評論
打印
Well, for the period 1945 to 1988,
1945年到1988年期間
a scholar has as they say done the math,
據說有個學者做過統計
a total of 204 novels were set on British campuses,
總共有204部小說以英國校園為背景
of these, 145, over 70%, took place in only two universities.
其中145部，占70%都是發生在兩所大學
Yes, Oxford and Cambridge.
對，牛津和劍橋
And Oxford's own share was, says the author,
作者說單單牛津這一所大學
monstrously large with 119 novels out of 205
就占據了絕大多數
set in this single campus.
205部中有119部
So British fiction generally privileges Oxbridge,
因此英國小說給了牛津和劍橋不一般的待遇
and so in that sense not surprisingly so does crime fiction.
由此來說犯罪小說也是如此并不奇怪
And that provides the first element
這個是解答問題
in the answer to the question "why Oxford".
"為什么是牛津"的首要原因
Almost all the authors...
幾乎所有作者...
this is the second element,
這個是第二個原因
that almost all of the authors of these campus novels
幾乎這些校園小說和很多偵探小說的
and many of the detective novels were students at Oxford.
所有作者都是牛津的學生
They were here at an impressionable age,
他們此時正處一個易受影響的年紀
they living in the intense, cloistered,
處在一個本科大學的緊張強烈
rarified setting of an undergraduate college.
與世隔絕，純潔簡單的環境中
Small wonder that they revisit this experience in fiction.
難怪他們在小說中重溫這樣的感覺
The crime writer Martin Edwards, a Balliol graduate,
犯罪小說作家馬丁·愛德華，貝利奧爾學院的畢業生
notes that 30 alumni of his college
指出有30個大學校友
have written crime novels set in Oxford.
把犯罪小說背景設在牛津
One of them, Tim Heald, has written a series of novels,
其中有一個作家蒂姆·希爾德寫過一系列的小說
featuring a detective called Simon Bognor,
塑造了一個名叫西蒙·博格諾的偵探
and one of these, Masterstroke, is set in Oxford
其中一部，妙舉，就是設在牛津
And Heald's website remarks of this book:
希爾德在這本書的網站上說
"every novelist who went to Oxford University
"每一個在牛津大學上過學的小說家
has to write an Oxford novel, and this is mine."
都應該寫一部牛津小說，而這本就是我寫的"
I think it's another element in the explanation
我想這是可以解釋的另一個原因
The same rule, Tim Heald's rule,
同樣的標準，蒂姆·希爾德的標準
applies to other one-off appearances in Oxford
對于在其他地方工作的
by detectives who usually work elsewhere.
但在牛津現身一次的偵探也同樣適合
Antonia Fraser brought her detective Jemima Shore
安東尼婭·弗瑞澤在一個故事，牛津血案中
to Oxford for one story, Oxford Blood.
把她的偵探杰邁瑪·肖爾也帶到了牛津
Hazel Holt brought Sheila Malory here
黑茲爾·霍爾特在19部小說中
just once in 19 novels.
有一次把希拉·馬洛里帶到了牛津
And Val McDermid, a hugely successful crime and thrill writer,
成功的犯罪小說和懸疑小說家瓦爾·麥克德米德
waited until her resent 28th novel, A Trick of the Dark
終于將她的第28部小說，黑夜詭計的
for an Oxford setting.
故事背景設在了牛津
McDermid emphasized when she talked about "why Oxford",
麥克德米德在談到"為什么是牛津"的時候強調
she emphasized the spirit of the place,
她強調了這個地方的精神
the extend to each members of the university love crime fiction,
在大學里每一位生產者和消費者
both as producers and consumers.
都非常鐘愛犯罪小說
