
William Faulkner
"A Rose for Emily" is a short story by the American author William Faulkner, first published in the April 1930 issue of the literary magazine Forum. The story, set in the fictional town of Jefferson, Mississippi, during the first half of the 20th century, tells the tale of the eccentric and reclusive Miss Emily Grierson, a Southern belle who has been isolated from the community for decades. The story begins with the funeral of Miss Emily, who has died in her house, a decaying mansion once known for its grandeur. The townspeople, curious and somewhat fearful of Miss Emily, recall her past and the many rumors surrounding her life. She was a member of a prominent family, but her father's overprotective nature prevented her from forming relationships or pursuing a normal life. After his death, she remained alone, shutting herself off from the world outside her house. The story then shifts to flashbacks, revealing Miss Emily's interactions with the townspeople, including her relationship with Homer Barron, a northerner who worked for the construction of the streetcar line. Their affair caused a scandal in the town, and Miss Emily was eventually seen buying arsenic, leading to speculation that she had poisoned Homer. The narrative explores themes of isolation, the Southern Gothic tradition, and the decay of the old Southern aristocracy. Miss Emily's life is a tragic one, marked by loss, loneliness, and the inability to escape from the past. Her death represents the end of an era, as the old Southern ways of life begin to fade away. "A Rose for Emily" is considered a masterpiece of Faulkner's writing, known for its complex plot, unique narrative style, and rich characterization. The story continues to resonate with readers, offering insights into the human condition and the challenges of adapting to a changing world.
🌺Emily, a tragic traditional aristocracy. Her death represents the end of an era, as the old Southern ways of life begin to fade away.Meanwhile,the original of her death in spirit is the quality of her father which had thwarted her life so many times had been too virulent and too furious to rid. This can be summarized as overprotection. Besides,it’s also formed by a sort of rigid behavior of old era. For above reasons, Emily’s character had shaped. Such as stubborn, impervious, tranquil, and perverse,the most profound of all is morbid. This point is both unexpected and expected,since her attitude is unusual when her father had been found dead. She declined to acknowledge his death.
看完鸡皮疙瘩起来了。文学性也太强了!整部作品“短小精悍”,可解读的空间巨大!节选了的到底是专四还是专八的阅读理解啊,完全想不起来了。 仅从浅层来看,Emily的悲剧或许是由他父亲的专制造成的。"We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will." Homer死时保持着的拥抱姿势,旁边枕头上的灰发,Emily在以这种“极端、永恒”的方式留住爱,正如她当初留住父亲的遗体。 深入分析,以南北战争为背景,这是以Emily为代表的南方没落旧贵族,在现代化进程中的消亡。(直接把我拉回到Gone with the wind) 拒绝交税,拒绝安装邮箱,不让他人进入房子,困在父亲留下的房子里,孤独的坚守着。不愿承认父亲的死,不愿放下Homer,拒绝接受南方文化的衰亡。 当Emily死后,大批的人涌入她的房子,仿佛在看一座保存着南方文化的历史博物馆。 以及整个镇的人都在看Emily的热闹,从窗户里窥视着她的生活,却又对她与Homer的事指指点点。这些人“欣喜”于Emily终于开始接纳新事物Homer(北方佬),又怕Emily失去了南方人的尊严荣誉。 叙事艺术,象征和隐喻的手法,语言风格,孤独、死亡和衰败的普世主题,文学性超强!必须重读。(ps. 任何一个句子拿出来讲语法都是绝杀。)
没什么心理描写,主要以旁观者进行叙述来展开故事;比较客观平淡同时理解起来没有那么困难。 每个人都是一个小世界,社会是约取了人群中个个小世界而搭建起来的世界。社会有着它的规则与文化,而社会里的每个人也有各自的规则与标准。有时我们会发现人与人、人与社会的交际很有意义:丰富生动而有益;有时则会在这种交际里受到伤害:欺骗、诱惑、剥削、背叛、抛弃...... 面对不确定的变数,有些人积极入世、有些人达观处事、有些人消极退隐、有些人封闭自己…… 艾米丽选择了闭门锁户,可是书中也提到了她教孩子们在陶瓷作画的情节。人是群居动物,我相信艾米丽还是对外界有所期冀与需要,只是她很难再去承受这种敞开与交互所附加的背叛与离弃。艾米丽可以为了追求爱恋罔顾社群的规则与文化束缚,但在遭受爱人的背弃后步入极端。 有些人的人格几乎由社会规训而成,将自由意志沦为社会文化的载体,缺少判断与主见,但同时却是免去了与社会框架产生矛盾的痛苦;人如果不想当庸俗之辈,需要像艾米丽一样有自己的追求和反抗的品质,也需要一个强大的自我主体。 凭借这个无法由挫折击退、拥有理智精神的主体在盲目顺从社会、随波逐流湮灭灵魂和为了反抗而反抗、固步自封反人类反社会之间strike a balance,合理择取文化工具箱中有益的部分,去生存去实践去发展去变强大,甚至有朝一日往这个工具箱里增添新事物、淘汰旧事物、促进社会人类的进步也未可知。
这个版本的文本有误,第三部分工程队来到小镇修路,以下几处 "riggers" 原本都是 "niggers"(黑人),白人工头带着一队黑人施工。 The construction company came with riggers and mules and machinery, and a foreman named Homer Barron The little boys would follow in groups to hear him cuss the riggers, and the riggers singing in time to the rise and fall of picks.
