《呼啸山庄》片段赏析

时间:2022-08-22 09:34:29

【故事梗概】

《呼啸山庄》是英国女作家勃朗特姐妹之一艾米莉・勃朗特的作品。小说描写吉卜赛弃儿希斯克利夫被山庄老主人收养后,因受辱和恋爱不遂,外出致富,回来后对与其女友凯瑟琳结婚的地主林顿及其子女进行报复的故事。全篇充满强烈的反压迫、争幸福的斗争精神,又始终笼罩着离奇、紧张的浪漫气氛。它开始曾被人看做是年青女作家脱离现实的天真幻想,但结合其所描写地区激烈的阶级斗争和英国的社会现象,它不久便被评论界高度肯定,并受到读者的热烈欢迎。根据这部小说改编的影视作品至今久演不衰。

【节选片段】

Chapter 1

Mr Lockwood visits Wuthering Heights

1801 I have just returned from a visit to my landlord①, Mr Heathcliff. I am delighted with the house I am renting from him. Thrushcross Grange(画眉山庄) is miles away from any town or village. That suits me perfectly. And the scenery here in Yorkshire is so beautiful!

Mr Heathcliff, in fact, is my only neighbour, and I think his character is similar to mine. He does not like people either.

“My name is Lockwood,” I said, when I met him at the gate to his house. “I’m renting Thrushcross Grange from you. I just wanted to come and introduce myself.”

He said nothing, but frowned②, and did not encourage me to enter. After a while, however, he decided to invite me in.

“Joseph, take Mr Lock wood’s horse!” he called. “And bring up some wine from the cellar!” Joseph was a very old servant, with a sour③ expression on his face. He looked crossly up at me as he took my horse.

“God help us! A visitor!” he muttered④ to himself. Perhaps there were no other servants, I thought. And it seemed that Mr Heathcliff hardly ever received guests.

His house is called Wuthering Heights. The name means “a windswept house on a hill”, and it is a very good description. The trees around the house do not grow straight, but are bent by the north wind, which blows over the moors every day of the year. Fortunately, the house is strongly built, and is not damaged even by the worst winter storms. The name “Earn・Shaw” is cut into a stone over the front door.

Mr Heathcliff and I entered the huge main room. It could have been any Yorkshire farmhouse kitchen, except that there was no sign of cooking, and no farmer sitting at the table. Mr Heathcliff certainly does not look like a farmer. His hair and skin are dark, like a gipsy’s, but he has the manners of a gentleman. He could perhaps take more care with his appearance, but he is handsome. I think he is proud, and also unhappy.

We sat down by the fire, in silence.

“Joseph!” shouted Mr Heathcliff. No answer came from the cellar, so he dived⑤ down there, leaving me alone with several rather fierc―looking dogs. Suddenly one of them jumped angrily up at me, and in a moment all the others were attacking me. From every shadowy corner in the great room appeared a growling animal,ready to kill me,it seemed.

Notes:

① landlord房东、店主、地主。如果房东或地主是女性的话,还可以用landlady来突出性别。

② frown 皱眉;表示不喜欢 常与upon/on连用。

③ sour 字面意思是酸的、酸臭的、发酵的,同时还有引申意思为生气的、讨厌的、不高兴的。

④ mutter 自言自语。

⑤ dive 意思是潜水、使下潜、急速下降。

Chapter 2

“Catherine Linton,” it replied. “I’ve come home. I lost my way!” There seemed to be a child’s face looking in at the window.

Terror made me cruel. I rubbed the creature’s tiny wrist against the broken glass so that blood poured down on to the bed. As soon as the cold fingers let go for a moment, I pulled my hand quickly back, put a pile of books in front of the broken window, and tried not to listen to the desperate cries outside.

“Go away!” I called. “I’ll never let you in, not if you go on crying for twenty years!”

“It is almost twenty years!” replied the sad little voice. “I’ve been out here in the dark for nearly twenty years!” The hand started pushing through the window at the pile of books, and I knew it would find me and catch hold of① me again. Unable to move, I stared in horror at the shape behind the glass, and screamed.

There were rapid footsteps outside my bedroom door, and then I saw the light of a candle in the room.

“Is anyone here?”whispered Heathcliff. He could not see me behind the curtains, and clearly did not expect an answer. I knew I could not hide from him, so I opened the curtains wide.

I was surprised by the effect of my action. Heathcliff dropped his candle and stood without moving, his face as white as the wall behind him.He did not seem to recognize me.

“It’s only your guest, Lockwood,” I said. “I’m sorry, I must have had a bad dream and screamed in my sleep.”

“To the devil with you, Mr Lockwood!” growled my landlord. “Who allowed you to sleep in this room? Who was it?”

“It was your housekeeper, Mr Heathcliff,” I said, quickly putting my clothes on. “And I’m angry with her myself!No one can sleep in a room full of ghosts!”

“What do you mean?” asked Heathcliff, looking suddenly very interested. “Ghosts, you say?”

“That little girl, Catherine Linton, or Earnshaw, or whatever her name was, must have been wicked②!She told me she had been a ghost for nearly twenty years. It was probably a punishment for her wickedness!”

“How dare you speak of③ her to me?” cried Heathcliff wildly. But as I described my dream, he became calmer, and sat down on the bed, trembling as he tried to control his feelings.

Notes:

① catch hold of 的字面意思是抓住、控制,同时也引申为理解、掌握。

② wicked 邪恶的、不道德的、讨厌的,是个贬义词,也可用以指恶人。

③ speak of 的意思是提起、说起、论及。

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