Pride and Prejudice 傲慢與偏見

Although first published almost 200 years ago, the novels of Jane Austen have retained their popularity around the world. It is not difficult to find the reasons for their enduring appeal. Austen wrote about universal themes, such as the joy and pain of love, the pursuit of happiness, and the need to be accepted by society.

Jane Austen was born in 1775 in a rural part of southern England. She and her family were al avid readers. They even read novels, which were often looked down on during that time. Jane began writing before her teens, and had completed a history book by the time she was sixteen.

The six romantic novels that Austen wrote before her death in 1817 are still widely read. Her first novel published was “Sense and Sensibility” in 1811, but her best-known work, “Pride and Prejudice,” was written around fifteen years earlier. Although originally rejected for publication, the novel, and its intelligent heroine, have come to hold a place among the great classics of English literature.

“Pride and Prejudice” tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, a somewhat absurd couple, and their five young, unmarried daughters. The plot revolves mainly around the second daughter, Elizabeth, and her troublesome romance with the wealthy but arrogant Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy represents the pride of the novel’s title, while the prejudice is represented by Elizabeth’s attitude toward Mr. Darcy. In the novel, Elizabeth must overcome her prejudice against him before she can fall in love.

Elizabeth’s romance with Mr. Darcy parallels that of her older sister Jane with his friend, Charles Bingley. Jane’s relationship starts off much more smoothly, and survives the efforts of Bingley’s unpleasant sister, Caroline, to break it up. Other significant subplots include the adventures of Lydia, the youngest Bennet daughter. She brings disgrace on the family by running away with a man named Wickham.

Everything ends well, of course. Even Wickham ends up doing the honorable thing and marrying Lydia. Jane and Charles get married. So do Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, once he has overcome his dislike of the Bennet family’s strange ways, and she has seen the decent man behind the pride.

“I must confess that I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know.” In the flowery language of the early 19th century, that was how Jane Austen described her character Elizabeth Bennet in a letter to a friend.

Jane Austen need not have feared. Elizabeth has probably attracted more sympathy and admiration than any other of the author’s characters, male or female. She is a lively, quick -witted young woman with a strong sense of justice and a natural goodness that have widespread appeal.

One of the most interesting moments in “Pride and Prejudice” comes when Elizabeth reluctantly visits Darcy’s home, and perceives the high respect in which he is held by everyone around him. It is the turning point of the story, when she begins to see beyond Darcy’s pride and develop real feelings for him. It also shows Jane Austen’s skill at dealing with complex emotions and timeless themes in her deceptively simple stories.

盡管簡·奧斯汀的小說出版已近200年，在全世界卻一直享有盛名。找到其吸引力能經久不衰的原因并不難。奧斯汀寫作的主題具有普遍性，如愛情的喜悅與痛苦、對幸福的追求和希望被社會接納的需要。

1775年簡·奧斯汀出生在英格蘭南部的鄉下。她和她的家人都酷愛讀書。他們甚至連當時被嗤之以鼻的小說都要讀。簡十幾歲以前就開始寫作，在十六歲的時候就完成了一部歷史書。

1817年奧斯汀去世，生前她寫的六部浪漫愛情小說至今仍廣為流傳。1811年她出版了第一部小說《理智與情感》，但她最著名的作品《傲慢與偏見》則在其15年前就完成了。盡管這部小說最初出版曾遭拒絕，但小說和書中聰明伶俐的女主角，已在英國文學的偉大經典作品

中占有一席之地。

《傲慢與偏見》講述了班奈特這對有點荒誕的夫婦和他們的五個年輕未婚女兒的故事。情節主要圍繞著二女兒伊麗莎白和她與富有卻傲慢的達西先生間曲折的愛情。達西先生代表了小說標題中的“傲慢”，而“偏見”則表明了伊麗莎白對達西先生的態度。小說中伊麗莎白必須克服她對達西先生的

偏見，才能和他相愛。

伊麗莎白的姐姐簡和達西先生的朋友查爾斯·彬利之間的愛情故事，與伊麗莎白和達西先生的故事類似。簡的愛情剛開始進行得順利得多，雖然遭到彬利的妹妹卡羅琳，那個不討人喜歡的姑娘的蓄意破壞，最終還是有情人終成眷屬。其它重要的次要情節包括班奈特家小女麗迪雅的冒險。她和一個名叫威克姆的男子私奔而使家族蒙受羞辱。

當然，一切都圓滿收場。甚至威克姆在最后也做了可敬的事，娶了麗迪雅。簡和查爾斯結了婚。伊麗莎白與達西先生也終成眷屬─ 一旦達西先生克服了對班奈特家奇怪生活方式的厭惡，而伊麗莎白也看到了他傲慢背后親切善良的一面。

“我必須承認，我認為她是所有出版書中最讓人喜愛的角色。對那些一點都不喜歡她的人，我不知道我能容忍到什么地步。”在講究華麗詞藻的19世紀初，簡·奧斯汀在一封給朋友的信中對她小說中的角色伊麗莎白·班奈特做了上述描述。

簡·奧斯汀不需要擔心。和她筆下的其它男女角色相比，伊麗莎白可能已經得到了更多的贊同與欽佩。伊麗莎白是個活潑機智的年輕女性，她強烈的正義感和善良的本性有廣泛的吸引力。

《傲慢與偏見》中最有趣的一個情節是當伊麗莎白不情愿地拜訪達西先生家時，感到他受到身邊每個人的極度尊敬。這是故事的轉折點，她開始透過達西先生的傲慢，看到他真實的一面，進而發展出對他的真情。在看似簡單的故事里，簡·奧斯汀處理復雜情感及永恒主題的技巧，在此也展露無遺。