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• 作者: Jane Austen
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• 语言: 中英文
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INTRODUCTION

One of the world's most popular novels, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice has delighted readers since its publication with the story of the witty Elizabeth Bennet and her relationship with the aristocrat Fitzwilliam Darcy. Similiar to Austen's other works, Pride and Prejudice is a humorous portrayal of the social atmosphere of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century England, and it is principally concerned with courtship rituals of the English gentry. The novel is much more than a comedic love story, however; through Austen's subtle and ironic style, it addresses economic, political, feminist, sociological, and philosophical themes, inspiring a great deal of diverse critical commentary on the meaning of the work.

Plot and Major Characters

Pride and Prejudice focuses on Elizabeth Bennet, an intelligent young woman with romantic and individualistic ideals, and her relationship with Mr. Darcy, a wealthy gentleman of very high social status. At the outset of the novel, Elizabeth's loud and dim-witted mother, her foolish younger sisters, and her beautiful older sister Jane are very excited because a wealthy gentleman, Mr. Bingley, is moving to their neighborhood. The young women are concerned about finding husbands because if Elizabeth's father, a humorous and ironical man, were to die, the estate would be left to their pompous cousin Mr. Collins. Mr. Bingley soon becomes attached to Jane while Elizabeth grows to dislike his close friend Mr. Darcy, whom the village finds elitist and ill-tempered. Under the influence of his sisters and Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley eventually moves away to London. Mr. Collins, an irritating clergyman, then proposes to his cousin Elizabeth, who refuses him. He marries her friend Charlotte instead, and Elizabeth visits the couple at their estate, where she and Mr. Darcy meet again at the house of his aunt, also Mr. Collin's patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth but she refuses him, partly based on her belief that he dissuaded Mr. Bingley from pursuing a relationship with Jane. In a letter to Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy explains his actions regarding Jane and Mr. Bingley, as well as the way in which he has treated his estranged childhood companion, Mr. Wickham. The next time Elizabeth sees Mr. Darcy, at his estate, she is better disposed toward him, but they are interrupted by a scandal involving Elizabeth's sister Lydia, who has eloped with Mr. Wickham. Mr. Bennet and his brother-in-law Mr. Gardiner attempt to resolve the situation, but it is actually Mr. Darcy who resolves the situation by paying Mr. Wickham and convincing him to marry Lydia. Mr. Bingley then returns to his estate in the Bennets' neighborhood and soon becomes engaged to Jane. Afterward, despite Lady Catherine's attempt to prevent the engagement, Elizabeth marries Mr. Darcy.

Major Themes

Austen's novel is principally concerned with the social fabric of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century England, a patriarchal society in which men held the economic and social power. In an often satirical portrait of the men and women attempting to gain a livelihood, Austen subtly and ironically points out faults in the system, raising questions about the values of English society and the power structure of the country. Pride and Prejudice contains many elements of social realism, and it focuses on the merging of the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy during the era of the Napoleonic wars and at the beginning of the industrial revolution. The novel is also engaged in an ideological debate that drives its plot and defines the essence of its main character. Interested in the balance between pragmatism, or the necessity of securing a marriage, and idealism, particularly Elizabeth's romanticism and individualism, Austen dramatizes her heroine's struggle to find a place within the conservative social institution of marriage. The precise nature of this balance is not necessarily clear, and despite what seems to be a happy marriage, it may not be entirely possible to reconcile Elizabeth's independence and naturalness with Mr. Darcy's conservatism and conventionality. Nevertheless, the novel seems to work toward an ideological balance and an alteration in the fundamental aspects of these characters that will lead to a reconciliation of the themes that they represent.

