Pride and Prejudice 傲慢与偏见

Although first published almost 200 years ago, the novels of Jane Austen have retained their popularity around the world. It is not difficult to find the reasons for their enduring appeal. Austen wrote about universal themes, such as the joy and pain of love, the pursuit of happiness, and the need to be accepted by society.

Jane Austen was born in 1775 in a rural part of southern England. She and her family were al avid readers. They even read novels, which were often looked down on during that time. Jane began writing before her teens, and had completed a history book by the time she was sixteen.

The six romantic novels that Austen wrote before her death in 1817 are still widely read. Her first novel published was “Sense and Sensibility” in 1811, but her best-known work, “Pride and Prejudice,” was written around fifteen years earlier. Although originally rejected for publication, the novel, and its intelligent heroine, have come to hold a place among the great classics of English literature. 

“Pride and Prejudice” tells the story of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, a somewhat absurd couple, and their five young, unmarried daughters. The plot revolves mainly around the second daughter, Elizabeth, and her troublesome romance with the wealthy but arrogant Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy represents the pride of the novel’s title, while the prejudice is represented by Elizabeth’s attitude toward Mr. Darcy. In the novel, Elizabeth must overcome her prejudice against him before she can fall in love.

Elizabeth’s romance with Mr. Darcy parallels that of her older sister Jane with his friend, Charles Bingley. Jane’s relationship starts off much more smoothly, and survives the efforts of Bingley’s unpleasant sister, Caroline, to break it up. Other significant subplots include the adventures of Lydia, the youngest Bennet daughter. She brings disgrace on the family by running away with a man named Wickham.

Everything ends well, of course. Even Wickham ends up doing the honorable thing and marrying Lydia. Jane and Charles get married. So do Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, once he has overcome his dislike of the Bennet family’s strange ways, and she has seen the decent man behind the pride.

“I must confess that I think her as delightful a character as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least, I do not know.” In the flowery language of the early 19th century, that was how Jane Austen described her character Elizabeth Bennet in a letter to a friend.

Jane Austen need not have feared. Elizabeth has probably attracted more sympathy and admiration than any other of the author’s characters, male or female. She is a lively, quick -witted young woman with a strong sense of justice and a natural goodness that have widespread appeal.

One of the most interesting moments in “Pride and Prejudice” comes when Elizabeth reluctantly visits Darcy’s home, and perceives the high respect in which he is held by everyone around him. It is the turning point of the story, when she begins to see beyond Darcy’s pride and develop real feelings for him. It also shows Jane Austen’s skill at dealing with complex emotions and timeless themes in her deceptively simple stories.

尽管简·奥斯汀的小说出版已近200年，在全世界却一直享有盛名。找到其吸引力能经久不衰的原因并不难。奥斯汀写作的主题具有普遍性，如爱情的喜悦与痛苦、对幸福的追求和希望被社会接纳的需要。

1775年简·奥斯汀出生在英格兰南部的乡下。她和她的家人都酷爱读书。他们甚至连当时被嗤之以鼻的小说都要读。简十几岁以前就开始写作，在十六岁的时候就完成了一部历史书。

1817年奥斯汀去世，生前她写的六部浪漫爱情小说至今仍广为流传。1811年她出版了第一部小说《理智与情感》，但她最著名的作品《傲慢与偏见》则在其15年前就完成了。尽管这部小说最初出版曾遭拒绝，但小说和书中聪明伶俐的女主角，已在英国文学的伟大经典作品

中占有一席之地。

《傲慢与偏见》讲述了班奈特这对有点荒诞的夫妇和他们的五个年轻未婚女儿的故事。情节主要围绕着二女儿伊丽莎白和她与富有却傲慢的达西先生间曲折的爱情。达西先生代表了小说标题中的“傲慢”，而“偏见”则表明了伊丽莎白对达西先生的态度。小说中伊丽莎白必须克服她对达西先生的

偏见，才能和他相爱。

伊丽莎白的姐姐简和达西先生的朋友查尔斯·彬利之间的爱情故事，与伊丽莎白和达西先生的故事类似。简的爱情刚开始进行得顺利得多，虽然遭到彬利的妹妹卡罗琳，那个不讨人喜欢的姑娘的蓄意破坏，最终还是有情人终成眷属。其它重要的次要情节包括班奈特家小女丽迪雅的冒险。她和一个名叫威克姆的男子私奔而使家族蒙受羞辱。

当然，一切都圆满收场。甚至威克姆在最后也做了可敬的事，娶了丽迪雅。简和查尔斯结了婚。伊丽莎白与达西先生也终成眷属─ 一旦达西先生克服了对班奈特家奇怪生活方式的厌恶，而伊丽莎白也看到了他傲慢背后亲切善良的一面。

“我必须承认，我认为她是所有出版书中最让人喜爱的角色。对那些一点都不喜欢她的人，我不知道我能容忍到什么地步。”在讲究华丽词藻的19世纪初，简·奥斯汀在一封给朋友的信中对她小说中的角色伊丽莎白·班奈特做了上述描述。

简·奥斯汀不需要担心。和她笔下的其它男女角色相比，伊丽莎白可能已经得到了更多的赞同与钦佩。伊丽莎白是个活泼机智的年轻女性，她强烈的正义感和善良的本性有广泛的吸引力。

《傲慢与偏见》中最有趣的一个情节是当伊丽莎白不情愿地拜访达西先生家时，感到他受到身边每个人的极度尊敬。这是故事的转折点，她开始透过达西先生的傲慢，看到他真实的一面，进而发展出对他的真情。在看似简单的故事里，简·奥斯汀处理复杂情感及永恒主题的技巧，在此也展露无遗。