評論
打印
And I noted earlier that the Oxford College in particular
我早前就發現了牛津大學尤其
lends itself to detective fiction.
適合于偵探小說
It provides obviously a distinctive and picturous setting,
它有獨具特色風景如畫的背景
buildings, quadrangles, archways,
建筑，方院，走廊
a complex of buildings that turn in on themselves,
各式各樣錯綜復雜的建筑
with those front doors and Porter's arch
帶有前門和波特式拱門
that exclude the outer world,
拒絕接納外界
private even secret architecture.
私密的甚至隱秘的建筑
More than this, as Michael Innes put it:
不止如此，正如邁克爾·英尼斯所說的:
"The fellows habitat
"人們的習慣
the material structure in which they talk, eat and sleep
他們說話，吃飯，睡覺的方式
offers such a capital frame for the quiddities
都為其內在本質提供了
and wilie-beguilies of the craft.”
一個基本框架"
McDermid also mentions some practical advantages of
麥克德米德也指出了以大學作為犯罪小說背景的
the university's setting for crime novels.
一些實用性優點
It's near enough to London
牛津離倫敦夠近
to provide narrative access to the world beyond the academy.
除了學院外還可以向世界講述其余事物
It houses of vast range of nationalities and cultures.
牛津集合了各種國籍和文化
It is a center of power and it's full of very clever people.
它是個權力中心，并且到處都是聰明人
And finally she says: It also has snob value,
最后她說:牛津也有勢利的價值
it helps define us, the British to ourselves.
牛津有助于我們定義英國人
I think that's a very important insight as part of this explanation.
我認為作為解釋的一部分這是非常有見地的
It still surprises some that crime fiction is written and read
犯罪小說被這么多牛津大學的學者寫作和拜讀
by so many academics in Oxford.
還是讓不少人感到震驚的
50 years ago, the political philosopher A.M. Quinton
50年前，政治哲學家昆廷
waived aside such doubts.
拋開了這種疑慮
I'm going to give you a quote from him
我要引述一下他
in wonderfully donnish language.
十分學究式的語言
He was asked why do people read it…
他當時被問到為什么大家閱讀...
"This is a perfectly intelligible state of affairs.
"這情況是完全可以理解的
The classical detective story is
經典的偵探小說是
in an appropriately narrow sense of the word
在一個適當的詞語狹義中而言
pre-eminently intellectual.
卓越的智力
It calls on its author for out-of-the-way knowledge
這要求作者有著偏僻的知識
for extended interest in the articulation of
對于錯誤理論，誤導的構思
mistaken theories, the red herring,
有著極強的興趣
and for the ability to manipulate complex interlockings
對于操控一系列的時間，地點
of time, place and movements."
和事件的環環相扣的能力"
