that a video series about world literature must be in want of a Jane Austen episode.

勢必要有珍·奧斯汀的特集是公認的真理

So here it is.

請看以下

Today, we'll be discussing Pride and Prejudice, Austen's Regency-era novel of life, liberty

今天，我們要來討論「傲慢與偏見」，關於 Austen 攝政時代的生活、自由和女裝帽

and bonnets.

的小說

The book was first published in 1813, it's a social satire about a family with five daughters

這本書最初出版於 1813 年，它是本描述有五個女兒的家庭和有許多經濟焦慮的

and quite a lot of economic anxiety.

社會諷刺作品

And the novel's characters and themes have remained relevant for centuries now--which

小說的角色與主題從幾世紀至今一直息息相關，這也是為何

is why there are SO.

它有這麼多

MANY. adaptations of it, from the Keira Knightly movie to an Emmy winning web series co-created

改編作品，從 Keira Knightly 的電影到我哥哥擔任聯合製作人且贏得艾美獎的

by my brother.

網路劇

Today, we'll talk about the social and historical context in which the book was written

今天我們要討論書中的社交和歷史內容以及

, the style that Jane Austen helped invent, and

Jane Austen 創造的風格，與

the dilemmas the major characters face.

主人公的兩難境地

And in the next episode, we'll look more closely at the politics of the book and its

下一集，我們會深入探討書中的政治和

attitudes toward money, class and gender.

它對金錢、階級與性別的態度

But for now: It's bonnets all the way down.

但現在要一路探討女裝帽

INTRO So we don't know that much about Jane Austen's

我們不太了解 Jane Austen 的人生

life because after her death her sister burned most of her letters.

因為她過世後，她姐姐燒毀她大部分的信件

Just a friendly note, by the way, to any future literary executors out there, maybe don't

順便給未來的文學遺囑執行人一個善意提醒，也許不要

burn so much stuff?

燒毀這麼多東西？

Even if you're told to.

即使有人囑咐你這麼做

Wait, unless your MY literary executor.

等等，除非你是我的文學遺囑執行人

Then burn everything.

那就燒毀一切吧！

But, here's what we do know: Jane Austen was born in 1775 to an Anglican clergyman

以下是我們所知的：Jane Austen 出生於 1775 年，父母是英國教會牧師與其妻子

and his wife; Jane was the second youngest of eight children.

Jane 是八個孩子中，倒數第二個小孩

And her father farmed and took in students to makes ends meet.

她父親靠務農與教書來維持生計

Jane was mostly taught at home and sometimes she wasn't taught at all, although she and

Jane 多在家自學，有時甚至無人授課，雖然

her sister did go to a year or two of boarding school.

她跟她姊姊確實曾念過一兩年的寄宿學校

When she was eleven, Jane started writing plays and novels, mostly social satires and

11 歲時，Jane 開始創作戲劇和小說，多數是社會諷刺作品和

parodies of “novels of sensibility,” a literary genre in which women like, cry and

模仿「感傷小說」，是種女人常哭泣、嘆息和暈厥的

sigh and faint a lot.

文學體裁

Many of these early works were in the style of the epistolary novel, which is a story

這類的作品早期都以書信體書寫，也就是

composed of letters, and we see echoes of that form in Pride and Prejudice.

用信件組成的故事，我們可在「傲慢與偏見」中看見這體裁的效仿

We also see some echoes of Pride and Prejudice in Austen's life.

我們也從「傲慢與偏見」中看見它對 Austen 人生的效仿之處

She never married, but she did receive at least one proposal that she accepted for a

她一生未婚，但她收到最起碼一次的求婚，而她只接受了

few hours.

幾個小時

And after her father's death in 1805, her financial position and the positions of her

她父親於 1805 年過世後，她和她母親與姐姐的財務狀況

mother and her sister became increasingly insecure.

變得極為不穩定

By 1816, four of her books had been published.

1816年，她出版了 4 本書

And she was working on a new novel, called Sanditon, when she died in 1817, at the age

她死於 1817 年，她當時正在創作一本新小說叫「桑迪頓」，年僅

of just 41.

41 歲

Two more of her works, Persuasion and Northanger

她還有兩本作品「理性與感性」、

Abbey, were published after her death.

