Whether she’s describing bickering families, quiet declarations of love, or juicy gossip, Jane Austen’s writing often feels as though it was written just for you. Her dry wit and cheeky playfulness informs her heroines, whose conversational tone welcomes readers with a conspiratorial wink. It’s even been said that some readers feel like the author’s secret confidante, trading letters with their delightfully wicked friend Jane. But this unique brand of tongue-in-cheek humor is just one of the many feats found in her sly satires of society, civility, and sweeping romance.
不论是在描述争吵的家人、 爱的沉默宣言, 或是生动有趣的八卦, 简奥斯汀的作品通常都会让你 感觉到它根本是为你个人写的。 她冷静的机智和大胆的玩笑, 让她的女主角很有特色, 女主角的对谈语调,似乎在用 心有灵犀的方式来欢迎读者。 甚至有人说,有些读者觉得 自己像是作者的秘密女知己, 会和她们顽皮的朋友交换信件。 但是这种独特的招牌, 也就是玩笑式的幽默, 仅是她众多狡猾讽刺的技术之一, 她会讽刺社会、礼仪, 以及彻底的浪漫。
Written in the early nineteenth century, Austen's novels decode the sheltered lives of the upper classes in rural England. From resentment couched in pleasantries to arguing that masks attraction, her work explores the bewildering collision of emotions and etiquette.
奥斯汀写小说的时期是十九世纪初, 她的小说译解了英国乡村 上层阶级中不为人知的生活。 从客套中隐藏的怨恨, 到掩饰吸引力的争执, 她的作品探讨了情绪和礼节 抵触时,那让人困惑的冲突。
But while romance is a common thread in her work, Austen dismissed the sentimental style of writing so popular at the time. Instead of lofty love stories, her characters act naturally, and often awkwardly. They trade pragmatic advice, friendly jokes and not-so-friendly barbs about their arrogant peers. As they grapple with the endless rules of their society, Austen’s characters can usually find humor in all the hypocrisy, propriety, and small talk. As Mr. Bennet jokes to his favorite daughter, “For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors and laugh at them in our turn?”
但是虽然在她的作品中 浪漫爱情是常见的故事线, 奥斯汀完全不考虑采用当时 很流行的多愁善感式写作风格。 她不写高尚的爱情故事, 她的角色行为 都很自然,甚至笨拙。 他们会交换务实的建议、友善的玩笑, 在谈论自大的同伙时, 也会用上不太友善地讽刺言语。 当奥斯汀的角色在努力解决 他们社会中没完没了的规则时, 他们通常都可以找到幽默, 在各种伪善、得体举止, 和闲聊中都有着幽默。 如同班奈特先生对他最爱的 女儿开玩笑时所说的: “我们人生的目的是什么? 不就是捉弄我们的邻居, 轮到我们时就嘲笑他们吗?”
And though her heroines might ridicule senseless social mores, Austen fully understood the practical importance of maintaining appearances. At the time she was writing, a wealthy marriage was a financial necessity for most young women, and she often explores the tension between the mythical quest for love, and the economic benefits of making a match. The savvy socialite Mary Crawford sums this up in "Mansfield Park;" “I would have everybody marry if they can do it properly: I do not like to have people throw themselves away.”
虽然她的女主角可能会 揶揄无力的社会习俗, 但奥斯汀完全了解 维持外表的实际重要性。 当她在写作的时期, 在财务面来说,多数年轻女性 仍然觉得嫁个有钱人是必要的, 她也常探讨追求梦幻爱情 和考量经济利益而在一起 这两种选择之间的紧张关系。 在《曼斯菲尔德庄园》中,精明的 社会名流玛丽克劳佛这样总结: “我会让每个人都能妥当地结婚的话, 我很乐见: 我不喜欢让人们把自己浪费掉。”
Unsurprisingly, these themes were also present in Austen’s personal life. Born in 1775, she lived in the social circles found in her novels. Jane's parents supported her education, and provided space for her to write and publish her work anonymously. But writing was hardly lucrative work. And although she had sparks of chemistry, she never married.
