傲慢与偏见第一句话的作用_《傲慢与偏见》中“教养”的作用

　　摘 要：《傲慢与偏见》是一部伟大的巨著，它极大程度地影响了英国的文学发展。之前已有许多关于此小说的评论与剖析，本文试图从“教养”这一角度分析主人公达西与伊丽莎白的爱情与婚姻关系。作为评价一个人社会地位标志的“教养”一词无论在十八世纪的英国社会还是小说中都起着举足轻重的地位，也正是“教养”弥补了达西与伊丽莎白的经济地位差异，最终导致二人陷入爱河的。所以通过本文可以让读者更加深刻体会到它的作用。
　　关键词：教养 婚姻
　　
　　在小说《傲慢与偏见》中，作者深刻阐述了婚姻与金钱的关系。通过作者的描述我们都知道如果一位女士想要嫁给一个条件优越的男士，她就要有丰厚的嫁妆。所以我们不得不承认婚姻是奠定在财产之上的。那么是什么导致没有任何嫁妆的伊丽莎白却嫁给了有钱的达西的呢？那应该是“教养”的作用。
　　小说的作者简・奥斯汀曾描述婚姻是一种在礼节“外衣”之下的利益关系。那么如何解释达西与伊丽莎白之间不平等的婚姻关系呢？在小说的开始部分作者设定了一系列的障碍阻止男女主人公感情的顺利发展，比如：达西傲慢地拒绝与伊丽莎白跳舞，而伊丽莎白也同时对他产生了偏见。而且达西很早就意识到伊丽莎白的庸俗社会关系会带来的麻烦：“But it must lessen their chance of marring men of any good consideration in the world.”也许连达西自己也没有想到会和自己鄙视并嘲笑的女士最终掉入爱河吧。那到底是什么将二人联系在一起呢？在我们回答这个问题之前，我们应该先聊一聊“教养”。
　　在英语中“教养”这个单词包含很多含义：行为，品位，谈吐，礼貌和待人接物的方式等等。(Post E.L：16)总的来说，我们可以将其定义为一个人的文化和礼貌行为总和。在简・奥斯汀生活的社会，教养对一个人的一生都起着非常重要的作用。十八世纪末期的伟大政治家与思想家艾德蒙・勃克曾说过：“Manners is more important than the laws ...they push the morals，produce the morals or even destroy the morals by its own ability.”(Edmond ：150) 在简・奥斯汀的年代存在着一种“地位小说”，将重点放在了行为与教养上。这类重点从教养角度描述人物。事实上奥斯汀的小说正是属于这一类范畴。比如说她从来不对小说中的人物作任何的道德评价，而是从他们的行为上做文章。在小说《傲慢与偏见》中“教养”这一个单词竟出现一百三十次之多。这种高频率的出现并非偶然，而正是通过教养这一概念将小说中的人物分成了两种：一类是有良好教养，另一类是没有的。在小说中很多的细节方面我们都能感受到它们的不同，比如说女士们在窗前不同的行为举动。当伊丽莎白看见达西带着他妹妹来拜访她时，“She retreated from the window fearful of being seen”。我们都知道对于伊丽莎白这样一个所谓幽雅家庭长大的女儿从敞开的窗户前向外张望是非常不合礼仪的。但相反的是伊丽莎白的姨妈菲力普太太却作出了不同行为：“throwing up the parlor window and loudly seconding the invitation”。从这一细节我们可以总结出她是一个缺乏教养的女人，从此我们也明白为什么达西还有宾格莱小姐认为简和伊丽莎白不能嫁给一个条件优越的男人了。从以下的对话中，我们可以得知：“I have an excessive regard for Jane Bennet，she is really a very sweet girl，and I wish with all my heart she were well settled. But with such a father and mother，and such low connections，I am afraid there is no chance of it.”“I think I have heard you say that their uncle is an attorney in Mercyton.” “Yes；and they have another，who live somewhere near cheap side.” “That is capital，”added her sister，and they both laughed heartily. 作者奥斯汀告知我们行为、礼貌和教养甚至在真实生活中都非常的重要。比如小说中简曾一度失去宾格莱先生的爱慕，而这正是源于“Jane’s disappointment had in fact been the works of her nearest relations”。