「諾桑覺寺」在她死後出版

They're all good--but to me at least Pride and Prejudice is the most perfect of them--there's

它們都是好書，但對我而言「傲慢與偏見」是最完美的，它蘊含一種

a precision to it.

細緻精確性

Like Gatsby or Sula, Pride and Prejudice is a novel in which every single word feels genuinely

就像「蓋茲比」或「秀拉」，「傲慢與偏見」是本能感到一字一句都不可或缺的

essential.

小說

So what happens in Pride and Prejudice?

「傲慢與偏見」的內容是什麼呢？

well, let's go to the Thoughtbubble: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet live in rural England

讓我們看一下思想泡泡：班奈特夫婦和五個女兒生活在

with their five daughters: pretty Jane, lively Elizabeth, horrible Mary, airhead Kitty, and

英國鄉村，美麗的珍、活潑的伊莉莎白、糟糕的瑪莉、無腦的凱蒂和

boy obsessed Lydia.

花癡的莉地亞

When Mr. Bennet dies the estate will go to a male cousin, so the daughters have to find

班奈特先生死後，表哥會繼承財產，因此女兒們必須找到

rich husbands.

金龜婿

Or else.

否則...

Or else live in poverty or become governesses, and if you've read Jane Eyre, you know how

否則就會生活貧困或當家庭教師，如果你有讀過「簡愛」，你就知道它是本

great that gig is.

鉅作

Mr. Bingley, an eligible bachelor, arrives on the scene, and he and Jane fall in love.

一名黃金單身漢賓利先生出場了，他和珍陷入愛河

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley's best friend, definitely don't.

伊莉莎白和賓利先生的好友達西先生則處不來

In fact, Elizabeth sorts of hate him.

事實上，伊莉莎白有點討厭他

Elizabeth gets a proposal of marriage from Mr. Collins, the cousin who's going to inherit

伊莉莎白收到柯林斯先生的求婚，這個表哥會繼承她們家

the estate.

的財產

And marrying him would save her sisters from poverty, but Mr. Collins is awful and Elizabeth

嫁給他能讓姊妹們免於窮困，但柯林斯先生糟透了，伊莉莎白就

declines.

拒絕了

So her best friend, Charlotte, ends up snagging him.

而她的閨密夏洛特就把他釣走了

Meanwhile, Elizabeth starts to fall for Wickham, a soldier in the militia.

同時，伊莉莎白開始傾心於一名民兵的軍官韋克翰

He hates Mr. Darcy, too.

他也討厭達西先生

Suddenly Mr. Bingley moves away and Jane is heartbroken.

賓利先生突然搬走了，珍就失戀了

Elizabeth goes to visit Charlotte and is introduced to Lady Catherine, Mr. Darcy's ultra-snob

伊莉莎白去拜訪夏洛特，並認識達西先生的勢利眼阿姨

aunt.

凱薩琳夫人

She sees Mr. Darcy there and he also proposes marriage but in a very insulting way.

她也在那邊遇見達西先生，他也求婚了，但方式卻很羞辱人

She insults him right back.

她馬上羞辱回去

But some months later, Elizabeth is on a trip with her aunt and uncle.

但幾個月後，伊莉莎白和叔叔阿姨一起旅行

They visit Mr. Darcy's lavish estate and Elizabeth softens toward him.

他們造訪達西先生的豪宅，伊莉莎白對他軟化很多

Then she gets word that Lydia has run off with Wickham.

然後她收到關於莉地亞跟韋克翰私奔的消息

Mr. Darcy saves Lydia's reputation by brokering

達西先生藉由當婚禮仲介救了莉地亞的

a marriage.

名聲

Then it's happy endings all around: Lydia gets married; Jane and Mr. Bingley get

然後是全面的歡喜大結局：莉地亞結婚了，珍和賓利先生

married, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy get married, Kitty learns to be a little bit less of an

結婚了，伊莉莎白和達西先生結婚了，凱蒂變得有一點腦袋了

airhead and Mary is presumably still horrible.

瑪莉大概還是很糟糕

Thanks, Thought Bubble.

謝啦！思想泡泡

So let's talk life and letters in Regency England.

