我的书友会 -
Pride and Prejudice
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《Pride and Prejudice》
by Jane Austen
CHAPTER ONE.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.
``My dear Mr. Bennet,'' said his lady to him one day, ``have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?''
Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.
``But it is,'' returned she; ``for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.''
Mr. Bennet made no answer.
``Do not you want to know who has taken it?'' cried his wife impatiently.
``You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.''
This was invitation enough.
``Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.''
``What is his name?''
``Bingley.''
``Is he married or single?''
``Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!''
``How so? how can it affect them?''
``My dear Mr. Bennet,'' replied his wife, ``how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.''
``Is that his design in settling here?''
``Design! nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.''
``I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better; for, as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Bingley might like you the best of the party.''
``My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be any thing extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty.''
``In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of.''
``But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Mr. Bingley when he comes into the neighbourhood.''
``It is more than I engage for, I assure you.''
``But consider your daughters. Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them. Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to go, merely on that account, for in general, you know they visit no new comers. Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit him, if you do not.''
``You are over-scrupulous, surely. I dare say Mr. Bingley will be very glad to see you; and I will send a few lines by you to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying which ever he chuses of the girls; though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy.''
``I desire you will do no such thing. Lizzy is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Jane, nor half so good humoured as Lydia. But you are always giving her the preference.''
``They have none of them much to recommend them,'' replied he; ``they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters.''
``Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves.''
``You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least.''
``Ah! You do not know what I suffer.''
``But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young men of four thousand a year come into the neighbourhood.''
``It will be no use to us if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them.''
``Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty I will visit them all.''
Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develope. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.
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wwlcj1982:
哈哈，楼主真有意思。呵呵，留个脚印……楼主的这个方法我也在考虑如何通过论坛和个人空间来最方便的实现。帖子转移到英美文学沙龙。
dsz_shn_CHINA :
一眼扫过，你可能就发现了文中可能的错误，请不要吝啬你的指正。 想想看，当我们读完最后一章后，我们不只自己有所收获。而且也为那些想通过网络读原著的初读原著者，但又因电子版的错误而显得有点不知所措，留下了一本毫无错误，完全可以放心大胆收藏，去读的原著，这又是何等的收获。
wwlcj1982:
一眼扫过还真不习惯这种古老的英式表达，错误倒没发现什么，挑出三个词来学习一下：
over-scrupulous：过于审慎的
Depend upon it，保管没错
caprice：变化无常
文笔还是典型的奥斯汀式的幽默：
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.
dsz_shn_CHINA :
横看成岭侧成峰，远近高低各不同。
这本书我何止看过千遍（好像有点夸张哦 ），但每每看到这些文字依然还是那么亲切。初读过后留下的只是粗粗的框架 ，又读时，感觉人物在自己内心有了浅浅的烙印，再读时，压抑不住想把这本书也介绍给别人的冲动 。当别人把介绍这本书的冲动转给我时，我发现，这本书我不止读过了一遍，但此时我又有了一种心情：找个人一起，沉浸在这本书里，一沉到底 。
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gjpeng:
楼主的建议确实不错！读书不仅需要时间，更需要激情。有时候，一个人的激情很难持续很久。于是就有了半途而废的情况。如果有书友互相鼓励的话，我想各自的激情可以相互感染，应该能坚持得久一些吧！
WWLCJ1982:
引用：
Jane Austen began writing the novel which later became Pride and Prejudice in October of 1796 and finished it by August of the following year; she was then twenty-one years old. Little is known of this early version of the story beyond its original title: First Impressions. No copy of that original is known to exist. Three months after Miss Austen completed work on the book, her father offered it to a publisher in the hope that it would make it into print. The publisher refused without ever having seen the manuscript.
Fortunately for all of her admirers, whether Austen was discouraged or not by her first rejection, she continued to write; though, it was not until the winter of 1811, fully fourteen years after finishing First Impressions, that she again picked up that manuscript and began revising it into the version we know today as Pride and Prejudice. This occurred in the wake of her first publishing success--the publication of Sense and Sensibility on 30 October 1811. Pride and Prejudice was far more fortunate than its earlier incarnation; it was accepted for publication and was presented to the world on 28 January 1813.
Jane Austen's name was never attached to any of her published novels during her lifetime, and the title page of Pride and Prejudice read only:
BY THE AUTHOR OF "SENSE AND SENSIBILITY."
找了一段简单的介绍，原来这本书在写成的时候就被出版商拒之门外了甚至The publisher refused without ever having seen the manuscript.后来又经过修订改写才成了今天的版本。
等候楼主的第二章，明天后天得回北京，无法参加了，有点遗憾。
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在第一章里认识了几个新单词：
caprice （n. ）反复无常
solace（n. ）提供慰籍的事物
vex （vt. ）使烦恼
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此外，呵呵，开始看到“to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying which ever he chuses of the girls;”这句时，还以为那个chuse是拼写错误了呢，但查一下字典后才知道原来chuse是choose的古写法。
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回复boresome 同学，好样的，加油。
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还好看过电影，能明白一点点，要不真的看不懂呢。呵呵。
你还不是该群组正式成员，不能参与讨论。
现在就加入。