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"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."
“她们几个没有一点可值得炫耀的地方”,班纳特先生回答道,“就像其他女孩们一样肤浅无知。可莉兹不一样,她要比她的姐妹们机灵多了。”
"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."
“我的老爷啊,您怎么能这么说自己的孩子呢?您是为了高兴才故意气我的吧。您怎么就不能体谅一下我脆弱的神经啊。”
"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."
“我亲爱的太太,这您可就错怪我了。本人非常尊重您的神经,他们可是我的老朋友了。这二十多年来,您可没少慎之又慎的提到他们。”
"Ah! you do not know what I suffer."
“天呐,您可不知道我遭了多大的罪”。
"But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young men of four thousand a year come into the neighbourhood."
“我可是真心地希望你这毛病能快点好起来。要健健康康地活着才能看到一个个年收入四千英镑的阔少爷们都搬来做你的邻居呢。”
"It will be no use to us if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them."
“可您又不愿意去拜访他们,即便是搬来二十位阔少爷做邻居又有什么用呢?”
"Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty I will visit them all."
“放心吧,亲爱的太太,等到有了二十位阔少爷,我肯定挨个去拜访。”
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.
班纳特先生个性古怪,他既反应敏捷,说话喜欢挖苦人,有时候又表现的个性拘谨且反复无常,以致于他的妻子在长达二十三年婚姻生活中,还没能完全琢磨透他的性格。相反的,班纳特太太是一位凡事不怎么过脑子,没什么见识,并且个性喜怒无常的女人。一碰到不如意的事,她就会归咎到脆弱的神经上。她毕生的心愿就是把女儿们全都嫁出去,唯一的慰籍则是访亲探友和打听一些八卦消息。
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第一章的最后这一部分中,可以明显的看出班纳特先生和他的太太夫妻感情真的很一般。相互之间的对话更是极尽嘲讽之能。学生时代看这篇小说,只是走马观花,学习英语。现在读来,字里行间都有用意。在翻译这段的过程中,我不禁有个疑问,既然班纳特夫妻感情不合,为什么还要勉强的过呢?难道中世纪的英国没有离婚这一说吗?随手上网查了一下资料。果然在十八世纪的英国,离婚可不是一件简单的事。
十七世纪中叶到十八世纪初,英国在中世纪限制离婚的制度受到了更多抗议,人民追求离婚自由的呼声越来越高,人民开始另寻离婚的办法,从而出现了正式离婚与非正式离婚两种离婚制度。
不实用的正式离婚:英国议会经过几个世纪的发展,也逐渐成熟起来,也使得英国的法律完善了起来。17世纪,英国议会批准了第一例正式离婚案,这是英国离婚制度的开端,但是这种离婚制度却不同于其他国家的离婚方式,应该称为议会离婚。这个议会离婚,需要三个步骤,首先,需要先向教会法庭申请分居,经过教会法庭同意后进行下一步;向世俗法庭控告对方的罪行,这可以获得一定赔偿,罪行成立后,才可进行下一步;最后再向议会申请离婚,要再经过议会审批后才可获得再婚权。这个离婚过程非常繁琐,而且收费金额特别高昂。常在上千英镑,以当时的经济发展水平,甚至连中产阶级都对议会离婚的费用承担不起,更不用说大量的贫苦人民了,所以高额的离婚费用也将离婚自由限制在里中上层人,普通人依然没有婚姻自由权。
难怪作为小乡绅的班纳特夫妇依然维持着貌合神离的夫妻生活了。