我们在小说的第十八章能够深刻的体会这一点，“her mother (Mrs. Bennetr) was talking to that one person (lady Lucas) freely，openly，and of nothing else but of her expectation that Jane would be soon married to Mr.Bingley，――It was an animating subject，and Mrs.Bennet seemed incapable of fatigue while enumerating the advantages of the match. His being such a charming young man，and so rich，and living but three miles from them，were the first points of self- gratulation；and then it was such a comfort to think how fond the two sisters were of Jane，and to be certain that they must desire the connection as much as she could do. It was，moreover，such a promising thing for that her young daughters，as Jane’s marrying greatly must throw them in the way of rich men；and lastly it was so pleasant at her time of life to be able to consign her single daughter that might not be obliged to go into company more than she liked.”单凭简的母亲到处宣扬她女儿这门亲事的好处就足可以让宾格莱先生对简退避三舍了。因此从这一细节处我们可以得知正是博耐特太太的不当行为曾一度摧毁了她女儿的幸福。当人们注重他们的行为时就会影响现实的生活。这一点不仅在小说中表露无疑，甚至在作者简・奥斯汀所生活的年代也起着不可忽视的作用。正是通过对小说的阅读才让我们重新回到了那个十八世纪的英国。
　　“It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in want of a wife.”每个读者对这句小说开头的经典句记忆深刻，而在作者简・奥斯汀现实生活中也确实影响她的一生。作为一个牧师的女儿，简・奥斯汀深知没有多少嫁妆的她是没有办法在自己的生活圈中找到一个理想的丈夫的。(Helen：2) 在小说《傲慢与偏见》中，达西和伊丽莎白克服了两人中间的经济地位差异最终结成眷属，这其中教养起了非常重要的作用。在下面的阐述中让我们具体分析在两人关系发展过程中教养所起的作用。首先，当他们在小说的最开始部分的舞会中见面后，达西拒绝邀请伊丽莎白跳舞，并说道：“she is tolerable；but not handsome enough to tempt me；and I’m in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.”同时正是由于这些不合适的话导致伊丽莎白对他产生了偏见。因此教养首先让两人彼此产生了傲慢与偏见。其后也正是教养使两个人重新走到一起。当伊丽莎白和舅舅与舅妈一起出游，她和达西在班博里相遇。也在此时，达西得知她的舅舅嘉丁纳先生是伦敦的一位商人，而舅妈亦是有着良好教养的女士。我们可以在以下的段落中得知：Mrs. Gardiner was standing a little behind；and on her passing，and he asked her if she would do him the honor of introducing him to her friends. This was a stroke of caviling for which she was quite unprepared；and she could hardly suppress a smile at his being now seeking the acquaintance of some of those very people against whom his pride had revolted in his offer to herself，“what will be his surprise，”though she，“when he knows who they are! He takes them now for people of fashion.”