完全中立客观的视角,不深入艾米丽的内心,如此晦暗的哥特风格,她以一种无痛的方式驯服了爱,自此就像幽灵一样,冷峻的飘荡在窗台上。
这篇真的太美妙了,短小精悍但意蕴悠长。仿佛诡谲腐烂中弥散出一阵沉郁的香气,一股优雅的诗意。 高贵的Emily,骄矜的Emily,孤僻固执的Emily。人们敬畏其所具的传统贵族傲气与怪性情,视其为没落南方遗留下来的一件古迹、一座可供怀旧的纪念碑,也施其窥伺与怜悯,在议论和评判中把她高高架起,叹上一句Poor Emily。 Emily似乎终生停滞在了凝固的过去。父亲在时她被父权控制,闭门不出也失去爱的机会。而父亲死后,旧的权威和意志仍贯彻她生活的秩序。她几乎锁居,不与外界来往,当新南方在工业化中前进时依然孤独封闭、拒绝改变。镇民们成了她新的父亲。 她未被真正地理解与关心,不懂得爱也没有正常爱的能力,也许这正是她选择用极端的方式拒绝Homer离开的原因。 哪怕与服下砒霜的尸体同床共枕,哪怕婚房的家具颜色褪去,Homer是Emily送给自己的玫瑰,她要可以停驻的亲密——直到她自己也死去(哥特式病娇味)。 除去对Emily悲剧的刻画,Faulkner的叙事手法也很让人惊艳。时间线和故事场景在镇民的视角碎片里穿梭,表面是小镇的八卦奇闻,是流动的回忆本身,实则连贯着时代背景的变更和人性的矛盾叵测,非常自然。 以及可以感受到他对氛围和细节的把控游刃有余,丰盈而不堆砌。
🤎🧡💛Love is a magnificent funeral ▪️To summarize the life experiences of any individual, ▪️one does not require an excessive number of words; ▪️someone has already encapsulated it in twelve characters: He was born, ▪️He suffered, He died. 🌟🌟🌟 She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue. 她看起来肿胀发白,像长久泡在死水中的尸体。 此句中pallid表示“苍白的”,与pale近义。我在翻译时把like引导的插入成分后移,bloated(肿胀的)和pallid hue(苍白的色调)处理为“肿胀发白”。 🌟🌟🌟 We say she is pitiable, as if a rose pinned in a specimen book were pitiable." "The smell of death and the fragrance of roses have reached a strange harmony in the room." "She lived as a walking tombstone, with her pride." 我们说她可怜,就像说一朵被钉在标本册里的玫瑰可怜。” “死亡的气息与玫瑰的芬芳在房间里达成了诡异的和谐。” “她就这样带着她的骄傲,活成了一座行走的墓碑。” 🌟🌟🌟 🥀🥀A Rose for Emily (1930) by William Faulkner 📚书名:《献给艾米丽的一朵玫瑰花》 🔖作者:[美]威廉·福克纳 以其虚构的"约克纳帕塔法县"为背景的经典短篇小说非线性叙述。 🌍核心主题有以下三点🌟🌟🌟 ✔️🔹旧南方的衰落 vs. 新北方的崛起 艾米丽是“旧南方”的象征。她的爱人荷默则代表着北方工业文明的入侵,她最终用极端手段(毒杀)将代表“变化”的霍默永远留在身边,在人生的后四十年,她都与尸体同床共枕…… 👩❤️👨她杀死了爱人,如愿拥有了矢志不渝的爱情。她的爱情是一场华丽的葬礼——埋葬爱人,埋葬自己,埋葬南方。 ✔️🔹父权制与社会传统的压迫 艾米丽的父亲是父权的直接代表。他赶走了所有追求者,剥夺了艾米丽作为独立个体追求爱情和幸福的权利,使她成为“维护家族荣誉”的工具。 ✔️🔹对过去的固守🕙 艾米莉永远禁锢在过去的时代里,挽留着贵族最后的尊严,实际上她的固执,傲慢成了如此悲惨的结局。 ,▪️▪️▪️ ✍️小说全文都没有提玫瑰花,只在结尾的一句话提到两次“玫瑰”——“faded rose color”(褪色的玫瑰色窗帘)和“the rose-shaded lights”(玫瑰色灯罩)——并且都是作为物品修饰而非实物出现。 🔍So who gave the roses? Where are they? Why are they being offered? 🔍是艾米丽本人吗?腐朽的气息无声地笼罩着南方小镇,爱人在鲜血里死去,爱情在鲜血里重生——这是艾米丽献给自己的一朵玫瑰🥀 ▪️▪️▪️ 👻尸体躺在那里,显出一度是拥抱的姿势,但那比爱情更能持久,那战胜了爱情的的熬煎的永恒的长眠已经使他驯服了”的同时,也使读者感到动容、哀伤、沉重、绝望。 🔸🔸🔸 🌹就像玫瑰花,绽放到凋零到枯萎🥀随着南北战争的推进和时代的变化,这朵玫瑰花也随之烟消云散了…
时间线很跳脱,但是里面有很多不常见的native speaker对于事物、景物的描述。随着岁月染灰的头发是Emily留在人们心中的最后也最深刻的一抹记忆。一开始看到荷默消失没有察觉到是什么意思,结尾让人恍然大悟。很精彩!
2026.1.31 星期六 晴 从标题开始就很吸引人。可以说是短小精悍的一篇小说。但是中文翻译过于拉垮。
经过《杀戮之病》的洗礼,恋尸癖之类的情节已经不会让我皱眉了😏 但话说回来,本篇的语言节奏实!在!妙!