Critical Reception

Probably Austen's most widely read novel, Pride and Prejudice, which has been continuously in print since its publication in 1813, has been the subject of volumes of diverse critical reactions. Evaluations of this work have included condemnatory dismissals such as that of Mark Twain, measured praises of Austen's sophistication and wit, and plaudits for the novel as the author's masterpiece. Many early critics focused on the social realism of the novel, commenting on the depth, or lack of depth, of Austen's characters. Criticism of the novel from the nineteenth century through the early twentieth century also tended to regard Austen as a moralist, discussing the value system that Pride and Prejudice establishes. Critics from the 1920s through the 1950s focused on Austen's characteristic themes and stylistic devices, as well as discussing her choice of subject matter and the moral and ideological journey that Elizabeth undertakes throughout the course of the novel. During the 1960s and 1970s, commentators offered contextual criticism that evaluated Pride and Prejudice within the literary and social world in which Austen wrote. It was also during this period that new directions in criticism of the novel began to be explored. Since the late 1960s, for example, critics have approached Austen's novel from a variety of linguistic standpoints, such as Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of dialogism, as well as analyzing the work in terms of postmodern theory and applying new developments in psychology to the text. There has also been increased attention given to the political subtext of the novel, suggesting new ways of interpreting its relationship to the historical context of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In the later decades of the twentieth century and into the early years of the twenty-first century, the most prominent trends in criticism of Pride and Prejudice have derived from the perspectives of literary feminism, including analysis of the novel's view of female oppression, its portrayal of the patriarchal society of the time, and its treatment of the possibility, fantasy, and reality of female power. Feminist critics such as Judith Lowder Newton have envisioned the novel as a triumphant fantasy of female autonomy, while Jean Ferguson Carr warns that Austen's exclusion of Mrs. Bennet from the social world reveals a persistent subjugation of women throughout the novel. In addition to strictly feminist readings of Pride and Prejudice, many essays not associated with this school of social and literary thought either incorporate or challenge various feminist claims in relation to Austen's work.

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Story:

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

When Mr. Bingley, a rich young bachelor, rents Netherfield Park, one of the neighboring estates, excitement stirs in the Bennet family, which includes five mrriageable daughters. The flighty Mrs. Bennet immediately begins plotting which daughter to marry off to the unsuspecting Bingley, but her long-suffering husband suggests that Mr. Bingley might want some choice in the matter . Before long Mr. Bennet is persuaded by his wife to pay a formal call at Netherfield Park.

The Bennet daughters meet Mr. Bingley at the Meryton Ball. Also in attendance is Mr. Bingley's aristocratic friend Fitzwilliam Darcy, who turns up his nose at the vulgarity of Mrs. Bennet and snubs her daughters . Elizabeth Bennet, the liveliest and most intelligent of the Bennet girls, overhears the newcomer making condescending remarks about the local provin-cial society. When he refuses to be introduced to her, Elizabeth Bennet becomes instantly prejudiced against him, despite his good looks and great wealth.

More successful at the ball are the amiable Mr. Bingley and Elizabeth's lovely, good-natured older sister, Jane, to whom Elizabeth is closely attached . Soon after, Bingley and his sisters become friends with Jane Bennet, and the romance between Bingley and Jane seems to flourish. Eventually Darcy unbends a bit toward Elizabeth, and the two engage in ironic banter.

One day while visiting the Bingleys in the rain, Jane comes down with a bad cold and is compelled to stay at Netherfield Park. Elizabeth walks three miles through the mud to visit and nurse her sister. Her disheveled appearance when she arrives is meat for Caroline's gossip, but Mrs. Bennet sees the episode as a great opportunity to cement relations between Jane and Bingley. While Elizabeth is nursing her sister, Darcy pays her more attention, and Caroline's jealousy rages.

Bingley's sister Caroline is interested in Darcy herself. She tries unsuccessfully to poison his mind against Elizabeth. A more serious obstacle to the romance is Darcy's distaste for Elizabeth's vulgar, scheming mother and for the younger Bennet girls: flighty, officer-crazy Lydia and Kitty, and dull, plain Mary.

Meanwhile the Reverend William Collins, a cousin of the Bennets, who is in line to inherit Mr. Bennet's estate, comes to visit. The supremely conceited Mr. Collins talks constantly about his patroness, the rich and arrogant Lady Catherine de Bourgh, an aunt of Darcy's. Since she has urged him to marry (and her word is his command), he proposes to Elizabeth in a ludicrously pompous manner. She rejects him immediately, displeasing her mother but immensely satisfying her father who is fonder of her than of his other daughters .