我們來聊聊攝政時代的生活與書信

By the way, Regency England refers to a period from about 1800-1820 when King George III

對了，攝政時代是指 1800-1820年代，當時喬治三世

became mentally ill and unfit to rule.

精神狀況不好無法治國

In England, this was a time of political uncertainty and a lot of economic volatility.

在英國有段政治不穩和經濟波動的時期

There was a rising middle class, a burgeoning consumer culture, and a move from an agrarian

中產階級崛起、消費文化蓬勃發展和農業經濟轉為

economy to an industrial one.

工業經濟

And that meant less overall poverty, but it also meant a lot of social instability.

這代表窮人會全面減少，但也會產生社會動盪

And It was also a time when people in England were beginning to talk about the rights of

同時英國人也開始談論

women.

女權

Like, Mary Wollstonecraft published “Vindication of the Rights of Women” seven years after

例如 Mary Wollstonecraft 在 Austen 出生七年後，出版「女權辯護」

Austen was born, though it's important to remember that at this place and time women

更重要的是要記得當時的女人沒什麼權利

didn't really have many rights--they couldn't vote, and in Pride and Prejudice, the whole

她們沒有投票權。而「傲慢與偏見」的情節

plot begins because all of Bennet's five children are daughters,

始於班奈特家族只有五個女兒

This means that legally, Bennet's estate has to go to a male cousin.

這代表依法而言，班奈特家的財產要傳給男性表親

But there was a growing belief that hey, maybe women should have rights.

但人們開始認為也許女人該有繼承權

Abroad, the American Revolution and the French Revolution had recently unsettled established

國外，美國獨立戰爭和法國大革命造成當時既有的

social and political orders.

社會與政治秩序的動盪

Everywhere there were increasing discussions about rights and responsibilities, liberties

世界各地對於權力、義務、自由與責任的討論

and duties.

日漸提升

You can even hear this in the famous first sentence of Pride and Prejudice: “It is

你甚至能在「傲慢與偏見」著名的開場白看到

a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be

「凡是有錢的單身漢，都需要一位太太

in want of a wife.”

這是公認的真理。」

It has an echo of the American Declaration of Independence: “We find these truths to

這與美國獨立宣言「我們認為以下這些真理是不言而喻的...」

be self-evident…”

相互呼應

But the comic deflation in the second half of the sentence is pure Austen.

但句子另一段的詼諧失落感則出自於 Austen

Some people are initially put off by Pride and Prejudice because they view it as a sort

有些人最初對「傲慢與偏見」不感興趣，因為他們認為那是

of literaryfied romance novel.

羅曼史小說

And, it is a book primarily interested in human relationships, especially romantic ones--but

而這本書確實著重於人際關係，尤其是愛情方面

I'd challenge the idea that such novels can't be great.

但我仍要質疑這種小說無法傑出的想法

Nobody ever argues that picaresque novels,

傳奇小說或成長小說的類型

or bildungsromans, are merely genre novels--even though they are also genres.

從沒被質疑過，儘管它們也是一種類型

But the word “romance” is too often and too quickly dismissed.

但「羅曼史」這個詞時常馬上就被摒棄

By the way, Austen has this completely unearned reputation for being genteel and conservative.

對了，Austen 因其溫雅與保守風格而享有聲譽

The reality is that her work is very funny and mean and super smart about human behavior.

但其實她的作品很有趣、刻薄，且對人類行為有睿智的描述

You can hear that in the letters that survive,

你能從她僅存的信件中看出來

like when she writes to her sister, “I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it

像她寫給她姐姐說「我不想人們表現太和藹可親，因為這能幫我省去

saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.”

太愛他們的困擾。」

But also while this book involves lower-case r romance, it is very aggressively not capital-r

雖然本書涉及小浪漫，而不是像拜倫、渥茲華和雪萊那種

Romantic, in the Byron Wordsworth Shelley sense that feelings are so overwhelming that

感情激烈到取代理智的

they supersede logic.

侵略性大浪漫

I mean, Wordsworth can write a hillside for thirty-seven stanzas, but if you read Austen

渥茲華可以為山坡寫出 37 個詩節，但你若仔細閱讀 Austen 的作品

closely, you'll find that there's a striking absence of physical description.