　　The introduction，however，was immediately made；and as she named their relationship to herself，she stole a sly look at him to see how he bore it；and was not without the expectation of his decamping as fast as he could from such disgraceful companions. That he was surprised by the connection was evident；he sustained it however with fortitude，and so far from going away，turned back with them and entered into conversation with Mr. Gardiner. Elizabeth could not but be pleased，could not but triumph. It was consoling that he should know she had some relations for whom there was no need to blush. She listened most attentively to all that passed between them，and glorified in every expression，every sentence of her uncle，which marked his intelligence，his taste or his good manners.从这一细节中我们可以看出伊丽莎白的舅舅和舅妈都很有教养的人，而这点无疑更增加了达西对她的爱慕并且改变了达西对她家人的态度。虽然博耐特太太是一个缺少教养的女人，而且“her mind was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding，little information，and uncertain temper，when she was discounted she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married；its solace was visiting and news.”但是达西的姨妈凯瑟琳女士也是非常的自大无理。在小说的第56章中为了尽力阻挡她外甥达西的婚姻，她对伊丽莎白说了很多不礼貌的话语：“Not so hasty，if you please. I have by no means done. To all the objections I have already urged，I have still another to add. I am no stranger to the particulars of your youngest sister’s elopement. I know it all；that the young man’s marrying her was a patched-up business，at the expense of your father and uncles. And is such a girl to be my nephew’s sister? Is her husband；is the son of his late father’s steward，to be his brother? Heaven and earth! -Of what are you thinking? Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?”而伊丽莎白小妹妹丽迪亚和韦翰私奔的丑闻也等同于达西妹妹乔芝亚曾经差点被同一个人欺骗私奔。因此两个爱人之间关于他们亲属的教养问题是扯平了。二人之间的障碍被消除，取代的是在班博里建立的新恋爱关系。在小说中我们也可以观察到达西的变化，因为在他第一次向伊丽莎白求婚被拒绝，他才真正意识到自身的傲慢自大，然而在班博里与伊丽莎白再次相遇时他的礼貌谦和举止完全和第一次的舞会判若两人。这也使伊丽莎白兴奋不已。同时她也意识到自己与达西有着共同的兴趣、思维方式和感情。当她的姐姐简问她是何时爱上达西的，她回答：“But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley.”乍一看这句话好象感觉伊丽莎白爱上达西是因为他的丰厚财产和那漂亮庄园，因此她的姐姐简让她严肃点。实际上这句话是一句双关句，它既指那个美丽的庄园班博里，又指她在那里看到的一个全新的达西，这句话也就意味着达西已经完全改变了他待人接物的态度并因此赢得了伊丽莎白的芳心。我们可以想象，如果达西从始至终都非常的傲慢自大，那么即使他们之间的误会解除，也不会有任何的结果。因此从这里我们可以推断正是“教养”弥补了二人之间的社会地位与经济地位的差异。毕竟他们都是有着良好教养与道德的人。
　　我们可以否认简・奥斯汀在揭露资本主义婚姻本质上做的贡献吗？当然不，教养确实在达西与伊丽莎白之间的婚姻上起到了非常大的作用，但是教养本身并不能超越阶级。通过以上的阐述，教养包含了一个人的行为、品位和礼貌举止，但同时它也是一个人社会地位的象征。尽管达西和伊丽莎白在财富上有很大的差距，但是他们从根本上是属于一个阶级的。正如伊丽莎白说的：“In marrying your nephew，I should not consider myself as quitting that sphere. He is a gentleman；I am a gentleman’s daughter；so far as we are equal.”而我们必须注意到这一点：他们的婚姻自由指的是从他们本阶级中选择的自由。
　　最后我们能够清晰地理解教养作为一个人社会地位的象征，无论是在十八世纪的现实生活还是在想象中的小说中都发挥着举足轻重的作用。而教养这个在小说中出现100多次的词从男女主人公的相识到相爱都推动着情节的一步一步的发展，同时也推动着小说的发展。小说的作者简本人出生在牧师家庭，她认为一个人应当真诚、无私而且不世故，而这一切道德品质应该由他的教养和品位来衡量。这些信仰一直以来都是她作品的奠基。(Helen：2)所以“教养”在她的作品中占据了重要的地位。在分析她的小说过程中我们应着重于教养所起的作用。
　　
　　参考文献：
　　［1］Edmond Burk. Collection of Edmond Burk’ s essays［M］.London：Oxford press，1928.
　　［2］Helen Lefroy. Jane Austen［M］.西安：世界图书出版西安公司，1998.
　　［3］Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice［M］.上海：上海世界图书出版社，2003.
　　［4］Post E.L. Western Manners［M］.北京：三联书店，1991.