不意外,这些主题也出现在 奥斯汀自己的人生中。 她生于1775年, 在她的小说中能看到 她所生活的社交圈。 简的父母资助她的教育, 给她空间写作, 让她能匿名出版她的作品。 但写作实在算不上是会赚大钱的工作。 虽然她曾经有过恋爱的火花, 但她从来没有结婚。 在她的许多角色身上都可以找到 她真实生活情景中的元素:
Elements of her circumstances can be found in many of her characters; often intelligent women with witty, pragmatic personalities, and rich inner lives. These headstrong heroines provide an entertaining anchor for their tumultuous romantic narratives. Like the irreverent Elizabeth Bennet of "Pride and Prejudice," whose devotion to her sisters’ love lives blinds her to a clumsy suitor. Or the iron-willed Anne Elliot of "Persuasion," who chooses to remain unmarried after the disappearance of her first love. And Elinor Dashwood, who fiercely protects her family at the cost of her own desires in "Sense and Sensibility." These women all encounter difficult choices about romantic, filial, and financial stability, and they resolve them without sacrificing their values– or their sense of humor.
通常这些角色是睿智的女性, 有着机智、务实的个性, 以及充实的内在生活。 这些任性的女主角 很有娱乐性,可以撑起 她们那混乱又浪漫的故事。 就像《傲慢与偏见》中 无理的伊丽莎白·班奈特, 她太过投入她姐妹的爱情生活, 让她看不见一位笨拙的追求者。 或是《劝导》中意志坚强的 安妮·埃利奥特, 在她的初恋对象消失之后, 她选择不要结婚。 还有非常保护家人的埃利诺·道施伍德, 在《理性与感性》中, 付出的代价是她自己的欲望。 这些女性都遇到了困难的选择, 关于爱情、孝道, 以及财务稳定的选择, 且在解决时,她们也没有 牺牲自己的价值观—— 或自己的幽默感。
Of course, these characters are far from perfect. They often think they have all the answers. And by telling the story from their perspective, Austen tricks the viewer into believing their heroine knows best– only to pull the rug out from under the protagonist and the reader. In "Emma," the titular character feels surrounded by dull neighbors, and friends who can’t hope to match her wit. As her guests prattle on and on about nothing, the reader begins to agree– Emma is the only exciting character in this quiet neighborhood. Yet despite her swelling ego, Emma may not be as in control as she thinks – in life or love. And Austen’s intimate use of perspective makes these revelations doubly surprising, blindsiding both Emma and her audience.
当然,这些角色一点也不完美。 她们通常都认为 自己有所有的答案。 奥斯汀会从她们的角度来说故事, 这样就能欺骗读者, 相信这些女主角是最懂的人—— 之后再釜底抽薪, 拆了主角和读者的台。 在《爱玛》中的爱玛觉得 自己身边都是无趣的邻居, 以及机智水平远比不上她的朋友。 当她的客人闲扯半天 又吐不出象牙时, 读者就会开始认同—— 在这安静的邻里中, 爱玛时唯一能让人兴奋的角色。 但是尽管爱玛自我膨胀的很厉害, 她可能没有自己想象的那么能掌控—— 不论是在人生还是爱情上。 奥斯汀采用很亲近的视角, 让这些真相被揭露时更让人吃惊,
But rather than diminishing her host of heroines, these flaws only confirm “the inconsistency of all human characters.” Their complexity has kept Austen prominent on stage and screen, and made her work easily adaptable for modern sensibilities. So hopefully, new readers will continue to find a friend in Ms. Austen for many years to come.
攻到爱玛以及读者的不备之处。 但是这些瑕疵并没有 贬损她的女主角们, 反而只是确认了 “所有人类角色的不一致性”。 这些角色的复杂度,让奥斯汀 在舞台上和银幕上都很抢眼, 让她的作品和现代感情也很相符。 所以希望, 在接下来的年代,新读者会持续