Unabashed by his rejection, Mr. Collins proposes again, but finally concedes defeat. Immediately after, he becomes engaged to a friend of Elizabeth's, the placid, unimaginative Charlotte Lucas.

One of Darcy's acquaintances is a dashing young officer, George Wickham, who poisons Elizabeth's mind against Darcy by telling her that Darcy is a wicked, cold-hearted man who has refused to carry out the wishes of his father's will, cheating Wickham out of a legacy. Fearing to meet Darcy face to face, Wickham stays away from a ball which he knows Darcy willl attend. Misinterpreting Wickham's motives, Elizabeth becomes increasingly suspicious of Darcy.

Shortly after the ball, Bingley and his sisters suddenly leave Netherfield for London. Elizabeth is convinced that Bingley's sisters are trying to keep him from marrying Jane whom they consider beneath him . Jane accepts the break with outward composure, but soon visits her aunt, Mrs. Gardiner, in London, hoping to see Bingley there by chance. When Elizabeth joins Jane in London, she learns that Bingley has never called on Jane. Elizabeth believes that Darcy has deliberately kept Jane's presence in the city from Bingley.

In March, Elizabeth visits her friend Charlotte Lucas, now married to Mr. Collins, in Kent. She realizes with a sudden wave of sympathy that Charlotte, a rather homely girl of advancing years, married Mr. Collins out of necessity, fearing a lonely and poverty-stricken life as an old maid.

While in Kent, Elizabeth again meets Darcy who is visiting his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Again, Darcy is attracted to Elizabeth. He proposes to her in so haughty a manner that she rejects him and upbraids him for what she considers his mistreatment of her sister and of the unfortunate Wickham. Darcy listens to her accusations in silence. The next day he writes her a letter admitting that he has tried to keep Bingley from Jane because he considers the Bennet family beneath his friend's attentions. He strongly denies having wronged Wickham, however, and demolishes the officer's claim that he has been cheated out of an inheritance. Furthermore, he informs Elizabeth, Wickham had been carrying on an intrigue with Darcy's sister Georgiana.

Despite its condescension toward the Bennet family, the letter begins to allay Elizabeth's prejudice against Darcy. Under no illusions about her mother and younger sisters, Elizabeth begins to see Darcy's inherently honest character. Her new impression of him is strengthened by the evidence of an old Darcy family retainer who has nothing but good to say of Darcy . Elizabeth again meets Darcy while she is traveling with her intelligent and fashionable uncle and aunt.

Earlier Lydia has insisted, over Elizabeth's objections, on going to Brighton, where Wickham's regiment is now stationed. Before long, Elizabeth is shocked by a letter from Jane informing her that Lydia has run off with Wickham. Elizabeth tells Darcy what has happened and returns home, full of anxiety for her irresponsible younger sister .

To add to Elizabeth's woes, she now feels that Darcy, whom she has begun to love, will have nothing to do with her, for Lydia's behavior confirms all he has ever said about the commoness of the Bennet family. To Elizabeth's surprise , however, Darcy, who is now deeply in love with her, has gone off secretly to London, where he finds Lydia and Wickham, pays Wickham's many debts, and give him ￡1,000 with which to marry Lydia.

Mr. Bennet had also gone in search of the couple but has returned from London without success. When Lydia returns home, she tells Elizabeth that Darcy had attended her wedding. Elizabeth's suspicions of Darcy's part in the affair are confirmed by a letter from her aunt, Mrs. Gardiner, whom Darcy had sworn to secrecy.

After Lydia and Wickham leave, Mr. Bingley retuns to Netherfield Park, accompanied by Darcy. Bingley soon becomes engaged to Jane, much to the Bennets satisfaction .

The arrogant Lady Catherine de Bourgh descends on Longbourn, furious because of a rumor that Elizabeth and Darcy have become engaged. (Lady Catherine wished Darcy to marry her own daughter, a pathetically listless and unattractive girl.) Haughtily she demands that Elizabeth give up Darcy . Elizabeth, however, is more than adequate to the challenge. Without losing her temper, she coolly tells Lady Catherine to mind her own business. When Lady Catherine tells Darcy that Elizabeth refuses to give him up, Darcy begins to hope that Elizabeth returns his love.

