Bingley对Miss Bennet的评价是he could not conceive an angel more beautiful（觉得恐怕天使也没有那么美丽），Darcy则认为Miss Bennet he acknowledged to be pretty, but she smiled too much（漂亮但却笑得太频繁），可见Darcy的挑剔。