你會發現它缺少令人驚豔的具體描述

We don't know what the dresses look like.

我們看不出那件禮服的模樣

We don't know what the people look like.

我們不知道人物的樣貌

When there is a physical description, like the description of Mr. Darcy's estate or

當有具體描述時，例如達西先生的房產或

Elizabeth's petticoat, it means that something really important is happening.

伊莉莎白的襯裙，這代表有重大情節正在發生

And even then these descriptions are very brief.

但就算有，這些描述也很短

If we're being honest, there isn't even all that much in here about bonnets.

老實說，它們對女裝帽的描寫也不多

In fact, Austen is suspicious of overwhelming emotion.

事實上，Austen 對太激烈的情感有戒心

Remember how I mentioned the novel of sensibility and Austen's early satires?

記得我先前提到的感性小說和 Austen 早期的諷刺文學嗎？

She's skeptical of feeling too much, of getting so carried away by emotion that it

她對太過感性持懷疑態度，因為被情緒帶著走會

prevents you from thinking clearly.

讓你無法清楚的思考

This is exemplified by Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's relationship.

而伊莉莎白和達西先生的關係就是證據

They don't fall in love at first sight.

他們並沒有一見鍾情

Actually, it's the opposite.

反而是相反的

At a ball, she overhears him telling his friend that her sister is the only hot girl in the

舞會上，伊莉莎白聽到他告訴他朋友她姐姐是裡面唯一的美女

room and that Elizabeth is merely “tolerable.”

而伊莉莎白勉強可忍受

Given that Elizabeth and Darcy are end up together, this is a novel that's suspicious

有鑑於伊莉莎白和達西最後在一起了，這本小說對浪漫愛情是存疑的

of romantic love, especially romantic love based on instant physical attraction

特別當浪漫愛情建立在身體上的致命吸引力時

and when characters do get carried away by their emotions, they're either fooling themselves,

而當角色被情緒帶著走，他們會像柯林斯先生一樣自欺欺人

like Mr. Collins, or doing something really wrong, like Lydia.

或像莉地亞一樣做蠢事

Pride and Prejudice does have a wish-fulfilling ending.

「傲慢與偏見」確實是完美大結局

but it's still a sly, and ironic and clear-eyed exploration

但它仍用狡詰、諷刺和目光犀利來探討

of the individual vs. the collective, happiness vs. security

個人 vs. 全體、幸福 vs. 安全的比較

It's about love, but rather than presuming

它事關愛情，但不把愛情當唯一

that love is only a feeling, Pride and Prejudice explores how thinking and feeling and need

「傲慢與偏見」探討思想、感情、需求與責任

and responsibility intersect to form the experience that we call love.

交互形成我們對於愛情的體驗

One might even say that it's a novel about romantic

有人甚至說這是本拆解出我們對

love that deconstructs our idea about romantic love.

浪漫愛情看法的愛情小說

Austen joked that the scope of her works was narrow, equating her writing with a two-inch

Austen 開玩笑地說她的作品很狹隘，就跟 2 英寸的象牙一樣窄

piece of ivory “on which I work with so fine a brush, as produces little effect after

「我用象牙做了精美的毛筆，用它我就能事半功倍

much labour.”

寫出作品。」

She also critiqued of Pride and Prejudice, writing to a friend, “The work is rather

她也寫信給朋友批評「傲慢與偏見」說「這作品太

too light & bright & sparkling; it wants shade.”

輕鬆、正向、有趣了，它需要一點陰暗面。」

and yeah, OK, the novel is fun.

沒錯，這本小說很有趣

But reading should be fun sometimes.

但閱讀應該是有趣的

I mean, we already read To the Lighthouse.

畢竟我們都讀過「燈塔行」

And in terms of the prose-style itself, Austen was actually pioneering a new style here called

就散文風格而言，Austen 其實是一種叫自由間接引語的

free indirect discourse.

新風格的先驅

It means that even though the narration is in the third person, the narrative voice takes

意思是雖然旁白是第三人稱，敘事聲音也會呈現

on the thoughts and feelings of characters.