Thus encouraged, Darcy again proposes to Elizabeth, this time with proper humility, and is happily accepted. Mrs. Bennet, having married off three of he daughters, is filled with joy. Mr. Bennet philosophically awaits any further suitors who may come along.

傲 慢 与 偏 见

〔英〕 简· 奥斯汀

当年轻、富有的单身汉彬格莱先生租下附近一处庄园——尼日斐花园时，有五个成年待嫁女儿的班纳特一家顿时为之激动起来。轻浮的班纳特太太立即开始筹划该将 哪个女儿许配给没料想到将发生这种事的彬格莱，可是长期忍气吞声的丈夫却提出，彬格莱先生对此事也许会挑三拣四。但不久，班纳特先生终于被妻子说服，正式 到尼日斐花园去拜访。

在梅利顿举行的舞会上，班纳特家的女儿们结识了彬格莱先生。出席舞会的还有彬格莱的贵族朋友费茨威廉·达西，他对班纳特太太的粗俗嗤之以 鼻，还怠慢了她的女儿们。伊丽莎白在班纳特家姑娘中是最活泼、最聪慧的一位，她无意中听到这位新来者十分高傲地贬评当地庸俗的社交界。当他拒绝由别人介绍 给她时，伊丽莎白对他顿生偏见，尽管他相貌英俊，家财万贯。

在舞会上较成功的是和蔼可亲的彬格莱先生和伊丽莎白的秀美动人、性情温和的姐姐洁英。伊丽莎白十分喜欢她。不久以后，彬格莱和他的姊妹跟洁英·班纳特成了朋友，彬格莱与洁英之间的恋情似乎热乎了。终于，达西对伊丽莎白稍许随和了一些，两人也相互嬉谑嘲弄起来。

一天，洁英冒雨走访彬格莱兄妹，因而患重感冒病倒，只好留在尼日斐花园。伊丽莎白穿过泥泞的道路，步行三英里去看望并照料她姐姐。她到达时 的狼狈相，为卡罗琳说长道短提供了话柄。而班纳特太太则将这一插曲看成是巩固洁英同彬格莱之间关系的大好机会。在伊丽莎白照料她姐姐期间，达西更是对她大 献殷勤，卡罗琳争风吃醋，大发脾气。

彬格莱的妹妹卡罗琳本身对达西颇感兴趣。她竭力破坏他对伊丽莎白的好感，却未能成功。阻挡他们相恋的一个更为严重的障碍是，达西讨厌伊丽莎白那粗俗而喜欢算计的母亲，还有班纳特家好些年幼的姑娘们：轻浮而狂热追求军官的丽迪亚和吉蒂，以及平庸乏味的玛丽。

在此同时，牧师威廉·柯林斯前来拜访，他是班纳特姐妹的一个表兄，按顺序该轮到他继承班纳特先生的财产。十分自负的柯林斯先生多次谈到其女 庇护人富有而傲慢的凯瑟琳·德·包尔夫人，她是达西的姨母。由于她催促他结婚（她的话对他来说即是命令），他便向伊丽莎白求婚，举止浮夸，滑稽可笑。伊丽 莎白当即加以拒绝，这使得她母亲很不高兴，却让喜欢她甚于其余女儿的父亲感到十分满意。

遭拒绝后，柯林斯先生并不感到羞愧，再次求婚，但最终不得不自认失败。紧接着他就和伊丽莎白的女友夏绿蒂·卢卡斯订了婚，她性情温和而头脑缺乏想象力。

达西的一位熟人是个浮华的年轻军官，名叫乔治·韦翰。他使伊丽莎白对达西产生恶感，说他是个邪恶、冷酷的人，拒不执行他父亲的遗嘱，骗取了 留给韦翰的遗产。由于不敢面对达西，韦翰没有参加一个舞会，因为他知道达西将会出席。伊丽莎白错误地理解了韦翰的动机，对达西的疑忌与日俱增。

舞会后不久，彬格莱及其姊妹们突然离开尼日斐花园前往伦敦。伊丽莎白确信，彬格莱的姊妹们因认为洁英配不上他，正竭力阻止他娶她。洁英表 面上镇静地接受了这一关系的中断，但不久便去伦敦探望她的姑母加德纳夫人，希望在那里能邂逅彬格莱。当伊丽莎白与洁英在伦敦会合时，她获悉彬格莱从未看望 过洁英。伊丽莎白相信，是达西故意不让彬格莱知道洁英在伦敦。

三月份，伊丽莎白在肯特郡去看望此时已嫁给柯林斯先生的女友夏绿蒂·卢卡斯。她心中蓦地涌起一股同情，意识到夏绿蒂只是因相貌平平，年龄日见增长，由于害怕成为老姑娘，过孤独、贫寒的生活才不得已嫁给了柯林斯先生。

在肯特郡小住时，伊丽莎白再次与正在探望其姨母凯瑟琳·德·包尔夫人的达西相逢。达西再次为伊丽莎白所吸引。他向她求婚，但因态度高傲，她 拒绝了他，并谴责他不公正地对待她的姐姐和可怜的韦翰。达西默默无言地听取了她的指责。第二日他却写给她一封信，承认他曾阻挠彬格莱与洁英接触，因为他觉 得班纳特家配不上他的朋友，不值得他献殷勤。但他坚决否认他曾对不起韦翰，并驳斥了那个军官所谓的韦翰被骗去一份遗产的说法。而且，他还告诉伊丽莎白，韦 翰过去一直同他妹妹乔治亚娜有私通关系。

尽管这封信对班纳特家的态度很高傲，但它开始消除伊丽莎白对达西的偏见。伊丽莎白对母亲和妹妹们不抱任何幻想，她开始看清达西固有的诚实 品性。她对于他的这种新印象，由于达西家一个老家仆的证明而又得到加深，这老家仆对达西赞不绝口。在陪同她那明智而紧跟时尚的姑父、姑母旅行时，伊丽莎白 与达西再次重逢。

早些时候，丽迪雅不顾伊丽莎白反对，执意前往布赖顿，那里驻扎着韦翰所在的部队。不久，伊丽莎白接到洁英来信，告诉她丽迪雅已同韦翰私奔，她对此大为震惊。伊丽莎白将已经发生的事情告诉达西，然后返回家去，对不负责任的妹妹满怀焦虑。

令伊丽莎白愁上加愁的是，她已开始爱上达西，但她觉得他将不会与她有任何往来，因为丽迪雅的行为证实了他曾说过的关于班纳特家平庸俗气的言 论。但出乎伊丽莎白意料之外，此时深深爱上了她的达西已秘密前往伦敦，在那里找到了丽迪雅和韦翰，还清了韦翰欠下的许多债务，还赠给他一千英镑用于跟丽迪 雅结婚。

班纳特先生也出去寻找这对年轻人，但从伦敦徒劳而归。丽迪雅回到家中，她告诉伊丽莎白说，达西出席了她的婚礼。伊丽莎白猜疑达西在这件事中起了作用，而她姑母加德纳夫人的来信证实了她的猜疑，虽然对此事达西曾让加德纳夫人发誓保密。

丽迪雅与韦翰离开后，彬格莱先生便在达西的陪同下返回了尼日斐花园。不久，彬格莱和洁英订了婚，使班纳特夫妇满心欢喜。

傲慢的凯瑟琳·德·包尔夫人屈尊驾临朗伯恩，因听到传闻伊丽莎白已与达西订婚而大发雷霆。（凯瑟琳夫人希望达西娶她自己的女儿，一个冷漠、讨厌得可怜的姑 娘。）凯瑟琳夫人盛气凌人，要求伊丽莎白放弃达西。然而，伊丽莎白对这一挑衅完全应付裕如。她未发脾气，只是冷冷地告诉凯瑟琳夫人不要管闲事。当凯瑟琳夫 人告诉达西说伊丽莎白拒绝放弃他时，达西开始希望伊丽莎白会报答他的爱情。

受到这样的鼓舞，达西再次向伊丽莎白求了婚，这次态度谦卑、得体，被愉快地接受了。已经嫁出三个女儿后，班纳特太太满怀喜悦，班纳特先生则十分明达地等待再有求婚者上门。

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