角色的想法與感受

Like after unexpectedly meeting Darcy at

例如意外地在達西的房子中

his estate, the third-person narration captures Elizabeth's embarrassment:

遇見他，第三人稱旁白描繪了伊莉莎白的窘迫

“Her coming there was the most unfortunate, the most ill-judged thing in the world!

「她到這裡參觀真是世上最不幸也最不明智的事，」

How strange must it appear to him!

他一定覺得很奇怪！

In what a disgraceful light might it not strike so vain a man!

他這麼驕傲自負會多瞧不起我們啊！

It might seem as if she had purposely thrown herself in his way again!”

好像她刻意送上門跟他重逢似的！」

This narrative approach reflects emotion without stating it--showing instead of telling, as

這種旁白沒有明講卻表現出情緒，與其描寫不如直接表現

the saying goes--and makes us feel not as if we can sympathize with Elizabeth, but instead

俗話說的好，這讓我們不能同情伊莉莎白，而是

as if we ARE Elizabeth,

我們就是伊莉莎白

and to me is one of the most profound and important things a novel can do: Great books

對我而言這是一本小說能給我最深刻最重要的事：

offer you a way out of yourself, and into other peoples' lives.

偉大的書讓你能跳脫自己，進入他人的人生

Next time we'll look more closely at some of the themes, but for now, let's briefly

下次我們會再深入探討主題，但現在讓我們簡略地

explore the dilemma facing Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters.

探討伊莉莎白和她的姐妹們面臨的兩難

Because her parents have been bad with money, she knows she has to marry well or face poverty.

因為她父母經濟狀況不好，她知道她要嘛嫁人要嘛當窮人

So when Mr. Collins proposes, that's a fantastic solution.

因此當柯林斯先生求婚時，這是個解決之道

Except for one thing: She doesn't respect him.

除了一件事：她不尊敬他

Mr. Collins is pompous and foolish and the very things that make Elizabeth terrific

柯林斯先生自大又愚蠢，而伊莉莎白活潑的思想和

her lively mind and her fresh wit—make him nervous.

鮮活的智慧正好讓他焦慮

She tells him, “ You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman

她告訴他「你無法讓我幸福，而我確定我是世上

in the world who would make you so.”

最不可能讓你幸福的女人。」

But the idea that happiness should be privileged over security is pretty radical.

但幸福優先於安全感的想法是很極端的

Elizabeth is deciding that her personal individual

伊莉莎白決定她個人的幸福

happiness should outweigh the economic problems of her family.

比家族的經濟問題還重要

She is taking a huge risk when she rejects him.

她拒絕他時，冒了很大的風險

As Mr. Collins tells her, she's poor so

當柯林斯先生告訴她，她很窮

she probably won't get another proposal.

所以她大概不會有別的求婚了

He might not have made her happy, but he would have made her and her unmarried sisters financially

他也許不能讓她幸福，但他能保障她和她的未婚姐妹們經濟上的

secure.

安全

And then, Elizabeth takes the same risk or a greater one when she rejects Mr. Darcy's

接著，伊莉莎白在拒絕達西先生令人難堪的求婚上冒了一樣

insulting first proposal.

甚至更大的風險

She can't make herself marry a man she doesn't like.

她無法嫁給一個她不愛的男人

This was the same dilemma Austen herself faced and her rejection of a suitor made things

這是 Austen 本身也面臨的兩難，而她對求婚者的拒絕也讓

hard for herself and for her family.

她自己和家族更艱難

But she did it anyway.

無論如何她還是做了

Now, thanks to the fairy tale ending, Elizabeth doesn't experience, like, catastrophic consequences

感謝童話般的結局，伊莉莎白沒有因為幸福優先

as a result of her privileging happiness.

而經歷災難性的結局

But as 19th century English readers would

但 19 世紀的英國讀者很清楚

have been very well aware, she could have.

她可能會有災難結局

And so, the novel helped them, and also helps us, explore when we should put our own needs

因此小說幫助你我探討我們何時應以自我需求為首

first, and when the happiness and security of others is more important.

何時他人的幸福與安全是更重要的

Is doing what is best for you always the right

為自己做最好的決定

thing to do?

是正確的事嗎？